posted March 21, 2012 10:46 AM            

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR1M7ThM-tE&feature=related

http://mydesultoryblog.com/2005/06/biodiesel-and-trucks-w-stacey-david/

*Edit 3/30/12

http://www.appropedia.org/Appleseed_Biodiesel_Reactor

An old water heater tank can be adapted to make a safe and inexpensive biodiesel homebrewing apparatus.

http://colourmegone.net/bio.html

posted March 24, 2012 11:33 AM            

"Finally, a practical renewable energy system that makes sense. Composting, Recycling Organics and AgriLab® IsoBar® Systems = Low-Cost, Renewable Heat For Life!"

Is your answer yes to any of the following questions?

-Do you use propane, diesel or a wood furnace for your heating needs?
-Are you concerned about escalating fuel costs?
-Do you manage livestock, poultry or horses?
-Do you run a landscaping business?
-Would you like healthier soil without the use of chemical or commercial fertilizers?
-Are you a commercial grower looking for an economical heating solution?
-Would you benefit from additional farm income from compost sales?
-Are you currently composting on a medium or large scale?
-Are you paying for manure removal from your equestrian facility?

http://www.growerssupply.com/farm/sup plies/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&langId=-1&division=GrowersSupply&productId=549963

I like the idea, something along these lines.

Animal
Human
Anything withing reason.

Compost it.

When the compost has "cooked" and finished its heating cycle it is removed and used in compost tea making and ferts for growing. More fresh compost goes in the heating system. Round and Round she goes. The theory is as long as you are eating, you are going to make compost.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compost#Compost_tea

Compost tea is a liquid extract or a dissolved solution but not simply a suspension of compost. It is made by steeping compost in water for 3–7 days. It was discovered in Germany and became a practice to suppress foliar fungal diseases by nature of the bacterial competition, suppression, antibiosis on the leaf surface (phyllosphere). It has also been used as a fertilizer although lab tests show it is very weak in nutrients with less than 100ppm of available nitrogen and potassium. Other salts present in the tea solution are sodium, chlorides and sulfates. The extract is applied as a spray to non-edible plant parts such as seedlings, or as a soil-drench (root dip), or as a surface spray to reduce incidence of harmful phytopathogenic fungi in the phyllosphere.

http://www.bostontreepreservation.com/compost_tea.htm

http://islandwood.org/kids/impact/wade/facts/islandwood.php

posted March 30, 2012 06:35 AM            

How to Make Methanol

Methanol, or wood alcohol, is a clean burning fuel additive, as well as an effective solvent. It is extremely flammable, so great care should be taken in making this substance.

Things You'll Need

1-A still (a completely close-able metal unit that can be heated, and vapor distilled)

2-Wood

1-A distillery unit, or still, will be needed to hold the wood that you will be using to extract the methanol from. It should resemble the stills used to make liquor. It should be a closed system, with a place to insert wood and then be completely closed, with a pipe to catch the condensed vapor and transport it to a separate container.

2-Put the wood in the unit. The wood can be chunked or shaved, but the smaller the pieces of wood, the easier the methanol will be extracted from it. You will need to heat the unit, usually by open flame. This will superheat the wood inside, keeping it shielded from the actual flame, and so reducing the possibility of combustion.

3-The methanol will vaporize and rise up to the top of the still, where the cooler air will begin the condensation process. The condensed, liquid, methanol will run down the pipe and into the separate containment unit.

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http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Lye

Lye, also known as NaOH, sodium hydroxide, or caustic soda, is used in making soap, and also in biodiesel fuel production Caustic Potash, or Potassium Hydroxide, is also called Lye and can be easily made at home. It can also be used in the production of biodiesel although the recipe will have to be adjusted somewhat. This recipe is for KOH, potassium hydroxide, since hardwoods leach potassium and about 1/10th as much sodium.

1 Start a rain barrel to catch soft water. This is a key step. Depending upon how much lye you want to leach, make sure that you have 2 or 3 gallons of soft water before you proceed.(water from dehumidifier works as well)

2 Find a local brewer's supply house and pick up a wooden barrel and a cork about 3" long. You can use a cask-sized or waist-high barrel.

3 Take the barrel home and drill a hole in it approx. 2" above the bottom. Make sure that the cork will fit snugly into the hole.

4 Find a place that the barrel will be undisturbed. Lye is caustic. Take the necessary precautions. Put some bricks down and place the barrel on top of them. The brick base must be stable. It raises the barrel up so that you can easily drain off the lye into a container when it is ready. Give yourself room to work.

