I like the work, innovation, and documentation. I have a few questions:
On your result matrix:
1) You have 10 samples you are comparing but only show 9 samples below it. Are these samples supposed to be represented A-I below it?
2) For “weight”, is a high number higher weight or lower weight? Which is supposed to be better? It’s not clear to me that this number (or any of the other numbers) should be averaged in with the same weight as the others.
End results: What does “restrictions to conduct briquette experiments” mean?
A conclusion statement would have been nice.
Pete: You have lots of good pictures here and you have done a great job in exploring this technology. I find the website rather incomplete as far as describing what you do, telling what you’ve learned, technologically and socially… how was the communication? Can you give a summary? What do you anticipate will be the next steps for this project if another group takes it on? Can you provide a decision matrix from the beginning of class and from the end of class and talk about what has changed in this period of time?
Pete here: Please check this out:
I think that this would be fine. Please see some nice pictures at:
http://www.photopoa.com/guatemala/h23AFA203#hbc2672d
I think it would be a good idea to read a little about:
Richard Stanley of the Legacy Foundation
I just discovered what they have been doing. Did you know about them? What do you think of them?
Pete
I don’t understand how your first problem relates to your solution.. Sheila
Sheila: The emissions from the indoor stoves are from the use of wood for fuel. Using agricultural waste as briquettes serve as a healthier alternative. Thanks for the comment!
The bricks look pretty good! But how did they hold up? Have you tested them in any way? -Ethan F.
Ethan: The bricks have not been very sturdy at all so far. We are still experimenting with different methods and mixtures. Thanks for the comment!
Would these bricks be made elsewhere and then sent to the impoverished countries? – Shauna
You showed a picture of your first brick, but didn’t explain what was in it. It would be cool to see a matrix at the end of the quarter comparing the strength and burnability of different organic material mixtures. It seems to me that you wouldn’t want to put mud in a briquette for burning, and I would like to know why organic material is in construction bricks, so some background on the chemistry involved would be interesting.
– Sean
Sean: A design matrix at the end of the quarter is a great idea. It’s hard to create one right now, since we are still learning about the materials and methods. Thanks for the suggestion!
The pictures are awesome, but maybe add a little more background since (I think) you are working on the bricks for both use as fuel and as building materials. -Pearce
Like where this is going. How did the most recent lab go? Was the prickly pair juice effective in binding? – Oren
I’m interested to know how the materials you left in water to rot over the weekend ended up compressing and sticking together. Hopefully their will be some material that lends itself to your project. Have you tried using anything else besides plant materials? – Nichol-B