[GSBN] Baling thoughts

[john rehorn]

Derek is right about attracting insects and rodents by building  
something that has food value in it.  I doubt that corn culm has much  
food value in it, but I'm not sure about sugar cane.  However, as far  
as mildew, rot and spontaneous combustion is concerned, I  
respectfully disagree with you on one small point, Derek.  Microbial  
activity flourishes in moist climates.  Any bale will mildew, rot and  
possibly be a source of spontaneous combustion no matter what plant  
material it is made of.  As we all know, if you get your bales wet on  
a regular basis, you're screwed no matter what type of straw you use.

Spontaneous combustion is a serious concern in commercial hay bales  
mainly if you bale too early before the material has cured.  As a  
matter of fact, a properly harvested bale of hay or straw is much  
less likely to be a source of spontaneous combustion, even if it  
later gets wet in a stack in a barn, than an improperly cured bale of  
hay, straw, or I imagine, corn culm.

Just like the first human who saw a lobster and said, "I'm going to  
eat that," someone needs to build the first structure of this  
alternative material (maybe an outbuilding) and see how it does.   
Imagine what all the neighbors were saying about the first Nebraskan  
to build a house out of a bale of grass.
Respectfully,
John



On Feb 3, 2009, at 9:06 AM, Derek Roff wrote:

> The amount of available sugars and other easily accessible  
> carbohydrates in corn and sugar cane stalks, even after processing,  
> is likely to be a lot higher than for straw or hay.  That would  
> make me worry about losing bales and buildings to mildew, rot, and  
> other micro-organisms, as well as insects, rodents, and most  
> catastrophically, spontaneous combustion.
>
> Research indicates that baled straw from cereal grains does not  
> spontaneously combust.  In commercial hay bales, sometimes made  
> from the same cereal grains harvested earlier in the growth cycle,  
> spontaneous combustion is a serious concern.  That tells me that  
> straw and hay each lie close to the threshold for spontaneous  
> combustion risk, and anything more nutritious and digestible than  
> straw could be a fire risk.  I would worry about spontaneous  
> combustion during transport and storage of the bales, and even  
> after construction, in properly plastered walls.
>
> Derek
>
>
>
> --On Tuesday, February 3, 2009 8:51 AM -0700 Mark Jensen  
> <markj at redfeather.org> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> Greetings everybody,
>>
>>
>>
>> I was in a meeting yesterday with a man who would like to see
>> sustainable housing in his home land of Kenya. He mentioned that
>> they grow a lot of wheat and rice there, however he asked if I had
>> heard of baling sugar cane or corn stalks. I have not heard of
>> anybody doing this, but have any of you heard of this or have any
>> thoughts of the plausibility of doing such. I'm thinking the culm
>> might be just too big for a baler. I would love to hear your
>> thoughts.
>>
>>
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>>
>>
>> Mark Jensen
>>
>> Construction Program Director
>>
>>
>>
>> Red Feather Development Group
>>
>> PO Box 907
>>
>> Bozeman, MT 59771-0907
>>
>> T: (406)585-7188
>>
>> F: (406)585-7187
>>
>>
>>
>> markj at redfeather.org   www.redfeather.org
>>
>>
>>
>> -Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
> Derek Roff
> Language Learning Center
> Ortega Hall 129, MSC03-2100
> University of New Mexico
> Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
> 505/277-7368, fax 505/277-3885
> Internet: derek at unm.edu
>
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