At the recent Engineering and Metaphysics conference at ORU, Walter Bradley shared his experience of working with coconut coir and shells to reinforce plastics for the automotive and similar industries, as a basis for using what was formerly agricultural waste.
Video talk:
He also shared experiences on approaches that worked and didn't work, which are worth pondering.
His thoughts on biodiesel processing in the village raise the question of managing methanol. I wonder if this may become feasible if we move the processing to nodal towns that can then distribute to villages. For that, the 20 litre/ 5 gallon Jerry Can -- originally developed by the German Army as a modular man-handling friendly delivery system for fuel for the blitzkrieg -- may be a very useful item.
Or, maybe Mark Holtzapple's mixed alcohols fuel approach may be a possibility.
Food for thought. END
