At least you'll get your iodine!
What to grow on 12 acres for heating fuel?
- Thread starter tommydog
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Seems it would be a lot easier to forage for wood ,peat, or coal nearby. Someone always needs a tree taken down around here. Free wood ,and you get paid to cut it. Heck, you could pick up the limbs that fall in your yard here and never have to cut a tree to heat your house if you saved them.
Having done more research into this, I think my idea is is viable. It all depends on preparing it right and pressing the briquettes for maximum efficiency. It seems the Torrefaction process is vital if you want to obtain the maximum energy density. Below is an interesting study which concludes:
https://www.researchgate.net/public...olid_fuel_qualities_and_combustion_properties
"it was seen that the characters of the biomass fuels begin to resemble those of low rank coals in terms of the van Krevelen coal rank parameter. In addition, the results indicate that the volatile component of biomass is both reduced and altered producing a more thermally stable product, but also one that produces greater heats of reaction during combustion."
Having had email correspondence with a few academics in this area, most seem to think that my land is more than enough to provide 100% of my heating needs, as long as the straw is properly processed. One reply is below:
" Using a very simple torrefaction technology it is possible, however, to convert about 80% of the straw into biochar. The exact figure depends naturally on the type of straw and the conditions of the treatment. The calorific value of the biochar is about 20 MJ/kg. The straw needed to heat a 3 bedroom house will depend on the average temperature in your place in Scotland, which can be very low, I guess. Assuming an average temperature of 32°F and a total area of, say, 100 m2, then the amount of straw required can be easily calculated. Roughly speaking you would require about 3500 kg of straw per year, or about 7800 pounds. "
From what I can gather, average straw yields be acre is between 1000kg and 1500kg. Therefore it leaves me plenty of land left over to do other things with.
I think it looks viable and I will start the experiment this year. Lets see if It can provide 100% of my heating needs this winter. I understand it may be a lot of work, but my philosophy is to be as self sufficient as possible, so convenience or cost are not my motivators.
https://www.researchgate.net/public...olid_fuel_qualities_and_combustion_properties
"it was seen that the characters of the biomass fuels begin to resemble those of low rank coals in terms of the van Krevelen coal rank parameter. In addition, the results indicate that the volatile component of biomass is both reduced and altered producing a more thermally stable product, but also one that produces greater heats of reaction during combustion."
Having had email correspondence with a few academics in this area, most seem to think that my land is more than enough to provide 100% of my heating needs, as long as the straw is properly processed. One reply is below:
" Using a very simple torrefaction technology it is possible, however, to convert about 80% of the straw into biochar. The exact figure depends naturally on the type of straw and the conditions of the treatment. The calorific value of the biochar is about 20 MJ/kg. The straw needed to heat a 3 bedroom house will depend on the average temperature in your place in Scotland, which can be very low, I guess. Assuming an average temperature of 32°F and a total area of, say, 100 m2, then the amount of straw required can be easily calculated. Roughly speaking you would require about 3500 kg of straw per year, or about 7800 pounds. "
From what I can gather, average straw yields be acre is between 1000kg and 1500kg. Therefore it leaves me plenty of land left over to do other things with.
I think it looks viable and I will start the experiment this year. Lets see if It can provide 100% of my heating needs this winter. I understand it may be a lot of work, but my philosophy is to be as self sufficient as possible, so convenience or cost are not my motivators.
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That sounds like a very interesting project. I never thought about using seaweed for fertilizer, but I'm 600 miles from the coast. I'll have to look into that mini combine too. I'd like to plant a few acres of grain.
I guess we're fortunate to be surrounded by trees for our firewood. We heat 100% with wood.
I'd like to hear more about your project as you go forward with it.
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Hi Tommy! Your use of natural fertilizer is great! Seaweed has to be very beneficial. Can you show us pictures of the sickle bar mower and a mini combine please? I’m very interested.
For seaweed and other natural fertilizer, Neptune’s Harvest products work very well! They are healthier for you than commercial fertilizers too.
https://www.neptunesharvest.com/liquid-fertilizers.html
Ye the seaweed is good, but its all about using what resources you have available.
As for the mini combine, I don't own one yet, but have a look at this:
Boaz mini combine
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I'd like to look in to this some more and see what the application rate is per acre. I'm probably not going to plant any crops or hay this year due to the high cost of fuel, plus I'd like to get all my building projects finished this summer.
It probably won’t work for acres as I believe the cost would be not worth it. Utilize your compost, chicken and cow manure. You’ll do well!
OMG! That looks absolutely perfect for homesteaders size of fields!!! You are a dear for sharing it!!
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Thats a nice looking little machine. It's a little slow but it sounds like they have a larger one in the works. It'll have a diesel engine and can harvest 2/3 acre per hour. The one I was looking at cost $5000 and can harvest 1/6 of an acre per hour. You'd still need a stationary seed cleaner if your going to store or sell the grain. I dont like that its made in China though. There may not be any other option for a machine like this.
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Every spring I use a pasture harrow to drag about 40 acres of pasture and meadows to spread out the manure. For the garden and orchard I dump the manure from the feed lot, and the shavings from the coop and till it in. When I plant the hay and grain fields I will need some commercial fertilizer for increased yields.
Would bamboo work as a fire fuel? I know it grows quick and that may help if you need to harvest a lot. I hear it does get cold in some parts of China too and it may be quite hardy. I don't know if the wind would trouble it though.
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It's hollow, so if it did, it woul require a much larger volume of fuel. I'll burn some and see how it goes. Need to dry it out first though.
Only thing about bamboo is it is so invasive. There are huge clumps of it growing wild along the highway we travel to our BOL and man, that stuff sends runners underground to beat the band as well as spread by seeds above ground. Jumps property lines and invades areas where you don't want it on your own property. They tell me it's nigh onto impossible to get rid of without chemicals, fire, digging and then having to do it again, and again. Anyone voluntarily planting bamboo for ANY purposes needs to be very aware of its invasive nature. Many members on my Natl. Gardening Forum rue the day they ever planted it. I personally wouldn't choose it as a fuel option.
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My wife is out harvesting bamboo shoots right now.
Well, I momentarily forgot the young shoots are definitely a food source. Love me some good chinese stir-fry with bamboo shoots. 
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When you pick them fresh, you can boil them and then ice them down and dip them in Yum Yum sauce. (or just mix up some ketchup and mayo)
I agree, Buttoni, it grows like wild fires. My nipper has a pet varmint that hops about and keeps ours trimmed I reckon if it dries out okay and burns, then maybe the OP can keep on top of it. I understand their problem with the lack of trees in some parts of Scotland and was just trying to spitball some ideas. It can certainly be a problem if it goes bananas out there. Dr Henley is quite right about the hollow nature meaning more volume. I'm not sure if this would work. I had an out of the box type pondering moment lol
I reckon if it dries out okay and burns, then maybe the OP can keep on top of it. I understand their problem with the lack of trees in some parts of Scotland and was just trying to spitball some ideas. It can certainly be a problem if it goes bananas out there. Dr Henley is quite right about the hollow nature meaning more volume. I'm not sure if this would work. I had an out of the box type pondering moment lol
