Dry animal dung fuel (or dry manure fuel) is animal feces that has been dried in order to be used as a fuel source. It is used as a fuel in many countries around the world. Using dry manure as a fuel source is an example of reuse of excreta. A disadvantage of using this kind of fuel is increased air pollution.
Dry dung and moist dung
Dry dung is more commonly used than moist dung, because it burns more easily. Dry manure is typically defined as having a moisture content less than 30 percent.
The benefits of using dry animal dung include:
Cheaper than most modern fuels
Efficient
Alleviates local pressure on wood resources
Readily available - short walking time required to collect fuel
No cash outlays necessary for purchase (can be exchanged for other products)
Less environmental pollution
Safer disposal of animal dung
Sustainable and renewable energy source
In Egypt dry animal dung (from cows & buffaloes) is mixed with straw or crop residues to make dry fuel called "Gella" or "Jilla" dung cakes in modern times and ""khoroshtof"" in medieval times. Ancient Egyptians used the dry animal dung as a source of fuel. Dung cakes and building crop residues were the source of 76.4% of gross energy consumed in Egypt's rural areas during the 1980s. Temperatures of dung-fueled fires in an experiment on Egyptian village-made dung cake fuel produced
Also, camel dung is used as fuel in Egypt.
Lisu is the cakes of dry cow dung fuel in Lesotho (see photo)
Mali
China
Nepal
Iran since prehistoric time to modern eras
In India dry buffalo dung is used as fuel and it is sometimes a sacred practice to use cow dung fuel in some areas in India. Cow dung is known as ""Gomaya"" or ""Komaya"" in India. Dry animal dung cakes are called Upla in Hindi.
In Pakistan cow/buffalo dung is used as fuel.
Bangladesh dry cow dung fuel is called Ghunte.
Afghanistan
Kyrgyz Republic Dung is used in specially designed home stoves, which vent to the outside
Russians dry animal dung is known as ""Kiziak"" which is made by collecting dried animal dung on the steppe, wetting it in water then mixing it with straw then making it in discs which were then dried in the sun. It was used as a source of fuel for the winter and, throughout the summer.
France in Maison du Marais poitevin in Coulon there is a demonstration of traditional usage of dry dung fuel.
Early European settlers on the Great Plains of the United States used dried buffalo manure as a fuel. They called it buffalo chips.
American officials in Texas are studying using dry cow dung as a fuel
Pueblo Indians used dry animal dung as a fuel
In Peru, the Yavari steam ship was fueled by Lama dung fuel for several decades.
Dry dung can be used in the production of celluloid for film.
Human feces can in principal also be dried and used as a fuel source if they are collected in a type of dry toilet, for example an incinerating toilet. Since 2011, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is supporting the development of such toilets as part of their "Reinvent the Toilet Challenge" to promote safer, more effective ways to treat human excreta. The omni-processor is another example of using human feces contained in faecal sludge or sewage sludge as a fuel source.
Dry animal dung was used from prehistoric times, including in Ancient Persia and Ancient Egypt. In Equatorial Guinea archaeological evidence has been found of the practice and biblical records indicate animal and human dung were used as fuel.
