SustINble Agriculture

8/23/2019 SustINble Agriculture

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Not Optional But

Absolutely Necessary

by Paul Olivier

February 16, 2013

[email protected]

090-694-1573

1Empowering the Poor through Waste Transformation
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Experts predict that over nine billion people will inhabitour planet by the year 2050.

The question naturally arises: how do we go about

feeding nine billion people?

In many developed countries, food accounts for about 10

to 12% of the household budget.

In Egypt food costs have already risen to more than 40%

of the household budget.

In India over 40% of the children under the age of three

are undernourished and underweight.

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In Spain, hit hard by austerity measures, many peopleregularly forage through garbage bins in search of

their next meal.

Looking back over the last five years, we cannot help

but conclude that we are in the midst of a global food

crisis, and this crisis not going away any time soon.

Global grain prices have almost tripled within the last

10 years.If grain prices were merely to double within the next 20

years, hundreds of millions of people world-wide

would starve.


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Water is a finite resource, and its getting scarce.

Phosphorous too is a finite resource, and as much as

70% of all high-quality phosphorous lies in the hands

of one country: Morocco.

In as little as 25 years, many apatite reserves will no

longer be economically exploitable.

In the meantime, pesticides, herbicides, chemical

fertilizers, tillage and erosion are destroying thefertility of soils.


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Each year about 75 billion tons of soil, the equivalent ofnearly 10 million hectares of arable land, are being

lost globally to erosion, water-logging and salination.

Another 20 million hectares are being abandoned each

year due to degradation of soil quality.

At this rate, there will soon be a catastrophic shortage of

arable land.


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Over the last three years we experienced global weatherpatterns of heat, drought and flooding that are

thoroughly unprecedented.

The only explanation for such off-the-chart weather

patterns is global warming.

Northern ice is melting far faster than anyone could have

predicted.

Its already at levels forecast for the year 2050.

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Empowering the Poor through Waste

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More and more people in developing countries demandgreater quantities of meat in their diets.

But producing meat is not terribly efficient.

It takes at least 7 kgs of grain to produce one kg ofdressed beef.

But how to produce more grain when top-producers of

wheat in Europe as well as top-producers of rice in

Asia have failed in the last ten years to increaseproductivity?

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Weve got over 1.5 billion cows on our planet (about onecow for every five people), and they emit a lot of

methane.

The livestock sector also generates nitrous oxide, a really

bad greenhouse gas.

Livestock make use of a large portion of our planets

land surface.

This includes pasture land as well as arable land neededto produce feed for livestock.

There are a few simple things that we might do.


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1. We might eat less meat, especially beef.

2. We might stop wasting food (one third of foodproduced globally is wasted).

3. And the United States should immediately stop

making ethanol from corn.The ethanol industry in the USA consumes 40% of its

production of corn,

and through substitution, this practice raises the price of

most other grains.

One gas tank of ethanol can displace enough calories to

feed one poor person in India for an entire year.

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One of the first thing that all countries should do is tolimit population growth.

Then core issues relating to sustainable food production

have to be squarely addressed.

The key to the sustainable production of food lies in the

transformation of all of the waste surrounding the

cultivation, preparation and consumption of food

rigorously coupled to the return of all transformedproducts back to agriculture (in the broad sense).

So then, how do we transform waste?

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To understand how to go about this, let us focus on fourtypes of waste in descending order of nutrient content,

with type 1 waste having the highest nutrient content,

and type 4 waste having the lowest nutrient content.Types 1 and 2 are putrescent.

Types 3 and 4 are non-putrescent.

Here we see some examples of type 1 waste:



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food waste slaughterhouse

waste

shrimp waste fish by-products

fish mortalities

fruit and vegetable

waste

coffee pulp and

banana stem



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The idea here is quite simple: if putrescent waste has ahigh nutrient content, preserve it as feed.

A lot of type 1 waste could be pasteurized, blanched,

cooked or dried, but it often turns bad before it can

be processed in these intensive ways.

Also cooking and pasteurization demand energy, and

why waste energy, if there is a simple way to avoid

its use?This brings us to an ancient way of preserving nutrients:

lactic acid fermentation.



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Here lactic acid bacteria consume water-solublecarbohydrates and produce lactic acid.

As the pH drops, microorganisms that could degrade or

spoil the waste are neutralized.

