How Fast-Growing Weeds Become Charcoal And Eco-Bricks | Insider Business
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- čas přidán 9. 09. 2024
- Locals in Senegal are turning an invasive weed called Typha into a source of energy. The weed has been destroying rice crops in rural Senegal for over 30 years, but it’s now become a source of economic opportunity.
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How Fast-Growing Weeds Become Charcoal And Eco-Bricks | Insider Business
it would have been worth pointing out that reducing firewood and wood coal usage also combats desertification by saving trees. that's a verybig issue in a lot of african countries, and I'm pretty sure that includes senegal (it includes parts of the sahara and sahel)
It 's a source of natural enery capacity and sustainability! No extra fuel cost?
Sanctimonious much?
@@theloniuspunk383 Much? or Munch?
@@madararam2853 much, its a "turn of phrase" which is itself a turn of phrase
@@madararam2853 Looks like it is harvested, dried (presumably just out in the sun) and then run through the charcoal process, where it provides the fuel for the process itself. So, yes, saving trees and providing a very useful fuel and apparently without external fuel inputs for the production process.
My mon said when she was young, they harvested water hyacinth to feed livestock and chicken after brief fermentation. However it was labour-intensive and people mostly stopped doing that once industrially-scale livestock food became prevalent. Now some factories are making biogas from it, due to the growing costs of natural gas.
People had tried for a long time making coal from water hyacinth, but it was not financially viable. The plant contained too much water (about 90%), and the yield couldn't pay for the labour harvesting the plant.
I was NOT expecting to see my country in there I just clicked and Voilà 🤗🤗
hi
I wonder how feasible it would be to find a market for biocoal made from water hyacinth. When I saw IBs report on the problem months ago, it never occured to me, but Typha in Senegal offers yet another possibility for using it productively. You could also turn both into fertilizer that can be sent around the world if you can make sure to deal with any bio-security concerns, as well as biogas that can provide power for entire communities.
Now the only problem remaining is costs of production, volume of output and transportation costs.
Extremely unfeasible because the water hyacinth is a bio accumulator it collects heavy metals which would then diffuse into the air.
@@shelldie8523yeah, I think that's a possible problem
I've seen a few groups in the Philippines turn water hyacinths into wicker.
Such a genius innovation of turning a problem into solution. Kudos to all involved in this project.
As an artist I love this, charcoal is one of my favorite things and these people are getting rid of a problem and making a profit from it, it’s great, good for them I hope they can continue with the business and pass on generational wealth to their families and communities ❤
Ps: also eco-bricks seems like such a great and innovative idea, and one that is actually useful, I’m sure other kinds of materials may not do the purpose as well as native materials to the land
Typha roots are rich with edible starch and a good biomass crop for making ethanol fuel
When we the people get together in a purpose, we are unstoppable.
And that's why Africa is such a wonderful place where people go to live... Oh wait
Very true.
@@nostro1940 nice nonsequeter. Also the diet racism, gotta love when people try to hide it.
But just like how diet coke is still coke, diet racism is still racism.
@@jambott5520 can you blame them? Black people are migrating everywhere and are seen as a invading pest
@@nostro1940 Guess whose fault it is famines and droughts are becoming more frequent in Africa? It's braindead people like you who live in North America, Europe and Australia that produce the most greenhouse gas emissions per capita.
when life gives you Typha, make biocoal
The typha (cattail) roots are rich with edible starch and can be fermented and distilled to make ethanol fuel
This is awesome! I love it when 2 problems can be solved at once
& my birds love eating placemats made out of water hyacinth. I never realised the source of them, I just buy them from Kmart regularly cause the birds love them, now I'm even happier to be buying them, wish they advertised on the product what it's source is to get even more sales
@@jannatunzaman3104 lorikeets :) 2 rescues that sat in 2 separate cages with nothing to do for a decade, so don't really know how to shred/chew for fun, so they need soft stuff for getting them to actually attempt to chew & even then, they often refuse, but for some reason the water hyacinth really appeals to them. That & mahogany pods (which cost much more). The placemats are a nice texture for the cage bottom too, only downside is the cotton tying them together that I have to check at least daily & cut away any exposed loops so they can't tangle themselves in it.
I've got about 10 placemats that I rotate for cleaning & then dispose of once they're largely gone & buy more to replace :)
Kmart still exists?
@@fahqfatgurls8479 I'm in Australia & yes, here we have Kmart, Target & Big W, no Walmart, it went bust decades ago. I think Kmart is our version of Walmart now, it's the one of the 3 that sell the most cheap stuff.
I heard Kmart went bust in the US recently, I didn't realise until then. Not sure if it's the same Kmart here that you had there or not
This is how “Mandela Effect” occurs where different countries have different versions of things with the same name 😅
@@fahqfatgurls8479 Exists and thriving 🤭
Bio coal is a buzzword name for charcoal. Very cool to see though.
