[Stoves] Biomass power, cookstoves, and disruptive technologies

[Roger Samson]

Hi Ron
Yes I don't know why my stoves account messages don't always go to all on the list. I will sign in to make another account when I get a moment. 

This was a 2012 presentation we made at Ethos that explained the grass fuel option.
We made that fuel for a rice hull cooker.
http://ethoscon.com/pdf/ETHOS/ETHOS2012/SunPM/Ouellet_Payeur_Evaluation_Chopped_Grass_AlternativeFuel.pdf
The grass fuel option for the MAYON TURBO (nice combustion flame)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IbmD2J9qQA

Presently we are working on high value agri-food markets  for our grasses in Canada. This includes using switchgrass as a hygienic bedding (its low in N limited growth of bacteria compared to wheat straw) and then using it in a cascading application so the manure/switchgrass straw goes into a biogas digester(ie its a free feedstock) so biopower might just be viable after all but never in a dedicated use. As a dedusted horse bedding or poultry bedding it might have its highest value.... maybe $250/tonne. 

Here is a soon to be released video of the dedusted grass product in Canadian livestock and poultry  bedding applications. 
Biomass Bedding video link: https://youtu.be/C50m987jy14

I think this grass straw material in the plastic bale could be burned in a TLUD or as part of a fuel mix for a TLUD. In developing countries the concept would be to harvest and shred the grass and use the dedusted fraction for livestock feed. Of course the dedusted product could be done quite simply but care must be taken not to over expose rural workers to herbaceous biomass dust. Typically a grass like switchgrass is 40% leaves but this dedusted residual  material might be 3/4 leaves as they are the most  prone to breakage (short weak fibres). I would then like to see the dedusted product soaked to release the potassium and then dried or you might run into potassium/chlorine corrosion problems. Any body have any funds we could pilot this concept in the Mayon Turbo (which is in effect a gasifier) and TLUD's. 
  
regards
Roger Samson
www.reap-canada.com
--------------------------------------------
On Mon, 1/9/17, Ronal W. Larson <rongretlarson at comcast.net> wrote:

 Subject: Re: [Stoves] Biomass power, cookstoves, and disruptive technologies
 To: "Roger Samson" <rogerenroute at yahoo.ca>, "Discussion of biomass" <stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org>, "Traveller" <miata98 at gmail.com>
 Received: Monday, January 9, 2017, 4:23 PM
 
 Roger,  List and ccs
 	Roger:   It appears you
 may have sent your message only to Nikhil, but I respond
 since it probably has some important stove
 aspects.
 
 On Jan 9, 2017, at
 9:42 AM, Traveller <miata98 at gmail.com>
 wrote:
 Roger: 
 
 	<long snip>
 On Sun, Jan 8, 2017 at 7:34 PM, Roger Samson <rogerenroute at yahoo.ca>
 wrote:
 Nikhil
 
 		<short
 snip>
  I have
 been following solar energy research as a means  to better
 understand how plants can more efficiently intercept
 sunlight for my biomass grass plant breeding program. The
 solar PV researchers are making most of their efficiency
 gains through texturing and coatings to improve sunlight
 utilization (In my biomass grasses I breed for striated
 leaves and glaucous bloom-the dusty blue texturing you see
 on cabbage leaves). 
 
 	[RWL1:  stove fuel question #1.   In
 the belief that switchgrass and other grasses may be quite
 good for stoves in developing countries, could you give us
 more leads on this leaf texture topic.  Are we talking of a
 10% difference in NPP?
 
 		<longer snip - leading
 to the “Research Gate” full free book on switch
 grass>
 
 
 
 regards
 
 Roger
 
 https://www.researchgate.net/p
 rofile/Roger_Samson2
 
 (you can see my grass breeding work
 here)
 	[RWL2:  Thanks for making your recent
 book available for free.  I learned a lot about
 switchgrass.  
 	My second stove related
 question is whether the “chopped” material would work
 in a TLUD.  Placing long stems vertically can be a problem
 if a spark can fall to the bottom.  Is chopped switchgrass
 of 4 cm length the usual way one buys switchgrass?  Might
 this fuel require a fan/blower ?
 
 RWL3:  My third switchgrass question
 relates to whether you have any favorite article on the
 benefits of biochar made from switchgrass.   There are
 plenty of articles;  I’m looking for a favorite -
 especially as might relate to biochar resulting from
 switchgrass use in improved cook stoves for developing
 countries.
 Thanks in advance.
 Ron