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Why making alpaca dung into fireplace logs is not a good idea!
It is important to recognize that
any combustion process will release carbon dioxide--a greenhouse gas--to the atmosphere. A combustion process that uses
particulate carbon (such as alpaca manure) as a feedstock will also release some uncombusted particulates to the atmosphere,
where they can contribute to detrimental effects for the environment and public health.
The burning of animal dung
is a bad idea, particularly from health and environmental perspectives. This is why many international relief agencies
have programs to discourage this practice in third world countries. All combustion produces particulate (uncombusted)
carbon molecules, water, and carbon dioxide. The more efficient forms of combustion (e.g., fuels such as propane) typically
produce less uncombusted carbon than those that start out with large amounts of carbon particulates. Unfortunately,
animal dung releases into the environment large quantities of particulate carbon, which can lead to respiratory problems if
combustion occurs in a confined space.
I suspect that the concept of turning alpaca manure into fireplace logs is motivated
by owners not knowing what to do with their manure. Indeed, most of the alpaca owners I know simply gather up their
manure and leave it in piles. I appreciate that a large number of alpaca owners did not start out in life as farmers,
but I think it is instructive to see what most farmers (not feedlot operations) do with the large amount of manure that they
accumulate from their livestock: they compost it, and use it themselves or sell it. I can tell you from personal experience
that the demand for fully composted alpaca manure (as opposed to raw or seasoned beans) is substantial. Proper composting
is, more importantly, environmentally responsible, which is something we should all strive to be.
Dr. Roy S. Jacobson
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