5 Cover the bottom of the barrel with some palm-sized clean rocks (e.g. river rock). Cover the rocks with approximately 6" of straw (this can be hay or grass). This will filter the ashes and help your lye drain cleanly.

6 Gather branches and/or logs of oak, ash, or fruitwoods. Remember that the best lye is made from hardwoods. Avoid pine, fir, and other evergreens. Palm leaves work well if they are completely dried and brown.

7 Burn it outside in a pile, or better yet, use it in your fireplace or woodstove.

8 Scoop the ashes out and put them in the prepped barrel. (Make sure that the ash is completely cold, or you could set your barrel and anything around it on fire.) You can fill the barrel with ash, but it is not necessary; you can make smaller amounts with less ash.

9 Put a pan under the hole and remove the cork. Pour the soft water in until you see it start to drain into the pan, then put the cork back in tightly. The water level should be about 6" from the top. After a day, the first ash should settle and you can add more ash.

10 Let it sit for at least 3 days. You can add ash all week and drain it regularly on a specific day of the week.

11 Check to see if your lye is ready. For what purpose are you leaching this lye? Body soap or heavy cleaning? Lye concentration gets stronger with each leaching. For average soap making, you can use these measures: Drop a fist-sized potato or a raw egg into the barrel. If it floats enough for a quarter-size piece to rise above the water, it is ready. If it doesn't, you need to add more ashes or drain all the water and re-leach it (pour it back into the cask and let it set one more cycle).

12 Make sure that you have a wooden crock or glass container to catch your lye when it's ready. Put it under the tap, gently pull the cork, and fill your containers. Leave enough head room so that they will be safe and easy to pour. Make sure that you have tight, fitting lids.

13 Store your lye in a cool dark place until use. (The sooner the better.)

Tips

-Do not start this project until you have collected 2-3 gallons of rain water and have purchased or scavenged all of your supplies.
-Make sure that your lye barrel has a stable foundation and is in a secure place where it cannot be knocked over by, for example, roving children.
-If you run a dehumidifier, its collected water is an alternative to rainwater.
-You can also use electrically distilled water. The purer the water, the more potassium that can be leached from the ashes. Do not use bottled spring water or water from the tap! You can use bottled distilled water that was processed using steam distillation.
-To dispose of old, leached ashes, dig a hole away from everything and pour the muck into it. Don't cover it until the ashes dry thoroughly.

Warnings!

-Lye is a base, also known as an alkali. Bases are caustic; they "burn" anything that they touch. Please use common sense and follow the tips provided.
-Wear rubber gloves and eye protection when draining off or handling your lye, it can burn your skin and blind you!
-For all backyard chemists, chemical-resistant gloves (the yellow kitchen ones will do), safety glasses and arm and body covering are mandatory.
-Educate yourself on poison treatment before you begin making soap or biodiesel. visit www.poison.org for appropriate actions to take if lyewater or lye crystals spill on you, are accidentally swallowed, or get in your eye.
-Run it under water. Do not try to treat the burn with vinegar. The strong base can cause severe burns, and you may not feel the effects right away due to nerve damage. So always (see next dot)
-In any emergency, call 911 or your local poison control center's emergency number.
-Keep away from kids or any flammable material.
We suggest to use this correctly, failure to follow correct procedures may lead to injury or even death.

posted March 30, 2012 09:03 AM            

*****************************************

http://www.rainxchange.com/

1 inch of rainfall on a 2,000 sq. ft. residential roof generates 1,250 gallons of water that can be reused.

Rain water catch systems

posted March 30, 2012 11:31 AM            

Before we became dependent on large-scale public water systems, rainwater collection was a common practice. Rainwater filled a need when wells went dry or became contaminated, and in some areas was an agricultural necessity. Rainwater is not only a clean, salt-free source of water, but it can help improve the salt accumulation in soil that is so damaging to a plant’s roots. Rainwater does not have the mineral content of groundwater and will never burn your plants.

posted March 30, 2012 10:13 PM            

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biochar

Biochar is a name for charcoal when it is used for particular purposes, especially as a soil amendment. Like all charcoal, biochar is created by pyrolysis of biomass. Biochar is under investigation as an approach to carbon sequestration to produce negative carbon dioxide emissions.Biochar thus has the potential to help mitigate climate change, via carbon sequestration.Independently, biochar can increase soil fertility, raise agricultural productivity and reduce pressure on forests, though the degree to which results offer long term carbon sequestration in practice has been challenged. Biochar is a stable solid, rich in carbon and can endure in soil for thousands of years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_preta

