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Stovers:
1. Tom Miles forwarded a request
yesterday from India from "diamond" (Ibrahim) stating:
"I am really struggling to find a low cost retort
suitable for carbonising coconut shells."
2. Several good replies were sent in from
stoves list members Singfeld, Stubbins and Reed and to other lists by some
others not shown here for clarity.
a Singfeld sent us to a useful
Indian web site on coconuts (and secondarily on charcoal from coconuts).
My big surprise there was that the output of activated charcoal is apparently
1/3 that of ordinary charcoal. It appears that the waste heat from
charcoal making is sometimes or often used for copra drying which is good -
but I wonder if that could be done more economically with solar
means. I'd like to hear more on the use of the waste heat - which I think
is very important and which I applaud.
b. Stubbins commented on
Singfeld and then on his own charcoaling efforts (and we have others doing the
same sort of charcoaling effort - it will pay for Ibrahim to look at many means
of making charcoal that have been discussed on this list) - and ended
with: "P.S.
I am no longer a <bioenergy@crest.org> or <gasification@crest.org>
member, so if the Stoves Moderator thinks it appropriate I would ask him to
forward this message to those
lists."
(RWL): I think it is appropriate for me to try forwarding, but I also have
tried to simplify my life and am not on those lists either. I am trying to
forward the Stubbing's message, but am not sure whether they will go through -
and ask Tom Miles to do so if they don't make it (or maybe change the "crest"
rules to allow me to send but not receive (and I do go look at those sites
from time to time).
c. Tom Reed gave a lead on a nice retort website by a
couple in Virginia. I happen to have visited them and am glad to say hello
again this way. Their interest in charcoal is to obtain good charcoal for
their interest in barbecues. This retort approach is simple and may be
what Ibrahim wants.
(RWL): I would like to
offer the idea of using many charcoal-making stoves instead of a
retort. I presume that there is a need in Ibrahim's part of India for fuel
- and would suggest that it should be beneficial for all if a forty kilo bag of
coconut shells is given free to every person willing to exchange 10 kilos
of charcoal. If Ibrahim is interested, we can offer many citations in our
archives to how to do this at low cost, with other clean burning and efficient
stove characteristics.
I hope that he will also look into
the reports from the Karve's (in Pune) who have experience in retort operation
as well.
Ron
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