[Stoves] The PROTOS Plant Oil Cooker

[Keith Addison]

>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.

Biofuels crops have to be grown, and they're supposed to be 
renewable/sustainable. Remove the livestock from the equation and 
you're left with an unsustainable farming system.

Best

Keith



>----- 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