Making Charcoal

[Michaelangelica]

DIY Biochar: Centre for Alternative Technology Explores Terra Preta (Video) : TreeHugger

Video, links text

1/10 DIY char, not harvesting the energy and making too many emissions.

 

Listserv group

biochar-production : Biochar Production

[erich]

Hi Charist,

 

Hugh McLaughlin, head of Biocarbon research at Alterna Energy, Alterna Biocarbon - Home

and Paul Anderson of Chip Energy Home

 

Presents to you;

 

1G Toucan TLUD for Biochar

 

This looks to me the most simple, versatile and low cost stove for home use

1G Toucan TLUD for Biochar Jan 2010 - final.pdf

[erich]

Hi Stovers,

This from Ron Larson to the Biochar list;

 

The Everything Nice Stove

 

 

Lists (with 2 ccs)

 

1. I may be wrong, but I can't recall anyone commenting on their

having built or tested the free stove plans for what Nathaniel has

termed the "Everything Nice Stove". The full complete generic plans are at:

 

http://worldstove.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/EverythingNice_Stove_Instructions.pdf

 

Nathaniel has given ample warning that his for-sale models contain

precision casting and machining that will give higher performance. I

start this dialog only to hope that others will give a similar try -

that may lead to improvements for all similar types.

 

2. This is not just an ordinary stove type - it is a brand new

invention. I propose the general name "TLOD" (not a typo for T-LUD) -

where "O" stands for "Opposite". Nathaniel has figured out a way to

have upward traveling gases in the outer space and downward in the

interior. It reminds me of the famous Escher print where different

parts of a courtyard scene all show upward travel - but you can't figure

out where the error is made that allows a closed (upon close inspection)

loop to look like upward movement only.

 

3. The constructors were good friends - a nearby married couple Al

(Hislop) and Patty (Roberts). I was involved only in their first tests

yesterday and today. They made all the design decisions. This is to

ask anyone who has made a model and tested it to jump in as soon as

possible. Al (one of the best engineers I have ever met, with great

machining talent) and Patty (on the Board of Solar Cookers

International) are ideally suited for trying this out (in part to assist

a relative doing a class project). They will report more explicitly on

some of the tests soon. The central (2 lb coffee) can had a diameter of

6 inches.

 

4. My initial reaction was highly favorable. It maintained about

the right (unchanging) power level for well over two hours with (I

think) about 1.5 kg load of pellets. There were no obvious odors.

This is a design with a lot of radial variability, that meant some

uncharred pellets. So Al constructed a small interior (hollow) cone

that allowed near-100% conversion (today) with no obvious deterioration

in performance.

 

5. My main recommendation for others would be to go smaller. Two +

hours seems too long for most cooking. Al and Patty will be attempting

smaller fuel loadings and a wider range of fuels. They also will be

trying to add a power-level control feature (a sliding band). With a

TLOD, one can add extra fuel (top-loaded), and we successfully tried

that out once today (retrieving a perfectly carbonized partial pine

cone). This not possible with TLUDs.

 

6. We have not yet learned how to light this unit quickly - needed

a blowtorch both times. But we will learn.. A big surprise is to watch

the unit slowly begin to draw pyrolysis gases downward within a few

minutes after top lighting. The calculated power level (coming) seemed

to show good enough efficiency. Soon we will try a "convection pot

skirt". We have some numbers for time to boil (for 2 liters) which were

acceptable, although not record setting (this is not a high power unit -

but might be with some redesign and a small fan). The char output was

about 28% in both tests

 

7. One big advantage of any(?) TLOD design is the short height of

the overall unit - leading to lower costs. This is possible because

thee outer space serves as a chimney with some premixing going on. The

bottom part of the outer can remained remarkably cool for almost the

entire run - so radial energy losses are inherently low. Al sees no

reason that it should cost more than a few dollars in a developing

country, using waste cans. It took him two+ hours for this first try;

smaller and later units should go faster. They took a few photos which

will also be coming.

 

8. Anyone else able to comment on this TLOD "Everything Nice"

design and any changes they may have attempted?

 

I again express admiration for Nathaniel both doing the inventing and

giving the plans away free.

 

Ron

 

 

http://worldstove.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/EverythingNice_Stove_Instructions.pdf

[mavrickjohn]

Thanks for the post and the links I've wanted to build a unit like this but couldn't get the specks I needed. This fits the bill I want to use it as a heat source for my barbie so I'm making charcoal instead of using it to cook. Might start cooking more outside if I can make it work.

[erich]

A Demo of Everything Nice Stove at the Biochar list;

 

World Stove Everything Nice | BioEnergy Lists: Improved Biomass Cooking Stoves

 

Erich

[stefanl666]

Dear viewers,

 

I am interested in the production process of white charcoal.

I read all the other stuff from other websites and from this forum, but I couldn't find any details on how to make the sand, earth and ash mixture. So how much percentage sand, earth and ash.