Ive seen the same thing done with hemp and so many other types of plants turned into building materials
Yes. Plants like trees.
@@scam8818 hemp is fast growing therefore more sustainable... the way humans generally use trees, less so...
@@edwardness7497 You can plant trees on land not suited for growing even crops like hemp. And you can still maintain portions of a parcel to support native animals.
In Louisiana the timber companies rent land for hunting leases. Depending on what kind of timber you can even multi crop it, graze animals under/around them, hunt, trap or gather native plants. Timberlands can be incredibly productive, in terms of ecology and economy.
That’s incredible turning an invasive weed into all those things!
The typha (cattail) roots are rich with edible starch and can be fermented and distilled to make ethanol fuel
This is really interesting. It's great that there's uses for both of them so the invasive plants don't go to waste.
The roots are rich with edible starch and can be fermented and distilled to make ethanol fuel
Amazing. These people are so smart and resilient. 👍 Merry Christmas everyone 🎄🎁
I love water hyacinth plants, have them in my pond. During their ideal growing conditions, I usually will have to cut them back every month during the warmer seasons here in Southern California. Water hyacinths and water pennyworts can easily become invasive during hot summer temperatures.
the ecological problem is that floating plants with the leaves in the air reduce oxygen levels in the water by blocking light from getting in the water, and using that light to oxygenate the air instead of underwater plants using it to oxygenate the water, but then when parts of the plant cover die, they rot in the water, feeding microbes that draw more oxygen from the water. this way, floating plants can dramatically reduce the amounts of both plants and animals that a body of water can support - plants lack light, animals lack oxygen.
so basically they are pretty, but you really want them to cover only a fraction of a pond.
I respect everyone who were involved in this Seriously the best piece that i ve ever seen on CZcams 💌 Hate off to well all 💟 love your videos
Hate off
This is creative and resourceful. I think of it like recycling what may otherwise be seen as just bad.
Use the wood gas as fuel for a generator to run the additional machines and bring clean and reliable electricity to the people.
The typha (cattail) roots are rich with edible starch and can also be fermented and distilled to make ethanol fuel.
Very interesting topic.. thank you to the reporters (insider, please support small farmers more)
Such an innovative and insiring project!! Well done, beautiful people!👍
This is why its important for entry into countries to dispose of any fruits, vegetables, and etc. Things that can contain seeds or spores of invasive species.
This could a great energy source of typha agricultural land expansion to keep humidity of the Grasslands and sustainability of the geographical topology.Happy Holidays!!
Sell it to clay industries for the kilns and to eletrical plants that burn coal .you guys are very amazing apply this technique to bamboo or cud zoo. As far as cutting it underwater look at old farmming equipment there is a machine that has two large disk shaped bulges in the back housing 5 sickles mounted on a rotating platform and the other housing has the same set up you can literally pull it with tractor or ox or horse. Then it's just a matter of gathering the cut plants for processing. Please look into it this business must thrive oh i forgot sell it to water filtration plant . Compress the charcoal with hydraulic press to make pencils or paint good luck and god bless all of you.
That's brilliant!
Sir❤️I love your content love the positive energy Your videos are always lit. Lot of hard work and dedication it take. Content always classic
That is great!
A weed is a plant that its use is yet unknown. When it is known it becomes a cash crop.
We need more of this. We need the trees. This stuff might release carbon as it is burned but it absorbs carbon as it grows so that is carbon neutral. Using it in bricks is carbon capture. If we can also use fumes from it to make char-gas, we could have liquid fuel too.
The typha (cattail) roots are rich with edible starch and can also be fermented and distilled to make ethanol fuel.
@@Sixrabbbit Cool. It is so sad that we are basically raping mother nature when she readily provides so much for us. We need to stop the harmful mining and oil drilling.
This channel really changed its tune from "dont profit off of it" to "use it if you got it"
Thank you💓🙏🏼
Happy Holidays everyone. God bless you all.
Adapt, overcome, thrive.
Glad to see them turn a problem into a benefit.
The typha (cattail) roots are rich with edible starch and can also be fermented and distilled to make ethanol fuel.
It really just shows you how plants affect their environment.
This is a beneficial plant in the americas (depending on your worldview. In terms of ecology it’s great in a natural undisturbed setting). Outside of its native range, it’s a noxious invasive plant.
(Typha are cattails for anyone too lazy too look up the Latin name).
Because typha is so good at growing it is sometimes considered a noxious weed, even where it is native. This is because disturbed areas basically have to restart from square 1 and are vulnerable to ecological disruption.
they're a native plant through much of the americas, eurasia, australia, and new zealand. They are also ecologically damaging in certain conditions (artificial lack of water fluctuations) Disturbed areas with natural water variation and long-term flooding have a better time dealing with cattails than areas with artificially stabilized water levels. They benefit from human influence in similar ways to white tail deer, with similar levels of harm done.
