an update... (I'm going to keep detail here, for those who are curious, and for those who may be interested in similar projects).
(forgot to add earlier that I'm in middle TN)
Well, I decided I wanted to do fuel testing this weekend, instead of working out modified designs to accept my preferred fuel (regular split wood). Since most designs that I like have to do with more-or-less standardized blocks of fuel, that is what I created. I actually thought a bit more about trash, and worked with it. I used only paper products for these tests, which I separated into two categories -- newspaper, and printing paper/envelopes (mostly junk mail).
I used the newspaper for proof-of-concept tests that are made to prove the idea, and not feasibility. Any efforts in batch manufacturing are wasted if the final product wouldn't work anyway.
. I wanted to see if 1. it was possible to make such blocks with only paper and water, 2. if such blocks would have acceptable burn qualities, and 3. how much work it would take to make such chunks.
I initially took two full sheets of newspaper, cut them up, added a lot of water, and blended them in a blender into mush (which only took about 2 seconds at full pulse). I drained the water, then painstakingly compressed the mush in an empty soda can to shape it and get out any excess water. Then, I made a very basic kiln and dried the block. After the block cooled, I lit it and it performed much better than I had even hoped for.
So, concept proven. Next I used shredded paper from junk mail and just added water (leaving it in strips, not turning it into mush). Instead of painstakingly compressing it into a soda can, I cut a 6" long piece out of a 2" diameter 1/8" thick mild steel cylinder (pipe). (Note: I tried 1/16 pipe first, and it quickly failed. I would need something thicker than 1/8" if I wanted to make many of then). Then I filled the pipe with the paper mixture, and used a 12 ton hydraulic jack in a press to compress the mixture from 6" down to 1.5", removing most of the water as well. I made about 4 blocks before the pipe split, then I flipped it and made a few more with less force. Though it was faster than making them by hand, it was still impractical. I have not yet tried to ignite them, because they are not dry enough. If they work well, I'll try again without water-- just using the press to make chunks from dry paper.
Unfortunately, atm all signs are pointing to fuel block making being impractical. So I'll probably have to choose between 1. using loose fuel of some sort (some sort of trash), 2. sawing wood into smaller chunks, or 3. redesigning the burn chamber (and perhaps some other sections) to accommodate standard split wood. I will keep with the final testing of the fuel block concept, though.
Note: DO NOT use a microwave to test moisture content! I had a specimen ignite while doing this (at only 30% power, after about ~1 min)... if I wasn't right there to carry it away, it could have been a very bad situation. Embarrassing, yes, but I felt I should share for safety's sake.
