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How to Use Manure for Fuel

Manure has been burned as fuel in many populations throughout the course of recorded human history. With dwindling forest supplies in developing countries and increasing environmental concern in western countries, the use of this fuel source is becoming more and more common. In United States history, manure was used in the early settlement era. The manure was called "buffalo chips," referring to the excrement from buffalo herds found along a wagon trail. Manure can be used with success in large industrial applications and also used in more private settings,like personal heating elements found within the home.

Things You'll Need

  • Manure
  • Garbage bags
  • Dry grass
  • Matches
  • Fuel starter
  • Tarp
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Instructions

    • 1

      Search for piles of cow or other farm animal excrement in grassy meadows where they have been grazing. Many farmers allow people to come onto their property to search for manure. Be sure to ask the property owner before searching.

    • 2

      Put on work gloves and collect manure in garbage bags. Try to find an area that is relatively dry in order to collect dry manure. Wet manure can be dried, but will add an extra step to the process of burning it for fuel.

    • 3

      Collect an amount of dry grass before leaving the collection area. You should collect roughly half as much dry grass as manure. The dry grass will act as kindling when lighting the manure.

    • 4

      Check for the water content inside the manure patties. Break a patty open; if the manure crumbles naturally, it is probably dry enough to use as-is.

    • 5

      Dry any manure that appears to be too wet to use. Lay the patties in a single layer on dry ground, preferably sheltered from the weather beside a barn or other outdoor structure. Let the manure dry in the sun until it crumbles under light pressure. The process could take up to two weeks.

    • 6

      Burn the manure in an outdoor pit or in an indoor wood-burning stove. The manure should be layered with dry grass that will act as kindling; the manure will sometimes take a few minutes to start to burn and the grass will keep the fire lit. Start the fire by lighting the grass layers first with matches. If the fire resists being lit, a fuel starter, like kerosene, can be used to ignite the grass and manure.

    • 7

      Store leftover manure underneath a tarp to keep it from getting wet.


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