[Stoves] torrefied biomass and plastic

[AJH]

On Wed, 12 Mar 2008 21:45:28 -0700, Richard Stanley wrote:

>AJH , Please do not refer to the briquette as "Richard's briquette":  
>That ignores the hundreds who have contributed to its development and  
>continue to do so, globally.

Sorry it grated Richard, I was both acknowledging it as the type of
briquette you champion on this list and to differentiate it from
charcoal briquettes that are discussed, please suggest an unambiguous
name that is more suitable.


>Concerning the subject of using polyethylene plastic shopping bag..  
>While they may not according to your insights be helpful technically  
>or-environmentally, they are otherwise to start fires in the third  
>world.

I'm behind you all the way there, I think you misread my post.

I have no hesitation in warning people if I think there is a danger,
and did so with regard to some plastics, like pvc and neoprene. I felt
there had been no case made that there was a danger from cleanly
burning a briquette incorporating shredded film (shopping bags) and
wasn't prepared to lump them in with burning unknown plastics in a
small stove generally. In my experience small amounts of polythene are
a good support fuel and complement biomass, I am still waiting to here
any different.

I also supported the point that there was an environmental benefit in
collecting them for this use.

> The  very  
>suggestion that we should  ban their use in the mass world poses two  
>questions to me after lifting my jaw ...... By what authority do we  
>speak in making such a statement and what indeed would one supplement  
>them with if one had such authority...?

Banning was a poor choice of words on my part.

Telling people something is wrong when one has no proof that there is
a danger is counterproductive and most of us have no authority, which
is why we attempt to persuade with a good paradigm.

>
>As to torrification of a plastics blend briquette (at least to the  
>degree that resting a briquette against the stove to pre heat it and  
>to drive off aromas = torrification), no worries:  It simply does not  
>smell good and would smoke quite a bit if pre heated in this manner.  
>Its very unlikely that it would ever happen,  frankly...

Well we're all agreed on that then.

Andrew Heggie