1. 1983-01-01 Soap is an essential cleaning agent, helping people to keep themselves and their surroundings clean. When soap is mixed with water, it forms a lather that washes out dirt and grease far better than water alone. Soap can be made on a small scale in the home or village cheaply and easily. The main...
  2. 1983-01-01 This study is an assessment of the "appropriateness" of biogas technology in meeting some of the needs of India's rural population. Such an assessment is quite complicated, despite claims that a biogas system is a simple village-level technology. While there is evidence that biogas systems have...
  3. 1980-01-01 A biogas digester is the apparatus used to control anaerobic decomposition. In general, it consists of a sealed tank or pit that holds the organic material, and some means to collect the gases that are produced. Many different shapes and styles of biogas plants have been experimented with:...
  4. 1984-01-01 Biogas generation is a process that takes place in an oxygen-free environment. It uses anaerobic bacteria--bacteria that live only in the absence of oxygen--to break down complex organic compounds in fairly well-defined stages. The process is called anaerobic digestion. It produces biogas, a gas...
  5. 1980-01-01 The retort is one of the most efficient means of producing good quality charcoal. Wood is placed in a large steel cylinder (or "retort"). This has a tightly closed door, and some means to let tar and gases escape. The cylinder is heated from the outside. No air enters the barrel. When the wood in...
  6. 1988-01-01 Ceramic kilns that burn waste oil from automobiles and other industries have been operating in Tanzania, Haiti, and several other developing countries for several years. These kilns offer the advantages of good operational control that is easily achieved with fuel oil, but lower fuel cost because...
  7. 1988-01-01 In the United States, sawdust traditionally has been burned in large furnaces for industrial heating, in smaller furnaces for home heating, and in fireplaces in the form of compressed logs. In other parts of the world, loose sawdust has been burned for years in inexpensive double-drum stoves....
  8. 1988-01-01 This Industry Profile is one of a series briefly describing small or medium-sized industries. The Profiles provide basic information for starting manufacturing plants in developing nations. Specifically, they provide general plant descriptions, financial, and technical factors for their...
  9. 1980-01-01 These three improved stove construction and dissemination projects are augmented by two research projects. One concerns technical and scientific research to formulate mathematical rules for the construction of fuel efficient stoves. It is being conducted by the University of Eindhoven and the TNO...
  10. 1986-01-01 Hot water is not always necessary, and in warm climates it may be relatively easy to do without. It is, however, more effective than cold water for many purposes. Even so, in some areas hot water is not used because fuel is so expensive it is used only for essential tasks. A solar heater can...