shawstafari wrote:
>
> Reply to him that his hydrometer readings for sugar will read way
> too high due to lots of dissolved solids.
I've discovered this. I tried to "filter out" the solids, but that
didn't work too well. I can't get a decent hydrometer reading at all!
> The only way to get
> actual data without a chemical analysis will be to ferment it with
> yeast and distill the results to see if he gets enough alcohol to be
> worth it. The big problem is the potential for contamination is
> really high and if he doesn't kill all the bacteria they will
> outrace the yeast to eat the sugar.
This is a problem with any type of fermentation, but likely made
worse with cow dung because rumen bacteria already live in it.
> The cellulase enzymes in the
> gut of the cow actually do convert a lot of cellulose into sugar by
> the way. There is lots of lignin in the cow poop.
I noticed that it didn't all hydrolyze.
> Next time use
> lime for neutralization. Amateur researchers in the 80's claimed
> to get about 40 gallons per ton of manure but I never saw
> independent verification of it.
Hmmm. . . 40 gallons of fermentable mash, or 40 gallons of ethanol?
> The problem in doing pressure and acid process is that once you get
> past the pressure cooker stage, pressure vessels to do the process
> are prohibitively expensive.
This may be true, but for my purposes, the pressure cooker is
adquate. I don't think my neighbors were too impressed with the smell.
. .
> It far more practical to make the
> alcohol first and feed the by-product to the cows rather than try to
> make alcohol from the manure unless the animals are only being fed
> hay.
Part of my reasoning for this was to find a low cost feed stock. I
can get cow manure around here just for the asking--the dairy farmers
have trouble disposing of it. Molasses, fruit juice or some other
easily fermented material may be an easier choice, but these feedstocks
come at a price.
> Another way to look at it is that the pressure and acid process
> would take paperwaste and make alcohol without the complication of
> contamination like manure has.
I've actually tried paper before, with about as much success as I'm
having with cow poop! Weak acid hydrolysis requires heat and pressure,
and yields seem to be quite low. Perhaps on a large scale this is
practical, but it seems like more work than its worth for people like
me.
robert luis rabello
"The Edge of Justice"
Adventure for Your Mind
http://www.1stbooks.com/bookview/9782
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