[Stoves] The PROTOS Plant Oil Cooker

[Simon and Zoe]

One variation that springs immediately to mind is to cut out the livestock
altogether and just feed the cake into a digester (for bio-gas) close to the
oil expeller.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Keith Addison" <keith at journeytoforever.org>
To: "Discussion of biomass cooking stoves" <stoves at listserv.repp.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 03, 2007 10:17 PM
Subject: Re: [Stoves] The PROTOS Plant Oil Cooker


> Hello Tom, Kevin
>
> >Dear Tom
> >
> >Tom Miles wrote:
> > > Oilseed and bio-oil experts tell me that their biggest concern
> >with Jatropha
> > > is that the byproduct meal from most varieties is toxic to humans and
> > > animals.
> >
> >I think those are the very reasons why the Indian Government is
> >promoting Jatropha... they have drawn a line, and do not permit
> >conversion of food crops into energy.
> >
> >I would suggest that this is a very enlightened view, the wisdom of
> >which will become increasingly apparent.
>
> There's a place for it.
>
> On the other hand, not being able to feed the seedcake to livestock
> makes for a much less efficient production system. Jatropha folks say
> you can use the seedcake as an organic fertiliser and that it has
> medical uses and so on, but this doesn't compare with using it as
> livestock feed, with, eg, some of the livestock manure going to an
> anaerobic digester to produce methane gas for heating the biodiesel
> process, or for running the diesel motor that generates power for the
> oil press and the pump. The digestor sludge joins more manure and
> crop residues in the compost pile, which fertilises the soil for
> further production of the oilseed and other crops, and so on. Lots of
> variations on this theme.
>
> Sustainable biofuels (and indeed energy) is local and small-scale,
> and in many settings depends on this kind of integration.
>
> With an oil feedstock that doesn't produce livestock feed supplement
> as a by-product the opportunities for such integrated production are
> far fewer.
>
> The food-vs fuel scare really only applies to the previous paradigm
> of industrialised agricultural production of commodities for trade
> rather than food for people to eat (also a local matter), and the
> centralised production and supply of fuels and energy, which has to
> be decentralised if there's to be a sustainable energy future -
> impossible with fossil fuels, but not with biofuels and biomass.
>
> Best
>
> Keith
>
>
>
> >Best wishes,
> >
> >Kevin
> > >
> > > Tom Miles
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: stoves-bounces at listserv.repp.org
> > > [mailto:stoves-bounces at listserv.repp.org] On Behalf Of Simon and Zoe
> > > Sent: Thursday, May 03, 2007 2:21 AM
> > > To: Discussion of biomass cooking stoves
> > > Subject: Re: [Stoves] The PROTOS Plant Oil Cooker
> > >
> > > It seems that Jatropha can potentially have two advantages over seed
from
> > > other plants:
> > >
> > > 1. It can grow on land which is otherwise unsuitable for agricultural
> > > production, it can even be planted as a stabiliser in areas of
> >soil erosion,
> > > producing seeds with 1 year of planting.
> > >
> > > 2. Many organisations advertise very large potential yields from
Jatropha
> > > (up to 12 tonnes per hectare), on the other hand it seems there have
also
> > > been many disappointing projects in India with yields below 1 tonne
per
> > > hectare the norm and many farmers giving up altogether on the plants.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "David G. LeVine" <dlevine at speakeasy.net>
> > > To: "Discussion of biomass cooking stoves" <stoves at listserv.repp.org>
> > > Sent: Thursday, May 03, 2007 1:00 AM
> > > Subject: Re: [Stoves] The PROTOS Plant Oil Cooker
> > >
> > >
> > >> At 02:45 AM 5/2/2007, you wrote:
> > >>> On the subject of use of castor oil etc I think the stovers maybe
> > > interested
> > >>> in reading a keynote lecture I gave recently at National Oilseeds
> > >>> conference. www.nariphaltan.org/biofuels.pdf
> > >> Then I have a question.  With Castor producing so much more energy
> > >> per hectare, whi are less productive plants being pushed so hard?
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> David G. LeVine
> > >> Nashua, NH  03060
> > >
>
>
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