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Compost bin
I wouldn't have thought a compost heap would get hot enough to smoke :-)
They do give off a lot of water vapour though (not quite steam). -- Andy Clews University of Sussex Computing Service (Remove DENTURES if replying by email) A lecturer at college last year told of a 'phone call he had received from a friend who was working with an industrial sized compost heap. The freind had had his compost heap catch light with the heat produced by the microbial activity within the heap. A team were trying to put the fire out, but adding water to the heap was in effect adding moisture and creating a situation where the microbes were enjoying perfect conditions. This meant that they were breaking down more compost and creating even more heat, which was fueling the fire. The fire was eventually extinguished. Small compost heaps rarely get to very high tempereatures and usually compost best anaerobically, where large compost heaps compost aerobically. Straw tends to be most likely to create a lot of heat which can cause fires, and many farmers have straw stacks spontaneously combust. Straw from stables mixed with horse litter often catches fire in summer if given the right (or wrong, depending on how you look at it) conditions. Dave. |
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