Hm Sufficiency/sus Ag Project Pics

[Smithson]

I thought ppl would be interested in some pics I took at one a Royal project in Nakhon Nayok. The focus of the project is HM's sufficiency economy concept, aiming to teach ppl to be resourceful, practice sustainable agriculture and get by with less cash. The project was particularly interesting for me because the 3.5 rai we own has a pond, lots of bamboo and a wide variety of fruit trees, which makes it very suitable for self sufficiency.

Besides the pics below, there were also sections making bio diesel, wood vinegar, charcoal and composting. A lot of ppl scoff at the idea suffiency economy idea, however I think considering the economic crisis and environmental problems, it has a lot of merit.

The pic below overlooks the project. A stream flows into ponds which are used for aquaculture and irrigation/rice paddies.

This is one of the ponds. The plants growing are controlled by bamboo barriers. They help clean the water by taking nutrients. When the barriers are full the plants are removed and used on as mulch (edible plants such as Pak Boong can also be grown this way). A special type of grass grows in clumps on the side of the pond, it has really long roots that go deep into the pond, helping to remove nutrients trapped there.

This helps feed the fish, it contains layers of straw and manure (maybe someone can translate the Thai).

The picture below shows a press for making bricks from mud. In the background you can see a machine that makes the dirt really fine so it is suitable for this type of mud brick.

These are the bricks and dirt used. There was also pics of quite fancy houses and even water tanks built from these bricks.

These are normal mud bricks made with a simple wooden mold.

This is the wall of a mud brick house, you can see the old bottles used.

This is a drain/irrigation, the barriers trap soil and stop the water escaping too fast, allowing it to seep into the ground.

At first I didn't think much of this pump, but now I think it's a very practical solution. Solar pumps are very expensive and are made from materials that aren't so eco-friendly, this one is made from recycled materials. In a house with a header tank it would only need to be used outside of the rainy season. While the idea of pumping water manually may not appeal, it's a great way to teach ppl to conserve water.

[IsaanAussie]

Smithson,

Thanks for sharing the photos there are some great ideas in amongst them.

Besides the pics below, there were also sections making bio diesel, wood vinegar, charcoal and composting. A lot of ppl scoff at the idea suffiency economy idea, however I think considering the economic crisis and environmental problems, it has a lot of merit.

Rush back this instance and get photos of the bio diesel gear. There were a few sets of gear made and distributed in villages some time ago after the Taksin demonstration unit in Chiang Mai succeeded.

A special type of grass grows in clumps on the side of the pond, it has really long roots that go deep into the pond, helping to remove nutrients trapped there.

I think this is vetiver grass. I have a manual on this stuff, very useful to stop erosion and making a great hedgerow. Because of the root depth it will survive fire and overgrazing.

The picture below shows a press for making bricks from mud. In the background you can see a machine that makes the dirt really fine so it is suitable for this type of mud brick.

The dirt grider is a hammer mill, never seen one used for this before. If anyone knows a company making good ones here let me know. I need one for feed production.

Definitely on the must visit list. Thank again for the effort.

Isaanaussie

[Smithson]

I think you're right about the grass. The bio diesel looked fairly simple, but not simple enough for me to understand! It was made from stainless steel, if that's any help. They were using old cooking oil (among other things) to get the fuel.

There is a website with heaps of info in Thai, you can find it here here

If you check the site and find anything interesting, pls post.

[IsaanAussie]

I think you're right about the grass. The bio diesel looked fairly simple, but not simple enough for me to understand! It was made from stainless steel, if that's any help. They were using old cooking oil (among other things) to get the fuel.

There is a website with heaps of info in Thai, you can find it here here

If you check the site and find anything interesting, pls post.

Very simple. Mix methanol and caustic soda together without either gasing yourself on blowing yourself up. Mix that with your oil and stir and stir and stir. Let it seperate into raw biodiesel and glycerin. Wash the biodiesel and bingo. Tip it in the tank and off you go, leave the missus do the dishes, seperate out the excess methanol and find a use for the glycerin. I am told you can use in composting and there is a growing market for it if you have the volume. Cost is the issue now, diesel is cheaper.....

However there are other alternatives. Raw vegetable oil and kerosene or diesel 50-50 blend good for tractors, or pure veg oil with a conversion kit which will run my Ford Ranger 4x4 for about UK 1,000. These viable if you grow your own oil seeds.

Isaanaussie

[Shokdee]

Great post, thanks Smithson.

Somewhat rellated - I recommend the videos posted on YouTube by user Nunkorat. They're in Thai but he has videos on biogas, biodiesal, wind/solar energy, stirling/air motors, DIY pumps, etc. My favourite is of a guy who runs his motorbike on gasified charcoal (he has a small stove-like contraption at the back of the scooter, feeds in charcoal, gasifies it and uses this as fuel)

[soundman]

Bio-diesel is relatively straight forward to make, however caution should be applied in view of the dangerous nature of some of the chemicals used in the process.

You don't even need any special gear, a bucket and some sort of mixing tool will get you by if you want to experiment.

Formula for virgin oil is straightf orward. (from memory )

3.25g of 99%+ caustic soda (soda fai in Thai) per kilogram of oil. (more for used oils and animal fats such as chicken oil)

1 (maybe 2 litres - can't recall) litre of Methanol per 10 litres of oil.

Dissolve the caustic soda in the methanol (be careful here & do this in a vetilated area using plenty of protection stuff like gloves, good shoes, etc.) This takes time if you don't want to go the aqueous route which is a little more complicated.

Warm the oil to around 50 degrees centigrade. (not over 57 degrees centigrade or the methanol will boil out when you combine the ingredients.)

Mix the oil and the methoxide together and stir vigourously for about 5 minutes. A small propeller on the end of a drill works well. (Make sure you have good ventilation otherwise sparks from the drill will ignite any methanol vapours).

Mix gently (a wooden paddle for example) for another ten minutes.

Bingo - pure Bio.

Don't forget to let the glycerin settle out and seperate the mixtures.

Wash your bio well with water and seperate and filter before pouring into your engine. (PH testing is recomended)

When you are mixing, if you do not see the reaction (yes it is plainly visable) occuring within 30 seconds of combining the mixtures, something has gone wrong. 90% of the reaction occurs in the first minute of mixing.

Great photos Smithson.

Just a moderation note:

No debates or commentary regarding "sufficiency economy".

Cheers,

Soundman.

[Smithson]

Shokdee, thanks for the links, some interesting stuff there.

If anyone has other ideas, pls post. I'd like to make a simple solar pump that doesn't run of electricity. If anyone knows how pls let me know.

Soundman, if you get a chance visit the project, it's right near the dam in NN.

[soundman]

Shokdee, thanks for the links, some interesting stuff there.

If anyone has other ideas, pls post. I'd like to make a simple solar pump that doesn't run of electricity. If anyone knows how pls let me know.

Soundman, if you get a chance visit the project, it's right near the dam in NN.

Might just do that. Looks very interesting. Thanx for the tip.