An incredibly foolish question:

[womaus]

Every year, for well over 40 years, every Christmas I receive at least one pound of pistachios in the shell. This year I think it was five (they may be trying to kill me...too many gives me rampant heartburn).

So last night at about 1AM I opened up the first bag. Had a few handfuls. Had to get up to get rid of the shells. Walked by the pellet stove.

Hmmmm...Snowy burns nothing but shells I think to myself.

Would the Harman and its chain drive auger handle these?

'Cuz I don't want to walk to the kitchen to get rid of them. That's at least 15 steps away.

It's probably not the pistachios that are going to kill me.

 

[bostonfan49]

Every year, for well over 40 years, every Christmas I receive at least one pound of pistachios in the shell. This year I think it was five (they may be trying to kill me...too many gives me rampant heartburn).

So last night at about 1AM I opened up the first bag. Had a few handfuls. Had to get up to get rid of the shells. Walked by the pellet stove.

Hmmmm...Snowy burns nothing but shells I think to myself.

Would the Harman and its chain drive auger handle these?

'Cuz I don't want to walk to the kitchen to get rid of them. That's at least 15 steps away.

It's probably not the pistachios that are going to kill me.

I say go for it. You only have a few days left in the year to come up with your crowning achievement!
Bill

 

[womaus]

I say go for it. You only have a few days left in the year to come up with your crowning achievement!
Bill

Do you live next door to me? Somehow you have me pegged pretty well...

 

[Doug MacIVER]

my wood stove loves any shell it can get! pistachio and walnut are its fav.

 

[MuchoBueno]

I have done the same. Once last year a bunch of us polished almost 3 lbs of postachios and the shells burned hot and quick.

 

[Lake Girl]

Not so foolish after all or maybe it's the group insanity deal at work? You decide...

 

[bogieb]

Maybe break them up a little so they are more the size of a pellet in diameter and give it a try!

 

[johneh]

I throw them into my Enviro hopper all the time
It hasn't bit me yet

 

[rich2500]

Gonna have to eat a lot of pistachios to heat your house with the shells though.

 

[womaus]

Gonna have to eat a lot of pistachios to heat your house with the shells though.

But if I keep eating them there'll be less space in the house to heat. Win win situation.

 

[rich2500]

 

[Doug MacIVER]

But if I keep eating them there'll be less space in the house to heat. Win win situation.

free btu's

 

[johneh]

My eyes my eyes !

 

[TimfromMA]

Gonna have to eat a lot of pistachios to heat your house with the shells though.

I wonder what the break even point is for oil vs pistachio shells.

 

[womaus]

I wonder what the break even point is for oil vs pistachio shells.

There is actually some interest in shells as fuel, many different ways.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt...ergy-in-an-abundant-resource-pistachio-shells

 

[Lake Girl]

Wouldn't a bio-mass burner be more straight forward?

A previous forum member used to use wheat and olive pits... pellet pricing in Australia is ridiculous.

 

[womaus]

Wouldn't a bio-mass burner be more straight forward?

A previous forum member used to use wheat and olive pits... pellet pricing in Australia is ridiculous.

I'll answer your question as to the bio-mass with eloquent answers, all made up of course, as I have no idea of what I'm talking about with this topic. And most subjects, as you will all come to find out the longer I stay (or am allowed to stay) on this forum.

My kids stopped asking me important questions a long time ago...but I digress.

Would it be better to compost, harvest the methane, then distribute the compost for farms, yards, etc? Rather than to create just ash, and possibly those pollutants for a one time hit? The ash I imagine could be a soil additive...

 

[Lake Girl]

Local municipality looked into harvesting methane from the landfill and found it very cost prohibitive. Mind you it was many years ago so there may be some advances that could lower cost. Any idea of time requirement on methane production?

I did think of pollutants when I asked the question, however, effective land use and shell storage would also be a consideration dependent on location. I would think the companies that produce the shells would be looking to recover power from the waste product rather than have to truck it away at their cost. Biomass generator would make more sense in that application... feed the beast with a by-product so you can get more by-product to feed the beast Vicious cycle...

 

[Lake Girl]

If this is a cost effective approach, how come all municipalities/cities are not on board?? http://www.ameresco.com/sites/default/files/saws_0.pdf

 

[Pete Zahria]

Local municipality looked into harvesting methane from the landfill and found it very cost prohibitive.

Our landfill operated by Waste Management, generates their power from the landfill gases.
They had so much, they have now piped it to the University of New Hampshire,
a considerable distance, and they are generating a good portion of their needs from the excess!

Dan

 

[johneh]

Ottawa Ontario Canada uses methane to power 6000 homes from one
of its land fill sites
http://energyottawa.com/generation/landfill-generating-facilities/
Anther site locally owned is also using methane
http://wcec.wm.com/currentoperations/facility/gas_energy.asp
We could see this one flaring off from a place I worked

 

[Lake Girl]

All very noteworthy projects but ... If landfill gas is a viable source of electric generation, where is the Ontario Hydro and Natural Resources collaboration to tap into all of the landfills? Hydro has wasted money on other, less worthy projects...

 

[johneh]

The land fill has to be set up from the beginning to trap and funnel the gas
to a central pumping station . Not in Hydro Ones plans they prefer to throw
good money after bad so they can collect the highest amount for any power
generation company in North America !!
TURN THAT LIGHT OUT If I HAVE TOLD YOU ONCE I'VE TOLD YOU
A THOUSAND TIMES darn kids