With the addition, often times, of no more than 5%

molasses by weight, nutrients can be preserved for a

relatively long period of time.

Even shrimp waste and green rice straw can befermented.



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Empowering the Poor through WasteTransformation 15

Shrimp heads and tails can be fermented by means ofLactobacillus plantarum 541 in a simple drum

reactor.

This enables chitin to be separated from protein.

This fermentation method is just as efficient in the

extraction of chitin as the chemical method.

Chitin can be refined and deacetylated into a multi-

purpose biopolymer called chitosan.The liquor by-product from this fermentation process is

high in essential amino acids,


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and can be processed into a protein powder fit for

human consumption.

A more common use would be to blend this protein

powder into a pellet for pigs, chickens or fish.Often the liquor by-product has a higher value than the

chitin.


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When rice straw is harvested at full-ripening stage

when still green,

it contains more nutrients than straw that has been

dried in the sun.This green straw can be chopped, fermented and

transformed into cattle feed of substantial value.



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Organic acids, such as lactic acid, increase nutrient digestibility,

improve protein retention and mineral absorption,

stimulate the secretion of digestive enzymes, regulate the balance of microbial populations within

the gut and

inhibit the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria.

They do all of these things to such a remarkable degree

that they are now being promoted within the

European Union as alternatives to antibiotics.



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But rather than add organic acids to thediets of pigs and cows, the farmer

can produce them via the

fermentation of waste materials.

Almost all of the diet of the pig, forexample, might consist of fermented

waste products.

As a monogastric, omnivore and

scavenger, the pig excels as a

recipient of the feed produced at this

first level.


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Fermented banana stem


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Here I point to putrescent waste that cannot be preservedas feed.

Examples of type 2 waste are pig and cow feces.

When fecal material is subjected to the combined actionof black soldier fly (BSF) larvae and red worms,

we see one of the most efficient nutrient extraction and

conversion processes on our planet.



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BSF larvae digest fresh fecal material, something thatred worms cannot do,

and red worms digest the more recalcitrant cellulosic

materials within the fecal material, something that

larvae cannot do.

Red worms grow two to three times faster on BSF

residue than on many of the waste materials normally

fed to them.The larvae and red worms are exceedingly nutritious and

are an excellent replacement for fish meal valued at

over $1,000 US/ton.


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In an area of only one square meter, BSF larvae can eatup to 25 kg of fresh putrescent waste per day.

They can digest food waste that is far too toxic to feed to

pigs or other animals.

It takes them roughly two hours to die when submerged

in rubbing alcohol.

They are tough, robust and adaptable.

These larvae can even be grown in a liquid medium,

provided this medium is properly aerated.


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BSF larvae thrive on all types of fresh fecal material.To these hungry larvae, pig feces have roughly the same

nutrient value as food waste.

Here we see larvae that were grown on nothing otherthan pig feces:


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Here we see the biopod in which these larvae weregrown.

The biopod allows the larvae to crawl right into a

collection bucket.


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BSF larvae contain a lot of high-quality nutrients:on a dry basis, about 42% protein and 35% lipids.

The big value here is in the lipids.

They contain about 54% lauric acid.The monoglyceride of lauric acid, known as monolaurin,

has profound antiviral and antibacterial properties.


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This amazing mono-ester kills several types ofpathogenic bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics,

and yet it does not appear to have an adverse effect on

gut probacteria.

It effectively combats many gram positive bacteria as

well as a long list of deadly viruses.

Several lauric acid mono-ester formulations even prove

to be effective against MRSA, swine flu and bird flu.


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Perhaps the high content of lauric acid in BSF larvaeexplains why mortality in catfish ponds has been

noted to drop dramatically when catfish were fed live

larvae as a supplement to their normal feed.

Dr. Hien Van Le, when feeding live larvae to catfish in

Vietnam, observed a drop in mortality from 45% to

5%.

Making biodiesel out of BSF lipids, as some tend tosuggest, is an extremely low-grade use of valuable

nutrients.


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Generally the larvae and worms arefar more nutritious than any of the

transformed products of type 1

waste,

and the residue of the red worm

(vermicompost) is at least 4 times

more nutritive than conventional

composts (type 3 products).Also vermicompost delivers 30% to

40% higher plant yields over

chemical fertilizers.


