Team uses forest waste to develop cheaper, greener supercapacitors 10/23/2013 | Diana Yates, Life Sciences Editor | 217-333-5802; diya@illinois.edu CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Researchers report that wood-biochar supercapacitors can produce as much power as today’s activated-carbon supercapacitors at a fraction of the cost – and with environmentally friendly byproducts. Any kind of wood can be made into biochar by heating in a low-oxygen chamber. Some types of wood work better than others. The report appears in the journal Electrochimica Acta. “Supercapacitors are power devices very similar to our batteries,” said study leader Junhua Jiang, a senior research engineer at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center at the University of Illinois. “Supercapacitors are ideal for applications needing instant power and can even provide constant power – like batteries, but at lower cost,” he said. Many of today’s supercapacitors use activated carbon – usually from a fossil-fuel source, Jiang said. Editor's note: To reach Junhua Jiang, email junhua@illinois.edu.
Wood Burning Heaters - Dragon Burners What causes wood smoke? Wood releases its volatile compounds when heated. Most of these compounds require at least 1,300°F to combust. They also store between 50%-60% of the total energy contained in the wood. If the fire is not hot enough, the energy from the volatile compounds will be lost as smoke with it's accompaning air pollution and creosote danger. A wood-fired combustion zone can be cooled to below the required temperatures for combusting smoke in a variety of ways. It follows, then, that the hotter the fire, the more complete the combustion, the higher the efficiency of the burn, and the less wood you have to chop. To insure a hot burn, the Dragon Burner primary combustion chamber (shown in the illustration as the horizontal tan component) is cast from an insulating refractory material. The importance of turbulence in burning wood The fire in the burn tunnel consumes the solids and releases the wood's volatile compounds. Burning Softwoods and Conifers Using the heat
four-solaire.iguane.org - Photos du montage du four solaire atominique Pour une cuisine 100% naturelle Rangez le barbecue et le charbon, passez au four solaire ! Ces fours autrement appelés cuiseurs solaires sont un gain incroyable d'énergie et permettent une méthode 100% naturelle pour la cuisson des aliments. Mijotés, grillades ou tout simplement bocaux et conserves, vous n'aurez qu'à suivre le mode d'emploi, et savourer. Cet ouvrage vous donnera toutes les informations nécessaires à la réalisation de votre four : à 30°, à 45° ou à 60°. Achetez sur Eyrolles.com le livre Atominique Un four solaire à faire soi-même Ce four a été réalisé au Pays de Retz (France), latitude proche de 45° Nord, ensoleillement intéressant ; les matériaux utilisés sont ceux que l'on peut trouver facilement ici : parquet, lambris, plaque d'aluminium offset, scotch-alu, mylar, isolant, contreplaqué, tasseaux de 25x25... Chacun peut le faire avec un peu d'outillage : scie circulaire, scie à main, perceuse, visseuse, rabot (électrique ou manuel). Le four terminé La Construction La porte
How to Build a Hot Tub I have lived in the Pacific Northwest with its cool, damp winters for more than 20 years, and I always wanted to build a hot tub. I wasn’t interested in one of the popular jetted tubs because their cost is prohibitive, the pump noise and vibration are bothersome, and the chemicals used to keep the water free of bacteria are a turnoff. The idea of using a stock-watering tank for a DIY hot tub project has been around for a long time, but all of the ones I’d seen were pretty unattractive. Soaking in a Wood-Fired Hot Tub Unlike a commercially available tub that only requires you to plug it in and set a timer, you’ll be more involved in the operation of your wood-fired soaking tub. The Japanese have long recognized the benefits of soaking in hot water to relieve aches and pains and deal with the daily stresses of life. Heating and Maintaining the Water The tub I chose holds 100 gallons if filled to the brim. With daily use for two people, we replace the water every four days. 1. 2. 3. 4.