Terra preta, literally “black earth” in Portuguese, is a type of very dark, fertile anthropogenic soil found in the Amazon Basin. Terra preta owes its name to its very high charcoal content, and was indeed made by adding a mixture of charcoal, bone, and manure to the otherwise relatively infertile Amazonian soil, and stays there for thousands of years. It is also known as “Amazonian dark earth” or “Indian black earth”. In Portuguese its full name is terra preta do índio or terra preta de índio ("black earth of the Indian", "Indians' black earth"). Terra mulata ("mulatto earth") is lighter or brownish in color.

http://www.sonomacompost.com/biochar.shtml

http://washedashore.com/biochar/frog_200912/

http://www.amazon.com/Mini-Farming-Self-Sufficiency-Brett-Markham/dp/1602 399840/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_cart_2

http://www.bluemoonfund.org/how-we-work/jewels/biochar/

posted March 30, 2012 10:45 PM            

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenia_fetida

Eisenia fetida (older spelling: foetida), known under various common names such as redworm, brandling worm, panfish worm, trout worm, tiger worm and red wiggler worm, red californian earth worm, is a species of earthworm adapted to decaying organic material. These worms thrive in rotting vegetation, compost, and manure; they are epigean. They are rarely found in soil, instead preferring conditions that are inimical to some other worms. In this trait they resemble the Lumbricus rubellus.

Eisenia fetida worms are used for vermicomposting. They are native to Europe, but have been introduced (both intentionally and unintentionally) to every other continent except Antarctica, occasionally threatening native species.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermicompost

Vermicompost is the product or process of composting utilizing various species of worms, usually red wigglers, white worms, and earthworms to create a heterogeneous mixture of decomposing vegetable or food waste, bedding materials, and vermicast. Vermicast, similarly known as worm castings, worm humus or worm manure, is the end-product of the breakdown of organic matter by a species of earthworm.

Containing water-soluble nutrients, vermicompost is an excellent, nutrient-rich organic fertilizer and soil conditioner. The process of producing vermicompost is called vermicomposting.

http://www.extension.org/pages/17453/vermicomposting-animal-manure

Vermicomposting is a process that relies on earthworms and microorganisms to help stabilize active organic materials and convert them to a valuable soil amendment and source of plant nutrients. Earthworms will consume most organic materials, including animal manure, agricultural crop residues, organic byproducts from industries, yard trimmings, food preparation scraps and leftovers, scrap paper, and sewage sludge.

posted March 30, 2012 10:52 PM            

The black soldier fly, or Hermetia illucens is a common and widespread creature of the family Stratiomyidae, whose larvae are common detritivores in compost heaps. Larvae are also sometimes found in association with carrion, and have significant potential for use in forensic entomology.

Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) may be used in manure management, for house fly control and reduction in manure volume. Mature larvae and prepupae raised in manure management operations may also be used to supplement animal feeds.

BSFL are sold as feeders for owners of herptiles and tropical fish, or as composting grubs. They store high levels of calcium for future pupation which is beneficial to herptiles

http://blacksoldierflyblog.com/black-soldier-fly-white-magic/

http://www.thebiopod.com/

http://blacksoldierflyblog.com/biopod%E2%84%A2plus-2nd-generation/

posted March 31, 2012 12:04 AM            

http://www.socialearth.org/aquaponics-the-answer-to-sustainable-farming

http://www.growingpower.org/aquaponics.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaponics

Aquaponics (pronounced: /ˈækwəˈpɒnɨks/) is a sustainable food production system that combines a traditional aquaculture (raising aquatic animals such as snails, fish, crayfish or prawns in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment. In the aquaculture, effluents accumulate in the water, increasing toxicity for the fish. This water is led to a hydroponic system where the by-products from the aquaculture are filtered out by the plants as vital nutrients, after which the cleansed water is recirculated back to the animals. The term aquaponics is a portmanteau of the terms aquaculture and hydroponic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_perch

The yellow perch (Perca flavescens) is a species of perch found in the United States and Canada, where it is often referred to by the shortform perch. Yellow perch look similar to the European perch, but are paler and more yellowish, with less red in the fins. They have six to eight dark, vertical bars on their sides. The yellow perch is in the same family as the walleye and sauger, but in a different family from the white perch. Yellow perch size can vary greatly between bodies of water, but adults are usually between four and 10 inches (10-25.5 cm) in length. The perch can live for up to 11 years, and older perch are often much larger than average; the maximum recorded length is 21.0 inches (53.3 cm) and the largest recorded weight is 4.3 lb (1.91 kg). Large yellow perch are often called "jumbo perch" or "jack perch".