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Ideally we should not feed type 1 waste to type 2

transformers .Nutrients are lost at each trophic level introduced.

Likewise we should not feed type 2 waste to type 3

transformers.And finally in an ideal world, we should not take type 2

waste and transform it into biogas,

since type 2 products (larvae and worms) have a far

greater value than biogas.

If its fuel we need, we should turn to type 4 waste, as I

will be explained shortly.

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Type 3 waste is best processed by means of bacteria,fungi and actinomycetes.

Here we turn to thermophilic and mesophilic

composting.

One of the best and cheapest ways to do true

thermophilic composting is to lay out the waste in a

windrow and cover it with a compost fleece.


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A compost fleece is a spun-bonded nonwoven fabricthat creates ideal composting conditions.



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it prevents rainfall from entering the compost (a

roof is not needed),

it protects the compost from drying out from

sunlight and wind, it allows for the exchange of gases (the compost

breathes),

it retains heat, and it assures uniform temperatures within the windrow

for optimal thermophilic composting.



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A compost fleece is easy to manipulate by hand.

It costs about $1.00 USD (21,000 VND) per m2

delivered Vietnam.

For less than $50 or 1 million VND, a farmer orscavenger, on average, could be equipped with all

that is needed to do true thermophilic composting.

When manipulated by hand, a compost fleece lasts as

long as 10 years.



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Generally thermophilic composting is quicker and moreefficient than mesophilic composting.

But mesophilic composting is needed when the quantity

of waste produced in a given area is too small to be

collected and processed on a frequent or regular basis.

What I propose here is a mesophilic reduction and

storage unit.

I propose that this storage unit be fabricated out ofdurable materials that last indefinitely,

At the same time, it must be relatively inexpensive.


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It must be heavy, making it hard to steal,and it must have little recycle value, making it not worth

stealing.

It should be dimensioned so that it has to be emptied and

cleaned out but once each year or two.

Therefore I propose that the body of this mesophilic bin

be constructed out of brick.

Here we use a brick with 11 holes of a diameter of 12mm.

This small hole size prevents rats and mice from

entering.Empowering the Poor through Waste

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Cost to make this brick: 500 VND


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The body of the bin can be constructed on site.

But it can also be constructed off-site in two or three

sections that are easily lifted and transported.


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Total cost :

$13.80 US

290,000VND


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In Dalat where I live, 85% of household waste isbiodegradable and can go to the mesophilic bin.

Since the remaining 15% is not contaminated with

biodegradable material, scavengers can recover at

least two-thirds of this remaining fraction.

Since this remaining fraction does not stink, it does not

have to be collected each day.

Once a week should be sufficient.

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Therefore through mesophilic storage and reduction, thedaily collection of household waste is eliminated.

All of the biodegradable waste from the farm that makes

it into the household is transformed and returned to

the farm.

The residue of mesophilic bins, once reduced to an

appropriate grain size, serves as an excellent substrate

for red worms.



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If households do not have yard space where a mesophilicbin could be situated,

then biodegradable waste can be collected separately and

brought to small, decentralized thermophilic

composting sites.



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The logic of waste transformation should be extended toinclude the whole of human waste.

Here I propose a double outlet toilet: one for feces and

one for urine.

The feces receptacle, except for the lid, is the same

device used for the mesophilic storage of household

biowaste.

The feces receptacle has the same diameter as that of themesophilic bin.

But it consists of only three layers of brick (half the

height).55Empowering the Poor through Waste

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Urine is collected in a stainless steel urine bowl and is

routed to a container near the bin.



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In tropical countries, the feces storage bin is inhabited byBSF larvae within about 15 days after its

construction.

BSF larvae eat human feces within an hour or two after

it is introduced.

This is a powerful factor in eliminating odor.

Biochar and effective micro-organisms can also be

added to the storage bin from time to time to furthereliminate odor.

This toilet does not smell!



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Most of the nutrients absorbed by the human body

from food are excreted in the form of urine.

The nutrients in urine are easily taken up by plants.

If the direct application of urine to the soil becomes

difficult due to transport distances,there are many ways to concentrate the nutrients

within human urine.

Human urine can be processed mesophilically in dry

biomass laced with EM and biochar.

In a rural setting, urine can be routed to a small

duckweed pond.



