1. 01-01-1986 Roads vary from trails to major hard-surface highways. Depending on the local climate and materials available for construction, roads may sometimes be open to traffic for only part of the year. A year-round road is often more expensive to build, and may not always be necessary. As a general rule,...
  2. 01-01-1995 Soon after beginning a major program in renewable energy in 1979, VITA (Volunters in Technical Assistance) found that many of the technical terms commonly used in renewable energy literature were not understood by many of the laypeople for whom the information was meant. VITA also realized that...
  3. 01-01-1986 Modern machines form paper in a continuous ribbon or web, not a single sheet at a time as did the ancients. A good papermaker in the olden days could make enough sheets in a day to weigh about 90kg. Today, an average machine makes 90,000kg per day! Much of the paper produced ultimately ends up as...
  4. 01-01-1979 In many areas of developing countries paper is scarce. Rural schools may not have enough paper for their students and market goods may be wrapped in old newspapers if at all. Often this is because resources are not available to invest in modern papermaking factories, which require large amounts...
  5. 01-01-1986 One field in which hand and small-scale papermakers do find a niche is the production of the very highest quality "art" papers, or the manufacture of a variety, of paper products or small local markets that are not served by large producers. Another area in which papermaking processes can be...
  6. 01-01-1989 This Profile describes a small plant that will serve local needs, mainly in the trade-sales sector. Its output may exceed 4,000 liters per week (L/wk). For economic reasons, at least part of its total output may have been imported in bulk, and then tested, modified, and repackaged for the local...
  7. 01-01-1989 This paper describes how to start or expand a paint manufacturing facility in a nonindustrial country. The business information can also apply to the manufacture of number of other products, printing inks, cosmetics, glues and adhesives, textile treatments, carpet backing, paper modifications,...
  8. 01-01-1981 This oven was designed and built for use in the Godavari School in Kathmandu, Nepal. It is built of solid brick, with a sheet iron door. A wood fire is burned in the oven, the ashes removed, and the bread slipped in to bake in the heat retained by the thick brick wall. The oven for the school has...
  9. 01-01-1984 This simple, low-cost bakery oven is fueled by waste, automotive crankcase oil. The design has undergone extensive testing. It is designed to be built from locally available materials. This oven is capable of maintaining a 160 degrees C to 190 degrees C baking temperature on .946 to 1.4 liters of...
  10. 01-01-1984 This technical bulletin briefly describes a new technique for using the spent lubricating oil removed from automobiles. This oil normally has no immediate use. It is often discarded in ways that can foul local groundwater or upset wastewater treatment systems. The "waste oil" can be burned as...