Yellow perch reach sexual maturity at one to three years of age for males and two to three years of age for females. Spawning occurs at the end of April or beginning of May; females deposit 10,000 to 40,000 eggs upon weeds, or the branches of trees or shrubs that have become immersed in the water. After fertilization, the eggs hatch in 11 to 27 days, depending on temperature and other weather conditions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilapia

Tilapia is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the tilapiine cichlid tribe. Tilapia inhabit a variety of fresh water habitats, including shallow streams, ponds, rivers and lakes. Historically, they have been of major importance in artisan fishing in Africa and the Levant, and are of increasing importance in aquaculture. Tilapia can become problematic invasive species in new warm-water habitats, whether deliberately or accidentally introduced, but generally not in temperate climates due to their inability to survive in cool waters, generally below 60 °F (16 °C).

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/blackened-tilapia-cilantro-lime-slaw.aspx

http://www.myfamilymealplan.com/2011/01/baked-tilapia-with-horseradish-sauce.html

posted March 31, 2012 12:51 AM            

Waterwheels, Windmills.

*Place grills in barrel generators to prevent fish and debris from entering.*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbxLba1EXqs

http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/technology/hydro/

posted April 01, 2012 04:24 PM            

*If you did this you could use the barrels to heat something while they "cook"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqkWYM7rYpU&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COPqvVH7jiw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UafRz3QeO8&feature=related

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrolysis

Pyrolysis is a thermochemical decomposition of organic material at elevated temperatures without the participation of oxygen. It involves the simultaneous change of chemical composition and physical phase, and is irreversible. The word is coined from the Greek-derived elements pyr "fire" and lysis "separating".

posted April 01, 2012 04:26 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by Randall:
Good info, MB. BTW, would you like to Moderate a forum? I think you would be great.

---

I'll think about it, get back with you later. Thanks for the compliment.

*Runs as long as the mechanics hold and the river flows. Slap sun solar panels on top for hi power LED lights and some manure heat/cooling tower with efficient glass in the windows. Also something like the following*

http://www.alternativebuilder.com/solar-air-conditioning.html

http://www.horizonservicesinc.com/services/geothermal

Geothermal Technology is the world’s most advanced, most cost-efficient heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system. While most solar-based systems only heat your home, geothermal energy, powered by the earths renewable energy, cools and heats. In warm weather, heat is extracted from your home and transferred to the ground. In cooler weather, heat is drawn from the ground and transferred to your home.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_energy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_heating

http://www.yodergeothermal.com/

http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/space_heating_cooling/index.cfm/mytopic=12640

posted April 04, 2012 08:56 PM            

Beekeeping (or apiculture) is the maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans. A beekeeper (or apiarist) keeps bees in order to collect honey and other products of the hive (including beeswax, propolis, pollen, and royal jelly), to pollinate crops. A location where bees are kept is called an apiary or "bee yard".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_bee

Honey bees (or honeybees) are a subset of bees in the genus Apis, primarily distinguished by the production and storage of honey and the construction of perennial, colonial nests out of wax. Honey bees are the only extant members of the tribe Apini, all in the genus Apis. Currently, there are only seven recognised species of honey bee with a total of 44 subspecies, though historically, anywhere from six to eleven species have been recognised. Honey bees represent only a small fraction of the approximately 20,000 known species of bees. Some other types of related bees produce and store honey, but only members of the genus Apis are true honey bees.

http://earthsky.org/biodiversity/why-do-bees-die-after-they-sting-you

A honeybee will sting when it perceives a threat to its hive, but when it’s away from the hive foraging, it will rarely sting unless someone steps on it or handles it roughly. And when it does sting, it dies. When a bee stings you, it gives off a mixture of alarm pheromones from a gland near the sting chamber. These pheromones excite the other bees in the hive, who will open their mandibles, protrude their stingers, and sting anything that moves close to them.

1- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upbONroWPic

2- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrehDfkazO0&feature=relmfu

3- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7M1X0bWYyo&feature=relmfu

4- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA5pY8hOEj4&feature=relmfu

5- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pb4WxxLTq0&feature=relmfu

6- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M788T26WIlY&feature=relmfu

7- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDn3DnjpY1A&feature=relmfu

8- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zogqbqQnyE&feature=relmfu