GAS-L: Re: SIMPLE CHARCOAL MAKER...

["renertech" <renertech@xtra.co.nz>]

Folks,   there s an even simpler method of making charcoal than all those
pretty pictures. It is called the "Tongan Drum" method. All you need is one
old drum (Barrel)  with a 9" wide slot cut out of the side, and the full
length of the drum.   You start with the drum lying on its side and  the
slot at the  9 O'clock position.   Once you have a  good  fire going  you
wait till the smoke diminishes before adding more wood and waiting  for that
too to burn off  the volatiles.
When the drum is  full of hot charcoal to the edge of the slot  you simply
roll the drum
over until the slot is at 11am.  and keep adding wood.   When the slot is
vertical  and the drum is full of redhot embers, you just roll the drum
quickly right over,  to p ut the slot at the bottom, and  shovel dirt around
the edges to block off the air.  And next day you have a full drum of
charcoal.   Back on the  beautiful island of Tonga , one man could operate
about 16 of these drums at once to run a complete commercial charcoal
operation  with supplies of  mangrove wood, supply the BBQ  market with a
very high quality  charcoal.  Ken Calvert.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Reed" <tombreed@attbi.com>
To: "Greg and April" <gregandapril@earthlink.net>; <bioenergy@crest.org>;
<gasification@crest.org>; <stoves@crest.org>
Cc: "Shivayam Ellis" <shivayam55@hotmail.com>; "Katherine Cochrane"
<kcochrane@earthlink.net>; "Rex & Peggy Bull" <bulllyon@att.net>; "Paul
DeBruicker" <pdebruic@mgmt.purdue.edu>; "Nathan Elias Souder"
<nsouder@indiana.edu>; "John Scahill" <jscahill@gocpc.com>; "Ron Larson"
<ronallarson@qwest.net>
Sent: Monday, September 16, 2002 1:38 AM
Subject: SIMPLE CHARCOAL MAKER...


> Dear AllKohlers:
>
> Whether you are in bioenergy, stoves, or gasification, you can't get
thermal
> energy from biomass without passing through pyrolysis, so this
> http://www.velvitoil.com/Charlog.htm
> is a fascinating experiment we can all learn from.
>
> 1)  It is a clear report of the two experiments with nice pics and I could
> repeat them without problem in my back yard in less than a day.
>
> 2)  What a wonder is the Web that hundreds of people could share this
> experience with Greg and April in a day.  And probably a dozen or more
will
> try some variation in a few days.
>
> 3)  An impressive yield of probably good cooking charcoal from a zero cost
> (except labor) apparatus.
>
> 4)  I don't know many people who keep such good records (but I have a
number
> of notebooks full).
>
>                                                               MY COMMENTS
> AND SUGGESTIONS
>
> Making cooking charcoal is exothermic, and so carries itself through to an
> "end point" at about 450 C.  Therefore, many different processes have the
> same "end point".
>
> Greg and April didn't say much about smoke or using the gas, but I will.
IF
> you have very wet wood (20-30% MC) you probably need to light it on the
> bottom, since wet wood is hard to light.  In this case, you burn a lot of
> the charcoal just to get the wood dry, then that wood not yet burned
easily
> carburizes to good charcoal.  This is the classic (10,000 yr?) beehive
> method of charcoal mfgr.  Unfortunately, during the drying stage the steam
> comes out mixed with combustible gas, so is very hard to flare.
>
> If you have dryer wood (0-20% MC), consider top down burning.  In this
case
> you build a small fire at the top  of the charge with dry sticks/tinder.
> Initially it burns its own volatiles to make charcoal, but this charcoal
> sits on top of the charge below and dries it, pyrolyses it, ignites the
> gases and gasifies them so that the volatiles pass up through the hot
> charcoal and are quite combustible (could be used for cooking, baking,
brick
> making etc.) The "top down" pyrolysis reaction than passes quite regularly
> DOWN through the charge and releases gas steadily for an hour or day,
> depending on container size.  Have a good seal at bottom (airtight door?)
or
> top (the drum lid) to extinguish the fire when it is done, or the incoming
> air will keep it hot for days!
>
> If you just wish to flare the gas cleanly, weld/stick a lenght of
stovepipe
> into the middle of the drum lid to make a draft and put many holes in the
> stovepipe near the bottom to mix air into the gas stream for clean
> combustion.
>
> I hope that Greg/April will want to try these variations and report back
to
> us with words and pics....
>
> Yours for blacker charcoal...
>
> TOM REED                    THE BEF GASWORKS
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Greg and April" <gregandapril@earthlink.net>
> To: <bioenergy@crest.org>; <gasification@crest.org>; <stoves@crest.org>
> Sent: Saturday, September 14, 2002 2:42 PM
> Subject: Re: GAS-L: Fw: RETORT FOR CARBONISING COCONUT SHELLS - REG.
>
>
> > I think that this web site can get people started, it is about how to
make
> > charcoal at home.
> >
> > http://www.velvitoil.com/Charlog.htm
> >
> > It has a few other links, but, not many.
> >
> > Greg H.
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Tom Miles" <tmiles@trmiles.com>
> > To: <bioenergy@crest.org>; "gasification" <gasification@crest.org>;
> > <stoves@crest.org>
> > Sent: Saturday, September 14, 2002 13:33
> > Subject: GAS-L: Fw: RETORT FOR CARBONISING COCONUT SHELLS - REG.
> >
> >
> > Forwarded to the list. What sources do we have for retorts to make
> charcoal
> > from coconut shells?
> >
> > Tom
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: diamond
> > Sent: Saturday, September 14, 2002 12:51 AM
> > Subject: RETORT FOR CARBONISING COCONUT SHELLS - REG.
> >
> >
> > Dear Friends,
> >
> > I am really struggling to find a low cost retort suitable for
carbonising
> > coconut shells.
> >
> > Please enlighten me if a retort is available for carbonising wood and
> could
> > this be used for carbonising coconut shells also.
> >
> > It will be greatly appreciated if you could kindly oblige me with the
> > company names and addresses who are manufacturing reliable low cost
> charcoal
> > retorts.
> >
> > Kindly note that I need a simple retort capable of carbonising coconut
> > shells only and not generating electricity
> >
> > I am eagerly awaiting for your kind help and assistance
> >
> > Thanks & best regards
> >
> > A.S.IBRAHIM
> > DIAMOND CONVERSIONS PVT LTD.,
> > A-60, Industrial Estate,
> > Mettupalayam, Pondicherry (South India)
> > Phone: 00 91 413 275319
> > Fax     00 91 413 248346
> > Email  aminchem@satyam.net.in
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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