How to Build a Rocket Stove Living Published on September 26th, 2011 | by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg UPDATE: Added another plan to the list… this one made from tin cans. Just back from a weekend trip up to the Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, and between board meetings, was able to join in with the community’s annual open house and Village Fair. Many, many interesting things going on, but one of my favorites (given my interest in appropriate technology) was a stand selling popcorn popped on a rocket stove. I’m really intrigued by this beautifully simple concept, created by Dr. Looking for an alternative to the traditional outdoor barbecue grill, or even for heating your home (at least partially). 1. This one requires no more than stacking some bricks… though I’m guessing they would need to be made of a material like adobe (for the insulative properties). 2. You’ll need just a few more materials for this one from the Aprovecho Research Center, but it’s still pretty simple… 3. 4. 5. #6 The tin can rocket stove (10/1/11)
India wins the Ashden Prize for making charcoal without wood. The Ashden Award is the greatest prize that exists for innovative work concerning the environment in the Third World. Dr. A D Karve on behalf of ARTI, Pune walked up recently to receive the prestigious Rs.20 lakhs award at a ceremony in the UK. The judges declared themselves as 'excited' about his work - an integrated fuel-from-waste system that can create thousands of rural entrepreneurs all over the world, while saving trees and reducing petro dependance. It is a success that took six long and little sung years in rural Maharashtra. Priya plays with cane leaves: Actually the adventure began with Anand Karve's adoring daughter, Priyadarshini in 1996. Priya tried shredding and briquetting leaves in general in order to create fuel pellets. Priya's academic pursuits distracted her for a while and there the matter stood until she finished her doctoral thesis in physics. Char it! Back to our story now. But the gritty cane leaf stood defiant. A rural business system: Karves did not end there.
Eco-Living: How to Make a "Cool" Solar Oven from Scrap For those of you into "eco" projects, here's a good one. This little baby works on the same principle as the solar tower, but on a much smaller scale. I was in Colorado a few summers ago. I had some spare time, and wanted to make something nice as a gift for my friends who frequently camp out in the countryside. Not having worked with power tools and wood for a while, I decided to make a solar oven. There are a million variations on the solar oven, but I wanted to go simple. Basically this is a box with a clear cover that has a lot of light shining into it. Here's how I made it. * Wood: I went out and bought some plywood, marked it off and cut it down with a jigsaw to make the rudimentary sides of your typical six-sided rectangular box. * Hinges: See IMAGE 2. * Tin Foil & Glue: Next I got some glue and covered the flipper tops with a thin coating of glue, over which I stretched sheets of tin foil (aluminum foil is OK, too) with the shiny side facing outward. Have fun! - John
Composting greenhouse provides hot water (original) The original content of this page, "Composting greenhouse provides hot water (original)", was authored by Ole Ersson, and was written from his point of view. It was ported with permission from Experiments in Sustainable Urban Living. Bales Our household of 2 adults and three children obtained all our household hot water from a composting greenhouse we constructed in Portland, Oregon in 1994. It provided hot water at a temperature of 90-130 degrees (Fahrenheit) continuously until it was dismantled 18 months later. The strawbale floor The greenhouse design was similar to inexpensive "tube" greenhouses. Pipe supports for the roof Two PVC 3/4 inch water lines ran underground from the house to the greenhouse. Plans in the greenhouse The total amount of hot water contained in the hose inside the compost (comprising a cylinder 100 feet long by 1.5 inch diameter) was 9.17 gallons. Roof over greenhouse
Rocket stove A small manufactured rocket cooking stove A rocket stove A rocket stove is an efficient cooking stove using small diameter wood fuel which is burned in a simple high-temperature combustion chamber containing a vertical chimney and a secondary air supply which ensures almost complete combustion prior to the flames reaching the cooking surface. The principles were described by Dr. Design[edit] A rocket stove achieves efficient combustion of the fuel at a high temperature by ensuring a good air draft into the fire, controlled use of fuel, complete combustion of volatiles, and efficient use of the resultant heat. A rocket stove's main components are: The fuel magazine can be horizontal, with additional fuel added manually, or vertical, with fuel automatically fed. For cooking purposes, the design keeps the cooking vessel in contact with the fire over the largest possible surface area. Recent Adaptations[edit] There have been a number of new cook stove designs based on the original rocket stove.