Vetiver como biomassa para combustível

Se necessitar de tradução clique no link abaixo e copie o texto para lá.
http://translate.google.com/translate_t?hl=pt-br#


Esta é uma comunicação de Gueric Boucard da Républica Dominicana sobre a utilização do Vetiver como biomassa para Combustivel .

"Let me take this opportunity to give you and your friends an update
on our VETIVER activities.
Next week we will ship to the Dominican Republic two special vetiver
farming machines of our own design:

1 - BIOSMASSter M-05. This is a special "double sickle bar" MOWER to
cut the vetiver leaves flush with the ground. (Through actual tests in
the field at the D.R. plantation, we expect to harvest up to 70 tons
(dry weight) per hectare of vetiver biomass.)

2- BIOMASSter R-05. This is a special ROOT HARVESTER capable of going
18-20 inches deep to lift and shake the roots. (We expect to shake up
to 80% of the dirt out. The rest will be done by hand - labor
intensive, but OK for the D.R.). We already have a plant on line to
distill the roots.

Note: When harvesting for seedling preparation, the Mower will cut the
leaves 8 inches above the ground. The uprooted clumps will be taken to
a shed for separation into slips ready for planting. Slips can be
dipped in fungicide gel, packed in a box and shipped to any location
for planting hedges or for establishing more plantations. We know that
such treated and packaged slips will be good for two weeks or more.

Given the high price of petroleum ($60/barrel and climbing), we got
Dominican authorities all excited about building BIOMASS POWER PLANTS
run on VETIVER BALES produced by us.

Consider these BIOMASS FACTS about VETIVER

1 pound of dry Vetiver grass delivers 7,000 btu's
1 pound of petroleum delivers 18,000 btu's
(1 pound of high grade Coal delivers 14,000 btu's)

this is a 2.57 theoretical ratio.... call it a 3:1 calorific mass
ratio

It follows therefore that it would take 3 tons of VETIVER BALES to
replace 1 ton of Petroleum in a properly designed Boiler furnace.
(granted the bales are more bulky and need more furnace volume -
that's all)

A barrel of Petroleum holds 42 gallons or 336 lbs or 0.168 tons and is
worth today US$60. This makes a ton of Petroleum (5.9 barrels) worth US
$357

If a ton of Petroleum is worth US$357, then a ton of dry VETIVER grass
with only one third of the btu value is worth US$119.

If one hectare of VETIVER produces 70 tons of dry VETIVER HAY per
year, then we are dealing with a HAY CROP with a value of 70 x 119 = US
$8,330 per hectare per year.

Now, try to do the math with Petroleum at US$100/barrel (soon to come
in this theater)

From an agricultural point of view, THIS IS A FARMER'S WET DREAM. Even
if the farmer would discount the hay crop to $4,000 per hectare, he
would provide energy at half the going price and still make out like a
bandit.

If a UTILITY(ELECTRIC) COMPANY would raise its own VETIVER FUEL , it
could probably produce it at less than US$700/hectare or at about US
$10/ton COST.

Inversely then, a US$10/ton COST for Vetiver fuel would translate to a
Petroleum price of US$30/ton or US$5.08/barrel at equal BTU output.

It's fair to say that the purveyors of Petroleum have priced
themselves out of the Energy market...... seems to me anyway.

Tim, I could never understand why I cannot get the Vetiver Network
people to get on the bandwagon with me promoting the merits of Vetiver
as Biomass Fuel. You all seem hung up on the "Erosion thing". Selling
the energy aspect of Vetiver would seem to be an easier sell with more
instant benefits than combating erosion.....whereby one does not
exclude the other.

Cheers,

Gueric Boucard