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Spoiler: They put them into gasifier and obtain electricity. The pine needles are on the mountain slope, so they can only be collected manually. This provides
by theamk 6y ago
Spoiler:
They put them into gasifier and obtain electricity. The pine needles are on the mountain slope, so they can only be collected manually. This provides jobs for local people.
This is using existing technology develop in India 20 years ago. The Himalayan part of the invention seems to be that you need to chop needles before loading them into device.
- teruakohatu 6y agoI am interested why this is better than burning rather than first gasifying? Less pollution? Safer? The article says the system produces carbon that they turn into fuel briquettes. They it can't be that efficient.
- Pfhreak 6y agoGasification produces syngas, which is more transportable, operates with existing gas infrastructure, and depending on the equipment, can actually be more efficient than trying to maintain a combustion reaction. Logistically, it also decouples fuel generation from electricity generation -- if you tried to burn the needles directly you have to figure out how to continually feed them to a burner and deal with the ash. By gasifying, you can create a reserve of fuel. Gasification has other benefits. It can be rigged to produce biochar, which is believed to be a beneficial soil amendment. The char could also be sequestered to effectively remove carbon from the atmosphere.
- gambiting 6y agoIs that not he same as wood gas that people used during fuel rationing to power their cars? Essentially you put wood in a reactor and pipe the output gas directly into your petrol burning engine, runs fine that way.