I need to know this because together with my partner we've build a charcoal factory in Thailand and we want to diversify our product by producing white charcoal as well. We currently produce high quality black charcoal in the form of sawdust briquettes.

I am looking forward for your replies on this issue.

 

Best regards all!

[caytan]

it's a good topic. But i'm searching a book about charcoal making, name: "handbook of charcoal making", did you get it? please share it to me, thanks.

ps:[email protected].

[Essay]

it's a good topic. But i'm searching a book about charcoal making, name: "handbook of charcoal making", did you get it? please share it to me, thanks.

ps:[email protected].

This is the nearest that my local library has. It is a publication from US Govt. Documents.

 

Small scale charcoal making :

a manual for trainers

produced by the Farallones Institute Rural Center and CHP International, Inc. in collaboration with the Peace Corps Energy Project/OPTC, contract {16} 282-1003 ; contributors, Ed Karch ... [et al.].

Other Authors: Karch, Ed.

Other Corporate Authors: Farallones Institute. Rural Center. , CHP International. , Peace Corps (U.S.)

Published: [Occidental, CA] : The Center ; [1982- ]

Format: Books

Call Number: PE 1.8:C 37

Language: English

Subjects: Peace Corps (U.S.)

Charcoal kilns -- Design and construction -- Handbooks, manuals, etc

Charcoal

Volunteer workers in social service -- Handbooks, manuals, etc

[caytan]

I have found may documents related to charcoal making. But how about coconut shell charcoal making? Is it similar to the charcoal kiln? In some tropical countries, coconut tree is very popular. Copra is the main product, and coconut shell is by product. Has a good kiln been built to make coconut shell charcoal?

[Knothead]

I have been making charcoal from everything that I can dry. Coconut fronds, traveler palm fronds, coconut fiber, coconut shells, oak leaves. Virtually anything. I'm using a variety of stoves that I've made using one gallon paint cans, five gallon paint cans, sections of aluminum sailboat masts, etc. I can't imagine that you would need to have a stove specifically made for a single material.

It's fun to experiment with different combinations of materials and packing methods.

Yesterday I cooked dinner using a one gallon can of newspaper.

[d_char]

Hi all, I'm in the r&d phase of a little biochar test/study project, I've been looking at the various charcoal making designs and am curious about the results of using different setups. A lot of stove designs claim to make char, which is all well and good, but how does the quality of that char compare to char from other methods?

 

A 2-barrel retort or something more sophisticated excludes most oxygen during pyrolysis, while a downdraft gasifier like the EverythingNice would in theory allow more (depending on how much is consumed passing through the combustion zone), and an updraft gasifier would allow a lot.

 

I'd expect a process that excludes oxygen better would yield more char (more specifically, would retain more carbon) than a char that is exposed to oxygen during pyrolysis. This has big consequences for the sequestration potential and likely for the functional surface chemistry of the char, i.e. what CEC it starts with and oxidizes to in soil.

 

Has anyone found anything on that? The sub-questions are: how does stove design affect oxygen levels in the pyrolysis zone, how does oxygen level affect char yield, how does oxygen level affect char properties, and how does char with different properties mature in soil (ie what is ideal for long-term CEC, etc. in soil)?

 

I'd like to be able to research this over the summer, but I'm a little hindered by a school independent study policy that requires projects that will generate results within 3 months. Soil processes act on a slightly longer timescale..

 

I'm considering making a miniature 2-barrel system on the same scale as a gasification stove, will post plans if that happens.

 

 

 

In return for info, here's a small batch of links I've collected on design:

 

Nice 2-barrel design with good gasification from NE biochar:

YouTube - MAKING BIOCHAR: with Peter Hirst of New England Biochar http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXMUmby8PpU&feature=player_embedded

 

Well-thought-out kilns, pdf link from here:

Project 540: Biochar Kiln Designs for Small Farms | International Biochar Initiative

 

2-barrel with afterburner:

CarbonZero Experimental Biochar Kiln

 

2-barrel with syngas extraction:

Baja Rob's Biochar Log

 

I would add that the really nice combustion you see in the New England Biochar video is a result of good airflow design. It's a good idea to try to match the total cross-sectional area of your intake holes to the area of your chimney for smooth draft and good combustion, it'd be nice to have a damper on both so you can find the optimal airflow at different stages of the process. Or you could go the afterburner route.

[Knothead]

When I use a retort in my tlud I see no evidence of ash. There is always a certain amount of ash from the stove itself.

 

When I use the tlud, I notice that when the flames stop smoke starts to be evident. The amount of smoke varies with the material.

I will usually douse the char when the smoke seems to have mostly ceased.

Sometimes, again depending on material, there is a lot of ash, sometimes hardly any.

I can only assume that it has something to do with how much oil is in the material, how dry it is or how hot the fire is. I really don't know. But there is no question that the char produced in the retort is cleaner and to my eyes, absolutely ash free.