  To each directed acyclic graph (this includes some D-dimensional lattices)
one can associate some abelian algebras that we call directed abelian algebras
(DAA). On each site of the graph one attaches a generator of the algebra. These
algebras depend on several parameters and are semisimple. Using any DAA one can
define a family of Hamiltonians which give the continuous time evolution of a
stochastic process. The calculation of the spectra and ground state
wavefunctions (stationary states probability distributions) is an easy
algebraic exercise. If one considers D-dimensional lattices and choose
Hamiltonians linear in the generators, in the finite-size scaling the
Hamiltonian spectrum is gapless with a critical dynamic exponent $z = D$. One
possible application of the DAA is to sandpile models. In the paper we present
this application considering one and two dimensional lattices. In the one
dimensional case, when the DAA conserves the number of particles, the
avalanches belong to the random walker universality class (critical exponent
$\sigma_{\tau} = 3/2$). We study the local densityof particles inside large
avalanches showing a depletion of particles at the source of the avalanche and
an enrichment at its end. In two dimensions we did extensive Monte-Carlo
simulations and found $\sigma_{\tau} = 1.782 \pm 0.005$.
