Method: Cutting
Something we also experimented with was simply cutting into the manure pile and collecting naturally compressed blocks, similar to peat. This part of the pile is around 3-5 years old, resulting in a partially composted, dense material that is heavy and takes longer to dry but is simple to collect. If dried sufficently it burns very well but produces a lot of ash - even more so than the other methods, though this may be because more material is in a similar vaolume and much of it has already broken down.
In Mongolia this type of manure is known as хөрзөн (hörzön), and is collected from animal pens (generally goats) where the animals have wintered and compressed their droppings underfoot. In the spring it is dug up in chunks and dried over the summer for use the following winter.
In Mongolia this type of manure is known as хөрзөн (hörzön), and is collected from animal pens (generally goats) where the animals have wintered and compressed their droppings underfoot. In the spring it is dug up in chunks and dried over the summer for use the following winter.
Step 1:
Dig into the manure pile until you find a section or layer where the material is dense and holds together well. Pry out blocks or cut them with a shovel.
Dig into the manure pile until you find a section or layer where the material is dense and holds together well. Pry out blocks or cut them with a shovel.
Step 2:
Place the blocks/chunks in the sun to dry. This can take several weeks to complete unless the pieces are small. Because they come from the centre or bottom of the pile they are very moist and their size slows down the process. In a dry, ~80 degree F period it took approximately two weeks to achieve a 12-15% moisture content as indicated by our meter, but internally it remained much higher. A drying shed of some sort would be needed to make this method feasible in our area. In more arid regions it may be more easily accomplished.
Place the blocks/chunks in the sun to dry. This can take several weeks to complete unless the pieces are small. Because they come from the centre or bottom of the pile they are very moist and their size slows down the process. In a dry, ~80 degree F period it took approximately two weeks to achieve a 12-15% moisture content as indicated by our meter, but internally it remained much higher. A drying shed of some sort would be needed to make this method feasible in our area. In more arid regions it may be more easily accomplished.
Note the layering that can be seen.
We burned what we cut but as it was still overly moist internally it was slow and produced a lot of vapor. It wouldn't be recommended to burn in a stove like this and would be inefficient, but that is remedied with more dry time.