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Finally there is lingo-cellulosic material (type 4 waste)

that does not decompose very easily.Good examples of this are the rice hull and the coffee

husk.

These recalcitrant materials can be transformed quiteinexpensively in top-lit, updraft, forced-air gasifiers.



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A pipe, standing upright, is filled with biomass and is lit at

the top.

Air is forced to draft up through the pipe by means of a

small fan.When all of the biomass has been gasified, the pipe is

emptied of biochar.

This is a batch process, and here are its main components:



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The air pipe also serves as a leg and as a handle.


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Speed Regulation


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The diameter of the reactordepicted here is 150 mm.

The total reactor height is

450 mm.


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The fan assembly looks like this:


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The life expectancy of this

DC fan is 65,000 hoursat 40 C, or 7.5 years of

non-stop operation.

0.87 InAq


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The electricity required here is virtually nothing.

During most of the batch cycle, no more than 2 to

3 watts are needed.


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Except for the fan, this gasifier has no moving parts. The reactor grate does not pivot or turn.

The biomass being gasified is not in motion.

Gas does not flow through pipes to remote burners. Very little breaks down.

Very little maintenance is required.

The process is easy to monitor and control.

The unit is small, lightweight and mobile.

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In emptying the gasifier of biochar, one has to turn thegasifier upside down.

When this happens hot air rises within the reactor and

exits through the air pipe.If the fan would remain attached to the air pipe, then it

would be easily damaged by this rising hot air.

Therefore the fan must be detached from the gasifier

before the gasifier is emptied of biochar.


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It is quite easy to attach and detach the fan assembly.

The OD of the fan pipe is the same as the ID of the air

pipe.

The exit pipe of the fan assembly slides into the airpipe.


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The parts of the burner assembly:


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Two circles of burner holes,40 holes in each circle,

hole diameter = 4.5 mm.


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6 mm air gap


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The burner housing delivers hot secondary air at the

base of the burner holes.

This housing extends down below the point where the

burner rests upon the rim of the reactor.

If any gas should leak at this point, it is safely pulledinto the stream of secondary air being supplied to

the burner holes.

A burner gasket is not needed.

The burner housing and burner grate extension help a

lot in shielding the burner from wind.

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Most ethnic Vietnamese cook on a countertop against a

wall.To gain social acceptability, this gasifier should be

operated in a similar manner.

Also for safety reasons, this gasifier should not be

operated as a stand-alone unit: it should be enclosed.

Underneath the countertop, I suggest that there be an

enclosure where the gasifier can be safely situated.

An enclosure can be constructed cheaply out of brickor more expensively out of stone, marble or granite.

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The speed regulator

is within easy reach.


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This gasifier can be easily inserted within a countertopand just as easily removed.

One is free to load and light biomass, as well as

remove biochar, wherever it is most convenient to

do so.

In this way any dust and smoke generated in loading

and lighting biomass, as well as dust or fumes

generated in removing biochar,can be kept at a reasonable distance from the kitchen.


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In starting the process, the burner is removed, the reactoris filled with biomass, and the fan is turned on.

A special starter disk made out of cardboard is placed on

top of the biomass and is lit with a match.

The disk, previously dipped in paraffin, is easily lit witha single match.

As the starter-disk burns, it generates radiant heat,

essential for the quick lighting of the biomass.The starter disk can be cut and punched out of recycled

cardboard.


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When the surface of the biomass ignites, flames begin to

rise out of the reactor.At this point biomass is simply being burned.

But when the burner is placed on top of the reactor, the

open flames within the reactor go out, and true

gasification begins.

Soon the temperature within the reactor reaches as high

as 1,000 C.

The gasification zone proceeds from top to bottom.The rate of descent is controlled by the speed of the fan.

This determines the amount of gas produced.


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As the gasification zone proceeds from top to bottom, a

layer of fine hot char is formed above the pointwhere the gases are released.

As gas is forced through this bed of hot char, most

complex hydrocarbons are broken down intohydrogen and carbon monoxide.

It is this intimate and prolonged contact of gas with hot

char of a large surface area that results in the

beautiful blue flame so characteristic of this type ofgasifier.

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Three boiling tests were carried

out.

The first test was carried out on a

normal gas stove.

