[Stoves] Sunflower Seeds

[Paul Mushamba]

Dear All

William Carr wrote:
> I bought some sunflower seeds recently to check them
> out as a fuel  
> source............> I was wondering if anyone else
had thought about
> this.

I have some experience not using sunflower seed itself
but rather a by-product of village-level manufacturing
process of edible sunflower oil.  It is a kind of
slurry. When sunflower seed is crushed using a
mechanical oil expeller, the resulting oil can be
purified by either of two methods; 1. allowing it to
settle in a container over a period of several days so
that sediment settles at the bottom and clean oil can
be collected from the top , or 2. suspending the
container at a height and allowing the oil to pass
through a filter bag tied at the end of pipe
originating from the bottom of the container. 

In iether case, a by-product of the purification
process is a slurry which, although still rich in oil
cannot be processed any further within the limits of
the available technologies. It burns very well when
added to the open fire although it tends to burn out
rather quickly. I am slo not sure about its kindling
properties.

Next steps: Try using in stove designed for use with
gel fuel.


Best Regards

Paul Mushamba

--- William Carr <jkirk3279 at beanstalk.net> wrote:

> 
> I bought some sunflower seeds recently to check them
> out as a fuel  
> source.   $13.15 or so per 50# bag.
> 
> 
> They don't ignite cold at all, but added to a hot
> fire they have some  
> considerable fuel value.
> 
> 
> Compared, say,  to sawdust from expanded wood
> pellets mixed with a  
> little cooking oil, the sunflower seeds produce less
> of a flare but  
> the heat lasts longer.
> 
> 
> I have some lawn space behind our business where I
> could till and  
> plant maybe 50' by 100' of sunflowers as an
> experiment next year.
> 
> 
> After harvest,  lop the heads off, throw them in
> mesh bags and hang  
> until dry.   Then if necessary run the sunflower
> heads through a  
> cement mixer with some rocks to harvest the seeds.
> 
> Break up the stalks for starter fuel.   Who knows,
> they might be as  
> good as corn cobs.
> 
> 
> I was wondering if anyone else had thought about
> this.   The  
> sunflower seeds I bought are on the small side, but
> they go through  
> the auger in our pellet stove fine.
> 
> I will be looking to see what species has the most
> oil content, most  
> productive, without having huge seeds that would
> have to be crushed...
> 
> 
> I'd like to test soybeans but the local mill won't
> sell soybeans  
> except in bulk.
> 
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