I've got a 10 hp chipper/shredder thats makes quick work of lots of brush that I have to clear. I probably will go through quart of gas to chip the average size pile ( 300 lbs? ) that I used to burn. The mulch is reused.
I got it thinking I could reduce my CO2 footprint, but looking at the gasoline usage, I am not confident.
I also spread the ash into the soil.
Any ideas, guesses or sources of info?
2006-07-21 04:56:56 · 2 answers · asked by Country Boy 1 in Environment
Kirchway,
Thanks for the answer, but have you considered the CO2 released getting the gasoline into the chipper. I seem to recall (vaguely) reading that there is a 20lb/gallon load total well to automobile. I don't think my 10 HP is as efficient.
2006-07-21 09:11:47 · update #1
You definitely put out more CO2 burning 300 lb of brush (basically cellulose, which is about 40% carbon by weight) than 1 qt (about 2 lb) of gasoline which is about 80% carbon by weight. However if you burn 300 lb of brush in a stove in winter, you may be able to obtain as much heat as burning ~150 lb of heating oil which would be about a break-even. Of course, better yet would be to mulch it.
2006-07-21 05:22:32 · answer #1 · answered by kirchwey 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The amount of carbon dioxide produced by using the chipper vs the pollutants released from burning 300 lbs of vegetative matter? Calculating that would require knowing how much exhaust your chipper produces and how clean the wood burns and what it spits into the air as a byproduct.
2006-07-21 05:08:13 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