Here it took 6 minutes and 6seconds to bring one liter of

water to a boil.

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The second test was carried out using the 150 gasifier.

Here it took 3 minutes and 39 seconds to bring one literof water to a boil.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnM5Itk7wlQ


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The third test was carried out

using an insulated electricwater kettle.

Here it took 3 minutes and 25

seconds to bring one liter of

water to a boil.This gasifier can bring water to a

boil almost as quickly as an

electric water kettle.

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The temperature of the syngas prior to combustion can

reach as high as 500 C.

Therefore it makes little sense to cool down this gas

before combusting it.

In this gasifier, hot gases are burned right at the top ofthe reactor.

Here there is none of the inefficiency, danger and cost

associated with remote burners.

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Note that the burner serves as the lid of the reactor.

If more burners are required, more gasifiers are put in

operation.

In one particular commercial setting in Vietnam, as

many as 10 gasifiers have been operated at the sametime.

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The total height of the reactor depicted in this

presentation is 45 cm.

This gives a net height in fuel of 40 cm.

On loose rice hulls firmly packed down within the

reactor, this gives a burn time of about 35 minutes.This is, on average, more than enough time for a

Vietnamese household to cook a meal.

If the reactor is filled with rice hull pellets, the burntime is approximately three hours.


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Transformation 125

Rice Hulls Coffee Bean Husks

There are ideal gasifier fuels


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Unlike rice hulls and coffee husks, there are many

types of biomass that cannot be gasified in their rawstate.

Loose rice straw and loose pine needles, for example,

are far too low in bulk density to gasify properly.

Therefore they must be shredded and pelletized.

Pelletizing can increase bulk density as much as ten

times,

and it assures a uniform flow of air through the reactor.


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Pelletizing makes it possible to

gasify straw, sawdust, wood

shavings, coconut shells, coconut

dust

and many other kinds of irregularbiomass.

Also the channeling of air within

the reactor does not occur when

gasifying pellets.


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This gasifier is not designed to receive pieces of wood

of all shapes and sizes.

If biomass is not uniform, the flow of primary air is not

uniform, and when air flow is not uniform,

some biomass receives too much air and some biomassreceives too little.

Too much air leads to total combustion and the

formation of CO2.

When CO2 exits the reactor, it is common to see burner

holes that do not support a flame.


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When burner holes do not support a flame, the

distribution of heat to the pot or pan above isuneven.

Also with pieces of wood of all shapes and sizes, there

can be large gaps in between pieces,

allowing bits of hot char to drop down below thegasification zone.

This easily creates multiple gasification fronts and

compromises the entire process.At times the process becomes so complex that there is

little to distinguish it from direct combustion.


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Therefore, if possible, it is best to pelletize biomassthat is not uniform.

The gasification of pellets gives an even and steady

flow of CO and H2, with little CO2 formation.

This also produces a biochar that is uniform.

Biochar that contains material that has been totally

combusted as well as material that has merely been

torrefied should not be called biochar.

Such biochar often has little commercial value.


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With this type of gasifier operating on loose orpelletized biomass, we have access to energy that is

abundant and free.

Nothing in terms of solar or wind power comes even

close, and this energy is available any time it isneeded.

Let me explain a bit further.


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The gasification of roughly 90 kgs of rice hulls candeliver a gas of the same calorific value as 12 kgs

of propane.

In Vietnam a 12 kg tank of propane costs 450,000

VND ($21.43 USD).

So one kg of rice hulls will produce about 5,000 VND

($0.24 USD) in gas.

Also one kg of rice hulls will produce about 350 gramsof biochar.


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In Vietnam rice hull biochar retails for about 6,250VND per kg (about $0.30 USD).

One kg of rice hulls has a combined value in gas and

biochar of 7,187 VND ($0.34 USD).

One ton of rice hulls has a combined value in gas andbiochar of about 7,187,000 VND or $340 USD.


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Vietnam produces each year about 8.2 million metrictons of rice hulls each year, which, if gasified,

would have a combined value in gas and biochar of

$2.8 billion USD.

Vietnam produces about 54 million tons of rice strawper year, which, if gasified, would have a combined

value in gas and biochar of $18.47 billion USD.


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We should take note of the surprising fact that at timesboth rice husks and rice straw have a slightly higher

value per ton than paddy rice.

