[Stoves] ***SPAM*** Re: ***SPAM*** Re: ***SPAM*** Re: Stoves Digest, Vol 146, Issue 3

[Crispin Pemberton-Pigott]

Kevin the rice straw story is useful, but to talk about it intelligently, or meaningfully if you prefer, it really helps to know what the moisture of the straw was in both cases.

There is a general rule which that biomass burns best (most cleanly and completely) when it is NOT completely dry, unless you have a special combustor.

For open fires the emissions are lowest when the moisture is in the range of 12-15%. Of course you can tune a stove to a particular and low level of moisture, as Aprovecho has shown by tuning their role stove performance to very dry sawn rectangular sticks. But normal fuel behaves differently.

Air dried straw may give a much better cooking experience than either fresh or totally dry straw. You can try and advise. if you can establish the moisture content of batches before others are burned, you can compare the performance of fresh, air dried, seasoned, wrapped in tight or tighter bundles....and so on.

Have you tried burning a vertical bundle placed in a half-round cylinder?  It would give it somewhat the affect of a sheltered fire, and still be able to replace the fuel from time to time.

You could place a second half cylinder temporarily to make an almost-enclosure if there were a handle on it.

Stay well
Crispin
From: kevin at sun24.org
Sent: October 11, 2022 2:44 PM
To: stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org
Reply to: stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org
Subject: [Stoves] ***SPAM*** Re: ***SPAM*** Re: ***SPAM*** Re: Stoves Digest, Vol 146, Issue 3

Thanks, Crispin.  I didn't think there was a shortcut.  I have someone in Malawi doing this in a much cruder way with rice straw.  It seems that the difference in moisture content between standing dry straw and dry straw that is cut and allowed to dry further for another week or two may be relevant to rice stubble burning in India and elsewhere.
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