![Stirling-Motor Kuhdung Hochhut 16082007](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Stirling-Motor_Kuhdung_Hochhut_16082007.JPG)
Dry dung fuel (or dry manure fuel) is animal
feces that has been dried in order to be used as a fuel source. It is used in many countries. Using dry
manure
Manure is organic matter that is used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Most manure consists of animal feces; other sources include compost and green manure. Manures contribute to the Soil fertility, fertility of soil by adding organic ma ...
as a fuel source is an example of
reuse of excreta
Reuse of human excreta is the safe, beneficial use of treated human excreta after applying suitable treatment steps and risk management approaches that are customized for the intended reuse application. Beneficial uses of the treated excreta may ...
. A disadvantage of using this kind of fuel is increased air pollution.
In India, it is known as "dung cakes".
Types
Dry dung and moist dung
Dry dung is more commonly used than moist dung, because it
burns more easily. Dry manure is typically defined as having a moisture content less than 30 percent.
Dung cakes
![A Pile of Dung Cakes](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/A_Pile_of_Dung_Cakes.JPG)
"Dung cakes", made from the by-products of
animal husbandry, are traditionally used as fuel in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
for cooking food in a domestic
hearth called a
Chulha
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation in a dwelling or in a commercial establishment. A modern middle-class residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a ...
. They are made by hand by village women and are traditionally made from cow or buffalo dung. One dung cake of an average size gives 2100 kJ worth of energy. Dung cakes are also known as ''goitha'', ''uple'', ''kande'', ''gosse'' or ''thepdi''.
These are the cakes of cow dung molded by bare hands with a curvature to be able to keep stuck to the walls. Once dried they are put in a pile and covered with thatch called ''bitauda''. These bitaudas are visible in parts of rural India albeit with different names. The size and shape of the cake might vary with region. Its also not uncommon to see these cakes directly used in earthen ovens.
This bio-fuel has been used primarily for two reasons: for easy disposal of cow dung and as easily available and cheap fuel.
Human feces
Human feces can in principle also be dried and used as a fuel source if they are collected in a type of
dry toilet
A dry toilet (or non-flush toilet, no flush toilet or toilet without a flush) is a toilet which, unlike a flush toilet, does not use flush water. Dry toilets do not use water to move excreta along or block odors. They do not produce sewage, and a ...
, for example an
incinerating toilet. Since 2011, the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is supporting the development of such toilets as part of their "Reinvent the Toilet Challenge" to promote safer, more effective ways to treat human
excreta
Excretion is a process in which metabolic waste
is eliminated from an organism. In vertebrates this is primarily carried out by the lungs, kidneys, and skin. This is in contrast with secretion, where the substance may have specific tasks after lea ...
. The
omni-processor is another example of using human feces contained in
fecal sludge
Fecal sludge management (FSM) (or faecal sludge management in British English) is the storage, collection, transport, treatment and safe end use or disposal of fecal sludge. Together, the collection, transport, treatment and end use of fecal slud ...
or
sewage sludge
Sewage sludge is the residual, semi-solid material that is produced as a by-product during sewage treatment of industrial or municipal wastewater. The term " septage" also refers to sludge from simple wastewater treatment but is connected to s ...
as a fuel source.
Benefits
![Yavari (5690014405)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Yavari_%285690014405%29.jpg)
The benefits of using dry animal dung include:
*Cheaper than most modern fuels
*Efficient
*Alleviates local pressure on wood resources
*Readily available - short walking time required to collect fuel
*No cash outlays necessary for purchase (can be exchanged for other products)
*Less environmental pollution compared to some other fuels
*Safe disposal of animal dung
*Sustainable and renewable energy source
Countries
Africa
![Egyptian women making dry animal dung fuel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Egyptian_women_making_dry_animal_dung_fuel.jpg)
*In
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
dry animal dung (from cows & buffaloes) is mixed with straw or crop residues to make dry fuel called "Gella" or "Jilla" dung cakes in modern times and ""khoroshtof"" in medieval times. Ancient Egyptians used the dry animal dung as a source of fuel. Dung cakes and building crop residues were the source of 76.4% of gross energy consumed in Egypt's rural areas during the 1980s. Temperatures of dung-fueled fires in an experiment on Egyptian village-made dung cake fuel produced
::""a maximum of 640 °C in 12 minutes, falling to 240 °C after 25 minutes and 100 °C after 46 minutes. These temperatures were obtained without refueling and without bellows etc.""
Also, camel dung is used as fuel in Egypt.
* ''Lisu'' is the cakes of dry cow dung fuel in
Lesotho (see photo)
![The National Archives UK - CO 1069-208-30](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/The_National_Archives_UK_-_CO_1069-208-30.jpg)
*
Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mal ...
Asia
![Dung cooking fire](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Dung_cooking_fire._Pushkar_India.JPG)
*
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
*
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
, dry cow dung fuel is called Ghunte.
*
China
*
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, dry
buffalo dung is used as fuel and it is sometimes a sacred practice to use cow dung fuel in some areas in India. Cow dung is known as "Gomaya" or "Komaya" in India. Dry animal dung cakes are called upla in Hindi.
