What is the BTU of a Banana Pseudostem?

Ohio'sBest · 07-29-2009, 01:55 PM

I was wondering what the heat content of banana leaves and pseudostem are?

lorax · 07-29-2009, 01:58 PM

About the same as a hardwood of similar density, bearing in mind that banana material is very moist and will therefore smoulder rather than burning unless it is sufficiently dry.

A good baseline is about 23 million BTU per cord.

Bananaman88 · 07-29-2009, 01:59 PM

Did the info I sent you not help?

Ohio'sBest · 07-29-2009, 03:08 PM

I searched some of the University research and found little to no data on it. I just need a more clearer number so that the cogenerator can be suited for it and what amount it would take for heating. I am working with Mr. Moss on it from Birmingham.

Richard · 07-29-2009, 04:23 PM

Dried or freshly harvested?

Ohio'sBest · 07-29-2009, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard

Dried or freshly harvested?

Dried

Simply Bananas · 07-29-2009, 07:08 PM

Ha, thats funny.

I thought of figuring out the r value. The closet that I got was something near corrugated cardboard.

. I was thinking that thick p stems insulated the inner core. But perhaps its the silica, as I seem to have read earlier, that add to plant toughness(hardiness).

Bananaman88 · 07-30-2009, 06:20 AM

It could be that once it is dried that it is so light and burns up so fast that it isn't worth the effort.

Ohio'sBest · 07-30-2009, 08:07 AM

A cord of wood is dry when you burn it. Pretty hard to fire a green log. Are you saying to keep the pseudostem green, then burn it?

He did say something about using a gasifier with the boiler system.................so I guess it could be green matter as well.

Bananaman88 · 07-30-2009, 12:19 PM

No, I meant that due to the difference in density of wood vs. banana fiber, that the banana fiber might be too light to bother worrying with. I don't see for sure how one could compare wood to banana pseudostems since the density is so different-at least I think it would be.

browndrake · 07-30-2009, 01:42 PM

Here is a way that the pstem and leaves could be used... in construction. The same method, or similar, would also make them much better for burning.

Straw Jet Inc

aaron

Ohio'sBest · 07-30-2009, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bananaman88

No, I meant that due to the difference in density of wood vs. banana fiber, that the banana fiber might be too light to bother worrying with. I don't see for sure how one could compare wood to banana pseudostems since the density is so different-at least I think it would be.

As I understand it Brent, it is the cellulose and starch(sugar means energy) content of the pseudostem that is used in the gasifier. I'm still learning.

Richard · 07-30-2009, 11:56 PM

O.K., now I'm really curious! The AEC (prior to being reorganized into the DOE) several decades ago ran a test facility that fired municipal waste in gasifiers and fusers (combusted light metal) to produce heat, steam, mineral ash, heavy metal solids, and distilled vapors. The location was possibly Georgia but might have been one of the Carolinas.

If you wish to know the combustion BTU of just about anything, it can be determined fairly easily with equipment at most 4-year college/university physics departments or for a small fee by one of many test facilities in the U.S. Your county department of Agriculture already knows the names of labs which do soil tests and some of these do all manner of other tests as well.

But can you tell us why this information is important to the process?

Bananaman88 · 07-31-2009, 06:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ohio'sBest

As I understand it Brent, it is the cellulose and starch(sugar means energy) content of the pseudostem that is used in the gasifier. I'm still learning.

Me too!

07-29-2009, 01:55 PM	#1 (permalink)
Ohio'sBest Ohio'sBest's Photo Gallery Name: Chris Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 175 BananaBucks : 75,669 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 57 Times Was Thanked 104 Times in 38 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1 Times	What is the BTU of a Banana Pseudostem? I was wondering what the heat content of banana leaves and pseudostem are?

07-29-2009, 01:58 PM	#2 (permalink)
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07-29-2009, 01:59 PM	#3 (permalink)
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07-29-2009, 03:08 PM	#4 (permalink)
Ohio'sBest Ohio'sBest's Photo Gallery Name: Chris Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 175 BananaBucks : 75,669 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 57 Times Was Thanked 104 Times in 38 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1 Times	Re: What is the BTU of a Banana Pseudostem? I searched some of the University research and found little to no data on it. I just need a more clearer number so that the cogenerator can be suited for it and what amount it would take for heating. I am working with Mr. Moss on it from Birmingham.

07-29-2009, 04:23 PM	#5 (permalink)
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07-29-2009, 07:08 PM	#7 (permalink)
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07-30-2009, 06:20 AM	#8 (permalink)
Bananaman88 Bananaculturist Bananaman88's Photo Gallery Location: Houston, TX area Find me on the map! Zone: 9 Name: Brent Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 3,019 BananaBucks : 221,546 Feedback: 22 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,339 Times Was Thanked 2,263 Times in 1,178 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 191 Times	Re: What is the BTU of a Banana Pseudostem? It could be that once it is dried that it is so light and burns up so fast that it isn't worth the effort.

07-30-2009, 08:07 AM	#9 (permalink)
Ohio'sBest Ohio'sBest's Photo Gallery Name: Chris Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 175 BananaBucks : 75,669 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 57 Times Was Thanked 104 Times in 38 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1 Times	Re: What is the BTU of a Banana Pseudostem? A cord of wood is dry when you burn it. Pretty hard to fire a green log. Are you saying to keep the pseudostem green, then burn it? He did say something about using a gasifier with the boiler system.................so I guess it could be green matter as well. Last edited by Ohio'sBest : 07-30-2009 at 09:09 AM.

07-30-2009, 12:19 PM	#10 (permalink)
Bananaman88 Bananaculturist Bananaman88's Photo Gallery Location: Houston, TX area Find me on the map! Zone: 9 Name: Brent Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 3,019 BananaBucks : 221,546 Feedback: 22 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,339 Times Was Thanked 2,263 Times in 1,178 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 191 Times	Re: What is the BTU of a Banana Pseudostem? No, I meant that due to the difference in density of wood vs. banana fiber, that the banana fiber might be too light to bother worrying with. I don't see for sure how one could compare wood to banana pseudostems since the density is so different-at least I think it would be.

07-30-2009, 01:42 PM	#11 (permalink)
browndrake browndrake's Photo Gallery Location: Northern Arizona Find me on the map! Zone: 7 Name: browndrake Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 236 BananaBucks : 41,117 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 195 Times Was Thanked 160 Times in 72 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 140 Times	Re: What is the BTU of a Banana Pseudostem? Here is a way that the pstem and leaves could be used... in construction. The same method, or similar, would also make them much better for burning. Straw Jet Inc aaron __________________

07-30-2009, 11:56 PM	#13 (permalink)
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