bio-brick making

[leaddog]

(broken link removed) This was posted by smee in another post and not to hijack that thread I thought I would post here.
I have a 35ton splitter and have wondered if anyone has tried to make bricks using a splitter. It seems like you could make a ram-press quite easily and use the splitter. I've seen wooden ones that use a wet mix but with the high force of the splitter I wonder if you could use a dry mix and make it work. I've been thinking about this for a while and just started to look for items to use but if it's been tried and doesn't work I'd hate to waste my time as I have enough projects to keep me going. Any ideas would be appreciated.
leaddog

 

[pybyr]

Anyone know if you could do this with shredded waste office paper, not just wood, or maybe a blend of the two?

 

[leaddog]

If it will work it should work with paper. But the problem with paper is all the filler used in the paper makes ALOT of ash and would be hard to get and keep coals.
leaddog

 

[Ugly]

paper anything isn't worth an orangutans butt when it comes to heating on a small scale.

However, I can say I don't think making bricks on a splitter would be all that great unless you change the wedge out for a propper hopper with a hardened die at the end of a tube press. Even then, these smaller scale units are problematic in creating enough resistance to generate the required heat uniformly throughout the dust that is needed to break down and bond the lignan. Would be an interesting experiment, preheat the dust and use pellet bond... thinking out loud

 

[leaddog]

paper anything isn't worth an orangutans butt when it comes to heating on a small scale.

However, I can say I don't think making bricks on a splitter would be all that great unless you change the wedge out for a propper hopper with a hardened die at the end of a tube press. Even then, these smaller scale units are problematic in creating enough resistance to generate the required heat uniformly throughout the dust that is needed to break down and bond the lignan. Would be an interesting experiment, preheat the dust and use pellet bond... thinking out loud

Thats what I had in mind. useing a cone tube and press ram. The ones I've seen using a wet mix uses low press but I don't know if 35tons would be enough to bond but it would be nice to hear from anyone thats done it.
leaddog

 

[kenny chaos]

Here: http://www.newdawnengineering.com/website/paper/brick/

 

[leaddog]

Here: http://www.newdawnengineering.com/website/paper/brick/

Thanks, That is the wet process I was talking about and there is many variations of that. The problem is the drying as it would take alot of space to have enough to run my eko-80.
leaddog

 

[Duetech]

I don't know the videos names but on youtube there are a couple different people who are making saw dust bricks/logs. One is just using pressure and no water the other was using flour and water with pressure. Do a search on sawdust logs I think.. There's sawmill close by and I have an extra 5" cylinder........hmmm

 

[TCaldwell]

there is a biobrick factory in berlin ct, they had me test them in the garn, anyway the machines they imported from germany were designed to press coal into manageable bricks, at 350,000 lbs pressure, at low mc content, i am not sure 35 ton will do it. interesting thought

 

[sdrobertson]

there is a biobrick factory in berlin ct, they had me test them in the garn, anyway the machines they imported from germany were designed to press coal into manageable bricks, at 350,000 lbs pressure, at low mc content, i am not sure 35 ton will do it. interesting thought

How well did they burn?