![Dungcakes_at_Village_Bhraj,_Sangrur_District_04](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Dungcakes_at_Village_Bhraj%2C_Sangrur_District_04.jpg)
*
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, since prehistoric time to modern eras
*
Kazakhs dry animal dung is known as "Кизяк"
(romanized: ''kizyak'') which is made by collecting dried animal dung on the steppe, wetting it in water then mixing it with straw then making it in discs which were then dried in the sun. It was used as a source of fuel for the winter and, throughout the summer.
*
Kyrgyz Republic
Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east ...
, dung is used in specially designed home stoves, which vent to the outside
*
Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...
, dry cow dung and sheep dung cakes are commonly used as fuel.
*
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
*
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
, dried cow/buffalo dung is used as fuel.
Europe
![Brittanydung](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Brittanydung.jpg)
* France in Maison du Marais poitevin in Coulon there is a demonstration of traditional usage of dry dung fuel.
The Americas
*Early European settlers on the Great Plains of the United States used dried buffalo manure as a fuel. They called it buffalo chips.
* American officials in Texas are studying using dry
cow dung
Cow dung, also known as cow pats, cow pies or cow manure, is the waste product ( faeces) of bovine animal species. These species include domestic cattle ("cows"), bison ("buffalo"), yak, and water buffalo. Cow dung is the undigested residu ...
as a fuel
*
Pueblo Indians
The Puebloans or Pueblo peoples, are Native Americans in the Southwestern United States who share common agricultural, material, and religious practices. Currently 100 pueblos are actively inhabited, among which Taos, San Ildefonso, Acoma, Z ...
used dry animal dung as a fuel
* In
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
, the
Yavari steam ship was fueled by llama dung fuel for several decades.
* Dry dung can be used in the production of
celluloid
Celluloids are a class of materials produced by mixing nitrocellulose and camphor, often with added dyes and other agents. Once much more common for its use as photographic film before the advent of safer methods, celluloid's common contemporary ...
for film.
History
Dry animal dung was used from prehistoric times,
including in Ancient Persia,
Ancient Egypt and early modern England. In
Equatorial Guinea archaeological evidence has been found of the practice
and biblical records indicate animal and human dung were used as fuel.
Air pollution
![Volatility distribution of organic emissions from dried cow dung cake combustion](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Volatility_distribution_of_organic_emissions_from_dried_cow_dung_cake_combustion.jpg)
The
combustion
Combustion, or burning, is a high-temperature exothermic redox chemical reaction between a fuel (the reductant) and an oxidant, usually atmospheric oxygen, that produces oxidized, often gaseous products, in a mixture termed as smoke. Combus ...
of dried dung cakes has been shown to release many thousands of
organic components into gas and aerosol phases, some of which are unique tracers of dung combustion such as
cholestanol and
coprostanol. Dung cakes are generally a higher emission
fuel, with the
combustion
Combustion, or burning, is a high-temperature exothermic redox chemical reaction between a fuel (the reductant) and an oxidant, usually atmospheric oxygen, that produces oxidized, often gaseous products, in a mixture termed as smoke. Combus ...
of cow dung cake samples collected from the
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...
area of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
releasing around four times more
volatile organic compounds
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic compounds that have a high vapour pressure at room temperature. High vapor pressure correlates with a low boiling point, which relates to the number of the sample's molecules in the surrounding air, a t ...
than fuel
wood
Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...
samples. The
volatile organic compounds
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic compounds that have a high vapour pressure at room temperature. High vapor pressure correlates with a low boiling point, which relates to the number of the sample's molecules in the surrounding air, a t ...
released from
cow
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...
dung cake combustion have been shown to be significantly more reactive with the
hydroxyl radical
The hydroxyl radical is the diatomic molecule . The hydroxyl radical is very stable as a dilute gas, but it decays very rapidly in the condensed phase. It is pervasive in some situations. Most notably the hydroxyl radicals are produced from the ...
, with the
gases
Gas is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, liquid, and plasma).
A pure gas may be made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon), elemental molecules made from one type of atom (e.g. oxygen), or ...
released from the
combustion
Combustion, or burning, is a high-temperature exothermic redox chemical reaction between a fuel (the reductant) and an oxidant, usually atmospheric oxygen, that produces oxidized, often gaseous products, in a mixture termed as smoke. Combus ...
of cow dung cake samples collected from
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...
in India around 120 times more reactive with the
hydroxyl radical
The hydroxyl radical is the diatomic molecule . The hydroxyl radical is very stable as a dilute gas, but it decays very rapidly in the condensed phase. It is pervasive in some situations. Most notably the hydroxyl radicals are produced from the ...
than the emissions from
liquefied petroleum gas. The
volatile organic compounds
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic compounds that have a high vapour pressure at room temperature. High vapor pressure correlates with a low boiling point, which relates to the number of the sample's molecules in the surrounding air, a t ...
from
cow
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...
dung cake combustion have also been shown to result in 3-4 times more
secondary organic aerosol production than fuel wood and release many more toxic
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
A polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) is a class of organic compounds that is composed of multiple aromatic rings. The simplest representative is naphthalene, having two aromatic rings and the three-ring compounds anthracene and phenanthrene. ...
.
See also
*
Cook stove
References
{{reflist
External links
Preparing Cow Dung For Fuel
Animal waste products
Feces
Biodegradable waste management
Bioenergy
Biofuels
Fuels
Biomass