Corn Cob Brick Maker

Corn Cob Brick Maker ENERGY Crop Residue Burners 7-3-27 "Bricks made from corn cobs burn hotter than even the best wood," says the French manufacturer of a new machine that compresses cobs into solid 12-lb. blocks of fuel. The pto-powered, hydraulic, 3-pt. mounted machine can be moved easily from place to place. It'll make about 250 bricks per hour from corn cobs (with some stalks thrown in) without adding any water or other additive to form the bond. Bob Ghesquiere, a representative of the manfacturer, told FARM SHOW that corn cobs are ideal for compressing. "They stick together relatively easily. Stalks, leaves and other residue will not work alone in this machine, although we have been able to use sawdust because it is also very compressible," he says. The bricks are 8 in. by 8 in. by 16 in. long, small enough to fit into most wood stoves or other burners. The square shape makes them easy to handle and store. The machine requires at least a 75 hp. tractor for power. Cobs feed into a hopper on the side of the unit down to a lower chamber where a hydraulic ram compresses the cobs. They're ejected automatically out one end. One man can operate the machine. The new cob compressor has been on the market in France for less than a year. Sells for around $9,700. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Comdec, 9, Chemin de la Rente Giron, BP 569, 21015 Dijon, Cedex, France (ph 80 41 06 28).

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