Dry dung fuel is animal feces that has been dried in order to be used as a fuel source. It is used in many countries. 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. In India, this kind of fuel source is known as "dung cakes".
Types
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.
Dung cakes
"Dung cakes", made from the by-products of animal husbandry, are traditionally used as fuel in India for cooking food in a domestic hearth called a Chulha. They are made by hand by village women and are traditionally made from cow or buffalo dung. One dung cake of an average size gives 2100 kJ worth of energy. Dung cakes are also known as goitha, uple, kande, gosse or thepdi. These are the cakes of cow dung molded by bare hands with a curvature to be able to keep stuck to the walls. Once dried they are put in a pile and covered with thatch called bitauda. These bitaudas are visible in parts of rural India albeit with different names. The size and shape of the cake might vary with region. Its also not uncommon to see these cakes directly used in earthen ovens. This bio-fuel has been used primarily for two reasons: for easy disposal of cow dung and as easily available and cheap fuel.
In Egypt dry animal dung 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
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 thepla in Hindi.
Iran, since prehistoric time to modern eras
Kyrgyz Republic, dung is used in specially designed home stoves, which vent to the outside
Mongolia, dry cow dung and sheep dung cakes are commonly used as fuel.
Nepal
Pakistan, cow/buffalo dung is used as fuel.
Europe
Kazakhs 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.
The Americas
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
