Manure as fuel????

[gillmcg]

Sort of horsey but not really so put it here.......having a woodburner that supplies central heating and hot water has a cost; buying in, cutting and splitting logs. They say that burning wood is carbon-neutral but you can only say this if the same amount of trees are planted as are burned (apparently the tree gives off the same amount of CO2 when it's burned as it used to grow - or something like that!). Saw this and thought why not give it a try?

www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/hooker87.html

I have a full wheelbarrow of horse poo every day and it might well provide us with enough fuel next winter to save a few trees (not to mention the money).

Anybody tried this or thought about it or am I just becoming a bit of an eco-nut?

[cokey]

That sounds bloody fantastic! The problem would be drying enough of it, I suppose....

[gillmcg]

That's true - he says in his article that it burns quite slowly when packed in the mould as he suggests but obviously haven't a clue how many we'd get through. I've got quite excited about this idea now and am thinking about where I could set up my 'fuel factory'. No problem with storage as we have a 'barn' with a second floor (used to be a house many many years ago) - the horses live on the ground floor! Will get the OH to make the moulds next week when he comes back from the UK.....now, what consistency do you think I'll need!!!?

[circusdancer]

Wow! What an interesting theory. If it works, it'll certainly solve the problem of the muck heap regulations being imposed and environmentally friendly too!

Go on then Gill, go for it!

[wendyihts]

Oh Gill, you little star! How happy is my hubby going to be tomorrow when I show him this??!! We'll have no problems drying it down here, especially during the summer! Sorted!

[chestnut mare]

Yes, thanks Gill, my OH is very happy.

"once lit they gave me a burn time more than twice as long as similar sized hunks of seasoned oak" - wow!

[rj]

Various tribes burn cattle poo on their fires - outdoors - don't they?
What will it smell like when it burns?
Nowhere near as bad as the cat-poo accidentally thrown on our stove, when she cr*pped in the coal bucket when we weren't looking , I bet!
Interewting experiment - very: Do let us know how it goes (& if Canadian Trotter finds this thread she'll never believe I'm not poo fixated!!!)

[wendyihts]

Guess what hubby's already built? Yep - a muck mold. The varnish is drying on it as we speak.

Regarding the smell, the article in the link alleges that it doesn't give off any noticeable odour and that the smoke from the chimney isn't foul anyway. I can believe it. Horse muck just doesn't smell as strongly as some other muck (can you believe we're discussing the relative whiff factor of various poos?)

As for manure burning, half the world's population burns animal manure for heating and cooking and absolutely rely on it. Even in the Western world, it wasn't that long ago that we were doing the same.

Heavens, why didn't I think of this before?? LOL It's so obvious!

[gillmcg]

My carpenter neighbour is enthused too - he popped in for tea this morning (with his wife I might add!) and he asked for the dimensions to make the mould for me. He also told me where I could get free sawdust to mix with it for a better burn. With your lot Wendy you could start a cottage industry - wonder what you'd have to register as in the crazy French system!!! ;D We'll have to post pictures of our first efforts.....

Blooming cats!!! Ours pee on the wood I bring in for the evening if I don't watch them like a hawk......

[wendyihts]

I kid you not Gill - if we started selling the manure bricks, we'd have to register with the MSA because we'd be counted as 'exploiting the land' and then we'd end up paying HUGE amounts of Farmer's national insurance contributions. Like to see them try and find an activity code for it though. teehee

The guy said the sawdust mix bricks fall to pieces more easily though. Pure muck was best, wasn't it??

Tell you - it added a whole new dimension to the poo picking tonight. LOL

[touchstone]

I'd be up for it if it works! I can't see how I'd get them dry enough though.

I did try burning the muck heap once - I spent a whole six weeks summer break stood with a blow torch and only ever got a sulky smouldering

[gillmcg]

Yep - sawdust is out - read it again last night. Must admit I looked at the poo in a new light this morning! Consistency, compactibility, etc etc..... ;D Beats hammering the logs with an axe though surely.....

[rj]

Do keep us updated on this - how long drying/how long burning - like oak....really?
It's a definite thought provoker.

[allyny]

;D I've been burning mine for a couple of years now!

I dry the poo in a spare stable, bag it up and put it on the log burner. I don't have any neighbours so smell not an issue. But to be honest, I love the smell! i stable my horses on shavings so some of that goes in the wood burners too.

[allyny]

Edited to say, obviously I don't mean "mine" as stated above!!!!