The line between product and by-product becomes

blurred.


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A household cooking three meals per day should be

able to produce about one kg of biochar per day at avalue of 6,250 VND or $0.30 US per kg.

If the150 gasifier should sell for about $40 US or

840,000 VND,it would take less than 5 months to recover the cost of

the gasifier through the sale of biochar.


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Biochar wholesalers could supply gasifiers to poor

households free-of-charge in exchange for all of the

biochar produced in the first year of operation.

To call upon funding agencies to subsidize the sale of

gasifiers to the poor makes little sense.I believe that this technology, if correctly designed and

marketed, does not have to be subjected to massive

inputs of capital from the outside.

It should be financially sustainable, and it should grow,

evolve and expand according to ordinary free market

principles.Empowering the Poor through Waste

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In many parts of Vietnam, rice hulls, rice straw and

coffee husks present a huge disposal problem and are

often dumped in rivers or uselessly burned.

But even in those areas where biomass must be

purchased,even in the case of pellets that come in at a higher price

than undensified biomass,

biochar always has a higher value than the biomass

from which it was derived.


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This means that gasifier heat in Vietnam can be

produced at a negative cost or profit.

Once again, nothing in terms of solar or wind comes

even close.

Here we have high-grade heat that can be used not onlyto cook a meal,

but also to power absorption refrigeration units,

and hopefully one day, to fuel the production ofelectricity via small organic Rankine cycle units.


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The small-scale gasification of biomass is a powerful

concept,

and this technology should be continually engineered

and re-engineered for widespread use even in the

developed world.To view this technology as primarily for poor people in

developing countries is dreadfully short-sided.

We rich people often encourage poor people to use

technologies that we ourselves would never use.


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Alongside microwaves and toaster ovens, there is

definitely a place for gasifiers in modern kitchens.

In large portions of the developed world, the wood pellet

and the wheat straw pellet become obvious sources of

gasifier fuel.No one, rich or poor, either in developing or developed

countries, should be relying exclusively on fossil

fuels to cook a meal or boil water.


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Biochar greatly increases the ratios of methanotrophic to

methanogenic bacteria in paddy soils.

This results in reduced methane emissions.

Biochar is now being used in the reclamation of soils

degraded through the use of chemical fertilizers.Rice hull biochar with a bit of compost has been shown

to increase rice productivity in degraded soils in

Cambodia by as much as 300%.

Here you see what the addition of biochar does in the

growth of water spinach:

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Research conducted by Sisomphone Sothavong of Laos


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Sangkhom Inthapanya, Dr. R.T. Preston and Dr. Ron

Leng conducted an experiment in which 0.62% ricehull biochar (DM basis) was incorporated into cattle.

They discovered that rice hull biochar reduced enteric

methane production by as much as 22%.

When nitrate was added to the biochar, the total

reduction in methane was 41%.

And finally within the same experiment, they discovered

that live animal weight increased by an unbelievable25%!

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More recently Dr. Chhay Ty and Dr. Preston applied 5

kg of rice hull biochar per m2 to a plot of mustardgreens.

To a second plot of mustard greens he applied no

biochar.

But this second plot received the same water, fertilizer

and management as the first.

The plot with biochar yielded four times more weight in

mustard greens than the plot without biochar.

But the improvement here was not merely quantitative.

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The mustard greens with biochar had 40% less fiber and

35% more protein than the mustard greens withoutbiochar.

With cattle we see a 25% increase in growth!With rice we see a 300% increase in growth!

With mustard greens we see a 400% increase in growth!

In light of such research, what then is the value of

biochar?

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But if we really want to produce a lot of food,

its not enough to focus on how to transform waste and

route it back to agriculture.

We have to take things one step further.

We have to diversify.Let me explain.

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Theres a coffee farmer who typically grows nothing but

coffee,

and right next door, theres a pig farmer who only raises

pigs.

The coffee farmer dumps coffee pulp and coffee husksinto a valley near his farm, and is totally reliant on

chemical fertilizers;

while the pig farmer flushes pig waste into a nearby

stream, and buys all of his feed from Cargill.

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In contrast to this total nonsense, let us imagine that the

coffee farmer is at the same time a pig farmer.

Instead of dumping coffee pulp in valleys,

he ferments it and feeds it to his pigs

pigs located on the same farm where his coffee iscultivated.

