[Stoves] Briquete from paper (and alternatives)

[Ron Larson]

Crispin (cc stoves list, adding biochar list):  Today you said (in response 
to mine {repeated below], which in turn was in response to query from a 
stoves list member "Tufa" and a nice response by Jeff Davis (that mentioned 
your nice paper-brick-maker - link given below)]

Today, you said on stoves list:
> I know this is early days and all for biochar discussion, but is there any
> evidence that denser or lighter biochar makes more or less different to 
> the
> soil?
    [RWL:  I can't provide that evidence.  Hence I am adding the biochar 
list as well for an answer to this first question.  The char found in the 
terra preta soils seems to often be small enough that char from paper might 
work.  I tried to equivocate on using the char from paper for biochar 
purposes - and hope we can find some answers.  I guess I better promise to 
try some experiments myself.
     My motivation in answering Tufa was to get maximum value out of paper - 
which seems to burn very badly in every stove (except as a starter).  I 
remember way back on the stoves list a little discussion of burning paper 
when rolled up.  I don't think we were thinking at all then of either 
biochar - or of a retort inside (or outside) of a small cookstove.
    There is little waste of paper in Ethiopia, and I found paper to be 
almost non-existent in rural Ethiopia.  But Tufa's question makes sense in 
Addis and we certainly don't want paper to go un-used.  But I might prefer 
to have my own waste paper (too much of it) be turned to char for garden use 
over the next best - which is recycling.  We for sure don't want paper to go 
to a landfill.
    When I use paper to light a fire in my home-heating stove, it can be a 
terrible bother if I use too much or don't ball it up just right.  It seems 
to take forever for the paper-char to be consumed - and is a great means of 
preventing adequate air flow.  It was in this sense that I was thinking of a 
retort approach in a small cook stove.  Making briquettes and bricks makes 
good sense - but not one for all markets.

>
> Is there a water retaining light mix and a denser bacteria sheltering mix
> that could bring benefits?
> I wonder if Dr AD Karve has any news on that.
>
>     {RWL:  This is a good/great question - again for the biochar list. 
> Applying biochar of any kind to the soil is still a problem that needs 
> more research.
    One first thought is that the bacteria are so tiny that almost anything 
you can see will shelter them.  But whether the structure of paper is 
adequate, I just don't know.  My experience (very limited) with charred 
paper is that I wouldn't pick it for water retention - but it is probably a 
lot better than sand.   I read that much of the water retention benefits 
attributed to biochar are due to the tilth produced by fungi.  Maybe that 
still holde for biochar from paper.  I look forward to hearing from anyone 
who may have experimented with biochar made from paper.]

> If we are processing fuels intended to create better growing conditions,
> then the stove should process the fuel in a supportive manner.
    [RWL:  Agree totally.  I also must add that my motivation in stoves 
topics has largely turned to biochar production - which has a large negative 
carbon benefit as well as a soils benefit (and energy benefit of course).  I 
want to take advantage of ANY opportunity to make biochar, especially where 
the fuel is not now well used (like paper, but also leaves, twigs, etc).  I 
wish I could assure Tufa and others that paper going to biochar 
(soil/climate use) was as valuable as totally consuming it through a 
brick/briquette approach.  If it proves so, there can be a big difference in 
income for the cook (from carbon credits), who will consume twice as much 
paper in a charcoal-making stove.  She will thereby also save forests, 
biodiversity, etc., and presumably still cook in the more "supportive" 
manner obtainable with pyrolysis-type stoves (ie clean, efficient, 
controllable, etc.)  We will just need more such stoves that have this 
retort characteristic.  Many years ago, I attempted to use rolled-up paper 
in my early versions of a charcoal-making stove, and it worked very badly - 
not sure why.   There is probably some mention of this failure a dozen years 
ago on this list.   A retort approach should work - and we weren't 
considering retorts then.
    If the "biocharpaper" proves to be lousy in soils, then I am all for 
more use of bricks/briquettes - and Jeff;s list (including Crispin's site - 
to see this go to 
http://listserv.repp.org/pipermail/stoves_listserv.repp.org/2009-January/010703.html ) 
is a great place to start.  We just have to keep that paper from turning to 
methane.
    Apologies for a long-winded answer - but I believe this could be an 
important topic on both lists - especially as it gets us into more potential 
biochar ingredients like leaves, needles and twigs.      Ron]

>
> Regards
> Crispin
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stoves-bounces at listserv.repp.org
> [mailto:stoves-bounces at listserv.repp.org] On Behalf Of Ron Larson
> Sent: January 29, 2009 10:14 PM
> To: Discussion of biomass cooking stoves
> Subject: Re: [Stoves] Briquete from paper
>
> Tufa etal
>
>    There is a possibility that one might convert paper  to char in a
> pyrolyzing or gasifying stove that contains an inner (or outer) 
> semi-sealed
> compartment acting as a retort.  I am thinking of just a thick rolled up
> cylinder of paper, with the pyrolysis gases being flared in the main
> pyrolysis or gasifying region.  This is known to work well with leaves and
> twigs - I don't see why not with paper.  The retort might just be a 
> salvaged
>
> metal can.  The resultant char might work well as biochar - but also could
> be added to pellets or briquettes, to increase their energy content.
>
> Ron
>
>
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