The typha (cattail) roots are rich with edible starch and can also be fermented and distilled to make ethanol fuel.
They can also use the typha cattail roots to make edible starch and also ferment them and distill it to make ethanol for fuel.
Et voilà de bonnes idées mises en pratique !
And here are some great ideas put into practice!
As a Senegalese I’m so happy to see this ❤
World is changing
This & things like it stoke my ember heart.
Enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up as I always do for your channel!!
Just like that wonderful thanks for teaching us
Crazy creative whoever thought of this entire stream lined process with multiple uses!
I am amazed by how often I find this simple but genius solutions from Africans. Come on, everyone in the west talking about emissions, environment, etc, and then africans have plenty of cool solutions.
Ty
Seems like a blessing and not a curse
Another option would be to use it as a substrate to grow mushrooms.
The typha (cattail) roots are rich with edible starch and can also be fermented and distilled to make ethanol fuel.
The fire at the top of the klin can be used to proppel a steam generator and creat electricity in the process
This Is WHAT I Like To See In World, Solving Problems With Using The Problem For Benefit
This is good news!
The new green deal!
The word weed, although it’s the right word to use, for me sounds new.
Refreshing to hear a woman take pride in supporting her husband.
When life gives you lemons! The invasive plant has become a solution, a blessing in disguise. Yes, it sucks that that they cannot grow rice, but this solution solves a CO2 problem.
This is a case of lemons to lemonade.
One too many native people of South America use Typha for a variety of reasons -from food to basket-weaving, house-building, boat making...
This is great!
Really Great woman's of the world
Fascinating
Thank you
So constructive! I love it! :)
I LOVE this innovation!!!!!
I always thought the Hyacinth was from SE Asia. Supposedly it's all over California because of chinese ships' ballast water
Do they use te Biochar as a soil amendment?
Absolutely brilliant!
Once you have lived awhile you understand that invasive species advantage is limited in time... sooner or later some native species, a disease or other natural control kicks in.
The zebra mussels in Lake Champlain were a pestilence until the yellow perch realized they could eat the mussels. The upshot is, the mussels cleaned up the lake, (when I was a boy the lake was chocolate, not clear like today) and then they fit into the ecosystem.
Fire ants in the south are a pain, but it appears opossums or armadillos have discovered all they need do is open a small aperture in a fire ant nest, and they will march directly into its waiting mouth. Eating every single ant in the mound. I have personally run across many fire ant mounds freshly cleaned up this way. The number of fire ant mounds on my land has fallen off the table in the last five years.
Species have been invading new lands since the first cell divided.
I never knew any other animal actually ate fire ants!
@@intrepidfox37 Something is here in Texas. In mid summer, live and empty nests used to litter my fields... now it is rare to find any.
So it burns faster, longer, and with less emissions... how do we not use this stuff all over the world instead of classic wood coal?
It' s a novelty ..we all just learn that's why..Happy Holidays!
Probably isn't enough supply, and it'd be dangerous if corporations got the bright idea to start farming it. That'd just make it invasive in even more parts of the world. I assume it could pretty easily get wildly out of control if a transport truck carrying its seeds crashed into a river.
Same goes for most projects that make use of invasive species. Seems like there's an endless supply, and the people using it can't harvest it fast enough, but once it goes large scale then you will quickly run out. And when you run out, you need more, so you plant more. And that runs the risk of getting out of control or jail breaking from it's confined growing area. A lot of fish invasions happen this way. Recently almost happened to the Seattle bay, when an Atlantic salmon farm had a good portion of their stock break free. The non-native domestic fish could have destroyed the native Salmon. Out competed or spread diseases. Fishermen from all over flocked with glee when the state issued a "no license needed please come catch these salmon". I wanted to go so bad... But I didn't have transportation to get there. Anyway anglers saved the day. But they wouldn't have if it weren't such a desirable product. You can look to the Asian Carp for example on that. They've over taken US rivers, and are on the verge of invading the Great Lakes. But they're endangered in China, where they're actually eaten. If Americans wanted to eat them, we wouldn't have this problem.
On a positive note, there are strong efforts going on to sell the fish to China. That will hopefully make a dent.
Because you can use Coconut Coal which would be the same. But its more expensive than Wood Coal
It has to be burned first to make it, then it's burned again when it's being used...
@@cchavezjr7 IT DOES NOT REQUIRE FUEL MEANING PETROL COST .. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ECONOMY.??
Hello,
Do they add a binder to the biochar to make the charcoal briquette or is it essential that the water and the pressure of the machine create the briquette?