The feces from his pigs are processed by larvae and red

worms,and the urine from his pigs flows into a dense granular

bedding laced with biochar.

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As the pigs mature, the bedding is slowly transformed

into compost.

This strategy eliminates the odor, flies and virtually all

of the disease normally associated with raising pigs.

The vermicompost and mesophilic compost are thenused to fertilize the coffee plants.

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Comprised of sawdust, rice hulls and about 5% rice hull biochar.


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Let us suppose further that thissame farmer plants perennial

peanut (Arachis glabrata)

throughout his coffee

plantation.This beautiful, lush ground-cover

controls weeds, prevents

erosion, fixes nitrogen

and increases the availability of

phosphorous.

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Earthworms proliferate in this

nitrogen-rich environment,

and as they burrow through the

soil, they eliminate the need for

tillage.These worms greatly increase the

availability of all essential plant

nutrients,

and as they repeatedly rework the

soil,

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it is continuously transformed into


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it is continuously transformed into

vermicompost.The farmer cuts and feeds fresh

perennial peanut stems to his

pigs.

It constitutes about 10% of theirtotal diet.

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But most of the perennial peanut serves as forage for

free-range chickens.

Chickens feast on insects within the peanut vines .

Chicken droppings continually fertilize the coffee plants.

In between the coffee and perennial peanut, the farmerplants taro as an additional source of fermentable

biomass for his pigs.


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The coffee farmer soon realizes that in order to have a


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The coffee farmer soon realizes that, in order to have a

more regular supply of fermentable biomass for hispigs, he should also cultivate bananas.

After the banana fruit is harvested, the farmer chops and

ferments the massive pseudostem of the banana plant.

The farmer gradually expands his efforts in the directionof bees,

which feed upon the nectar produced by the coffee and

peanut flowers.The farmer then stocks his irrigation pond with ducks

and fish.


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h i ll hi f li d f ifi


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Next he installs on his farm two top-lit updraft gasifiers:

one for all of his household cooking and hot waterneeds,

and one for the distillation of rice wine (the mash is fed

to pigs).His total investment in gasifier equipment is less than 2

million dong ($100 US).

He gasifies, of course, the dry coffee husk, which he has

in abundance.

He stops buying bottled gas altogether.


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H h li h h ifi h d h


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He then realizes that he can use gasifier heat to dry the

coffee cherry and even the more delicate coffee bean.He ends up with a lot of coffee husk biochar - a biochar

quite rich in potassium.

He mixes some of this biochar into his fermented pigfeed,

he mixes some into his pig bedding,

and he uses some directly as a soil amendment around

his coffee and banana plants.


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Finally he sells some of it at a high price.

The moment he starts selling biochar, he becomes a

consumer of energy at a negative cost.

So the one farmer ends up cultivating a variety of

plants, animals, poultry and fish.They all complement one another in:

increasing efficiency,

reducing cost, maximizing profit

and minimizing environmental impact.


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The one fairly uneducated farmer produces with ease the

four basic commodities of food, fuel, feed andfertilizer.

Big Ag and Big Oil come nowhere near his farm.

He finally breaks free of the commercial slavery theyimpose upon hundreds of millions of poor farmers

throughout the world.


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Th f d t i l h


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The farmer does not manage a single crop such as

coffee, rice or bananas.Rather he manages relationships between living systems

that mutually support one another.

The ability of a plant or animal to enhance the growth ofsomething else becomes paramount in agricultural

planning.

This approach enables the farmer to have a highly

diversified basket of products that protects himagainst market fluctuations

and assures a predictable and steady stream of income.


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The farmers annual revenue and profitability per hectare


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The farmer s annual revenue and profitability per hectare,

therefore, is at least three to five times more than thatof a conventional farmer.

To understand what farming should be, we should deeply

reflect upon the rich diversity within the natural world

where a large numbers plants and animals within anecosystem mutually support one another,

each occupying a niche that is spatially or temporally

distinct.


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Once we understand that in nature there is no such thingas waste,

and that all of life defines itself in a tight and critical

interdependency,

we cannot help but devise food production systems that

mimic the natural world and are totally self-sustaining.

Its not simply a question of feeding a lot of people,

Its not simply a question of making a lot of money.

Documents

SustINble Agriculture