Thanks, Tom. Certainly an easy technique to set up. The smoke produced
might make this is a difficult technique to use in any quantity near
towns in Australia.
On this topic, can anyone point me at a good reference on charcoal
making that covers for a range of approaches parameters like cost,
conversion efficiency and characteristics of charcoal produced?
Thanks
David
Today's Topics:
1. CHARCOAL PYROPILE (Thomas Reed)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:41:01 -0500
From: Thomas Reed<[email protected]>
To: Discussion of biomass pyrolysis and gasification
<[email protected]>
Cc: Discussion of biomass pyrolysis and gasification
<[email protected]>
Subject: [Gasification] CHARCOAL PYROPILE
Message-ID:<[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Dear Anand and All:
Depending on the type of charcoal needed, you don't need a kiln at all. the biomass
should have a moisture content less than 20% and cut into small enough pieces so you
can make a reasonably dense pile. (If you have a pile of slash, resulting from
cutting a tree down, our brush saw attachment for chain saws will cut limbs up to
2-1/2" in diameter as small as you want the charcoal pieces).
If you make a pyramid of scrap biomass (sticks, twigs, chips, pellets, cobs,
...) and light it ON TOP, the cellulose will form a combustible gas, leaving
about 20% charcoal from the lignin. The top layer of charcoal will ignite the
next layer, and each layer. Until allis converted to charcoal, the rising
deoxygenated gases protecting the charcoal layers above.
If you put wet newspaper under the pile, when the last layer is converted, the
rising steam will quench the pile of charcoal. I call this a CHARCOAL PYROPILE.
Depending on the moisture content of the biomass pile, the temperature of the
charcoal will reach 500-700C. I believe HughMcLaughlin said it was partially
activated, but I hope he'll comment.
I hope that farmers in particular will develop this method for converting waste
biomass to valuable charcoal fertilizer.
So no kiln needed.
Tom Reed
Thomas B Reed
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