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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-CA link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-US>From David House in response to some comments on this list.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>Regards<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>Crispin<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>++++++<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>Dear David<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>Any ideas here? I don't want to bother you with asking to join in the conversation, it is not that interesting, but the from following you might have something to say.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>I appreciate the invite, but I'm just too busy to engage much. This is one reason why I don't always respond even in this forum...<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>Biomass briquettes are normally made from very liquid retted material. If the liquids from the digester were taken off and the fibres remaining briquetted, it may suit everyone.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>There is good literature about de-watering slurry and making bedding material, a use which likely shares a good many process steps with making briquettes.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>The discussion on what is left in jatropha as toxins after digestion or heating stalled when everyone agreed no one knows the next answers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>It sounds as though the distinction between toxic and toxic to who or what was not clearly made in the discussion. Dihydrogen oxide is toxic in some conditions. Oxygen is toxic to obligate anaerobes. One of the better papers regarding the pertinent chemistry of Jatropha is "Agroclimatic Conditions, Chemical and Nutritional Characterization of Different Provenances of Jatropha Curcas L. from Mexico"(</span> <span style='color:black'><a href="http://www.eurojournals.com/ejsr_39_3_08.pdf">http://www.eurojournals.com/ejsr_39_3_08.pdf</a>). Although again it's negative evidence, considering its aims, I think it can be taken as significant that this paper mentions composting Jatropha without indicating any problems:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>In some places in Mexico, J. curcas has been intercropped with beans, peanut, chilli, coffee, medicinal and aromatic plants for the first two years, giving additional productive outputs. In addition, J. curcas fruits are used as compost or to generate biogas.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>Likewise, the Institute for European Environmental Policy (Nele Bunner, author), in a paper about biofuels in South America (</span><a href="http://www.gotaverde.org/userfiles/file/D51a%20-%20Final%20Report%20IEEP_EN.pdf">here</a><span style='color:black'>), says that<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>Independently from the production model, all projects make use of the possibilities that Jatropha offers to improve soil quality. Among the practices taken to keep or further enhance the soil quality many projects leave primary material (leafs and tree-cut) on the fields instead of collecting them. The resulting biomass provides micronutrients directly on the field. Concerning other residues from processing, most projects claimed that they can make use of all parts harvested from the Jatropha plant. Projects which already had a substantial harvest said that all the material was reused in some stage of the plantation cycle. One project developer explained the detailed analysis they undertook of the residues. After harvesting the fruit, opening and pressing it, the hull can be used two-fold: to produce organic briquettes (3kg briquette has a calorific power of 1 kg fossil oil), or as a fertilizer. For the latter one it was grinded and composted anaerobically and became a very good fertilizer (with NPK, 15% each). This project further analyzed the seed cake which they tested for the use of three different purposes: when the cake is detoxified it can be used for animal feed with 56% protein, it can be used as a biopesticide and as fertilizer.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>If the Jatropha curas L. in question were the most common toxic variety, I would not burn the seed cake until exhaustive analysis had demonstrated to me that no toxins were present in the smoke from a poorly combusted fire. The reason is two-fold. Of course if it is well and completely burned as it would be in a well-designed stove, then analysis of the smoke might demonstrate safety. However, as soon as it becomes known as a fuel, it is bound to be used in all kinds of stoves, and not just those which are well-designed. And the second reason is that if I would not expose my grandchild to it, then I could not in conscience advocate its use. And given that, for example, Jatropha has some carcinogens in it, it would take a lot to convince me that it was safe not only according to present tests, but safe beyond what might presently be demonstrated: again, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>No question, small children are exposed every day to toxic smoke products. That is regrettable and another excellent reason for your work. Taking action that might add to that toxic burden strengthen that tragedy, and unless there are really compelling reasons for it-- which I don't think there are, since the better part of the energy from the seed cake can be harvested through biogas-- I would not want to take a position that might inadvertently exacerbate existing or cause new problems.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>d.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>-- <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>David William House<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>"The Complete Biogas Handbook" www.completebiogas.com<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>Vahid Biogas, an alternative energy consultancy <a href="http://www.vahidbiogas.com">www.vahidbiogas.com</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div></body></html>