Looks like it's just the water, plant, and pressure.
They add rice husks as a binder
You can also use the weeds as mulch although not cost effective in a dry place it will have benefits for water retention for farming. But away from a local water source it will be effective and also even dried as feed for livestock.
carbon retains 70 times it's weight in water, so it can still be used for that as charcoal. I'm not sure if this stuff would work as mulch or not. I've grown rice in a bucket at my home, just to see how the process works, the rice straw is useless as mulch, as it repels the water, all these water growing plants likely do similar
dis is goodie innovation und using useleszs weeds make charcoal.
what was the fuel used to carbonize the Typha? and how much fuel was used to make the Typha fuel?
exactly the thing, thats most interesting & looking at the worlds history, whole countrys where deforested just to make coal before! ..... but why learn from history, when you canmake mistakes over & over?! the enviroment can take it, riiiiight?! 🤔😅😮💨
Gras on the lawn is also invasive. If I cut it by hand with scissors then it grows faster than I can harvest it.
Mechanized farming in wetlands is easier said than done, especially with the resources these people have.
Under which bridge did you guys find that ecologist. ->Take what I said with a grain of salt, this is the importance of carrying yourself as a professional when you are a professional.
You mentioned that burning the coal is cleaner than burning wood. But does this also hold true if you also take the making process of the coal into account?
They would make wood into charcoal using the same process. So it’s a net improvement.
@@erroneous6947 But they didn't comapre wood-charcoal with this new charcoal. So, no it's not ensured that it's a net improvement.
Making charcoal is a very dirty process.
Ancient egyptians were making houses with this mud and reed mixture
They can also acquire wood gas too if they invest more money into the place whete they burn the typha as well!! Best luck to them
This is what true sustainability looks like.
by burning coal?
W££ds can also be compressed into a different kind of 1kg bricks
That’s biochar. If they mixed that into their native soil, they would see an increase in agricultural yield, and the soil benefits would last thousands of years.
Nice.
Could possibly harvest the wood gas from the cooking coals soo maybe there's a little waste but they probably don't have the tech for that available easily or cheap
Kilns like that burn it right inside, it reduces the fuel needed to make the carbon.
Typha like in cattail. young shoots are edible. the plant's rhizome is very starchy apparently you can distill alcohol with it
If they caught the gases from the kiln amd bottled it, they could have another source for cooking, but keeping it simple is good to.
How is the biochar kiln built and how does it work..... I would like one at my home.
so all they need to do now is develop some sort of aquatic combine harvester .. that would make for an interesting engineering challenge
😊👍
Why not capture the cellose gases which could be used to be a secondary product
I bet if the worlds oil runs out these kinda countries will flourish bc this is a new resource for Tesla owners power production for their batteries
Turning the problem into the solution - Permaculture!!!
Bio-coal... That just charcoal with a pretty name
Good news
we got invasive wolfs but what can you make of a wolf
good idea to utilize this biomass instead of just killing the plants with pesticide. This needs to be industrialised ASAP.
furthermore, typha angustifolia rhizomes are a really good source for human nutrition.
The typha (cattail) roots are rich with edible starch and can also be fermented and distilled to make ethanol fuel.
Carbon Monoxide is very environment friendly produced from burning it in low oxygen
CO is less dangerous where there is adequate ventilation. It’s no different than a slow burning wood furnace or meat smoker.
@@evilsharkey8954if you don't get the point ask again or shut the mouth
@@istoppedlaughing5225 If you make the point poorly you don’t get to be offended when people don’t get it.
@@evilsharkey8954 don't know why few people like you are now don't even getting serious comments in sarcastic way, grow up man get some common sense
@@istoppedlaughing5225 Well, your poor writing might have something to do with it. Proofread, man. I can’t even tell what you’re trying to say.
Can they cut the reeds with a scythe?
Would this be exported internationally as well?
Typha:- i m going to destroy u
Human:- say no more
Typha:- wait that’s cheating
Is this the same plant as cattails?
I had to look that up. Turns out, you are right. Also called bulrushes.
Yes. There are several species of cattail, some of them invasive in different places. The US has native and invasive species of cattails.
Looks like I gotta increase my carbon footprint to compensate for this. Another kid is on the way! Wish me luck
As long as the governments don't get involved the people can figure things out and make use of a product that was a problem before. But, when the government steps in to "help" they regulate everything and stifle production with rules and restrictive regulations until it's no longer feasible for individuals to produce the product!
These invasive species are sending a message, look at me I can be an alternative solution to your climate problems. I feel we should embrace change and stop fighting our environment, learning to adapt and live with other species will help us as humans
However, it's not invasive and it's likely native. The local government created two dams which created a more suitable ecosystem for the plant which allowed it to flourish... Fake rags to riches news story.