Tom When wood reaches 300C, an exothermic reaction takes over, and it goes spontaneously to 400-450 making a charcoal with little absorbtive capacity. The conventional updraft turf covered woodpile makes this type of charcoal.
TLUD charcoal making requires a temperature > 500C to sustain the PYROLYTIC fire, so makes a charcoal with modest absorb tin capacity. I am anxious to try the blanket or turf covered Pyromid in both TLUD and conventional mode and compare the charcoal properties. I hope Hugh and Frank will weigh in on this discussion. Tom Reed Dr Thomas B Reed The Biomass Energy Foundation www.Woodgas.com On Dec 17, 2011, at 12:40 PM, "Tom Miles" <[email protected]> wrote: > Tom, > > Thanks for the observations. > > Burning forest slash is CO2 neutral at the very least. The benefits when the > charcoal is used in the forest are in soil health and water quality. No doubt > there are models that show the net improvement in the carbon cycle from > carbonizing slash. > > Blanket strips could be used just as you have suggested for the turf. Unlike > the turf the blankets could be reused on several piles. The total cost of > treatment should be less than using a portable kiln like a modified air > curtain incinerator ( www.airburners.com ) or a mobile pyrolyzer to make oil > (http://www.advbiorefineryinc.ca/technology/). > > The benefit of using the TLUD approach is to have a cleaner burn than a > typical earth kiln approach. > > You're welcome to come out and stimulate our pyromania. > > Happy Holidays > > Tom > > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Thomas > Reed > Sent: Saturday, December 17, 2011 8:45 AM > To: Discussion of biomass pyrolysis and gasification; Paul Anderson; Hugh > McLaughlin; Kathy Nafie > Cc: [email protected] > Subject: [Gasification] TLUD BEST > > Tom Miles and all > > First let me reiterate the warning that TLUD charcoal making is not CO2 > negative unless you have also a use for the heat GENERATED in the pyrolysis > gas fire. Wood is 50% carbon, and if you get a 20% yield of charcoal, you > have put 30% back in the air as CO2 sooner than if the wood rotted. So 1 ton > of wood gave 400 lb of charcoal and (1600x44/12) 5.87 tons of CO2 into the > atmosphere. > > Unless you cook or generate electricity with the heat, in which case you are > doubly CO2 negative by replacing propane or other fossil fuel for cooking! > <><><> > > I like the idea of the blanket, but not the $1500 it would cost and the time > it would take to develop. How about TURF. > > Classic charcoal at the time of Napoleon ( he burned down the forests to make > cannons) involved stacking many cords of wood around a central chimney made > of poles and covering it with turf, leaving a smoke hole at the top. Small > air entries were made at the base and fires lit. For quite a while the smoke > was white as water vapor was expelled amd the wood dried. Then the smoke > turned yellow, as pyrolysis began, and finally blue when the charcoal was > burning. Then seal the bottom up tight and wait another few days for it to > cool. Strip off the turf and you have a beautiful pile of charcoal. > > I have been tempted to replicate the above method on a small scale in my back > yard next April when we are allowed to burn. But I would substitute TOP > LIGHTING with burning off of the pyrolysis gases as they are formed and > regulation of the burn rate by adjusting the air inlet holes. Make a > TURFTLUD. > > I hope you will discuss this with your friends at UW. I would even be > willing to fly out for a meeting and maybe small tests if you have a secret > burn spot. > > Onward to more charcoal with cleaner air. > > Tom Reed, Dr. PGas > > Dr Thomas B Reed > The Biomass Energy Foundation > www.Woodgas.com > > On Dec 17, 2011, at 11:00 AM, "Tom Miles" <[email protected]> wrote: > > Tom, > > The pyromid looks like a good in-woods approach to converting slash to > biochar. > > Do you think that the pyrolysis blanket that is being developed by Carbon > Cultures (Jenny Knoth U Washington) can be used to improve the performance of > the pyromid? > > See video and story at: > http://www.slideshare.net/sblank/carbon-cultures-corps-final > http://www.igert.org/stories/90 > http://depts.washington.edu/bioenrgy/ > http://www.myscience.us/wire/turning_slash_piles_into_soil_benefit-2011-washington > > Thanks > > Tom Miles > > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Thomas > Reed > Sent: Saturday, December 17, 2011 6:43 AM > To: Discussion of biomass pyrolysis and gasification; STOVES > Subject: Re: [Gasification] gasifier type updarft use rice husk > > Dear gassers and Stovers > > Using any size TLUD device including an open PYROMID, and any junk biomass, > we all have easy access to as much charcoal as we could ever need, for the > first time in history. > > Furthermore, Hugh McLaughlin tells me that, while it's not true activated > charcoal, made with steam or CO2 at 800C, it has significant absorption > capacity (iodine no 400?) since it is made at 500-800 C. I hope Hugh or > Frank will comment. > > So we really have no excuse for cleaning up TLUD gas if we wish to. > > I'm waiting for a good analysis of TLUD gas. I suspect after cleaning it > will have significantly more energy than the typical 5.5 MJ/m3 or 150 Btu/ > scf of downdraft Woodgas, since the air fuel ratio for pyrolysis is only > 1-1.5, rather than the 3.5 for complete gasification of the cellulose lignin > package that is wood. So, as a first guess, with 1/3 the A/F ratio, I'm > guessing 3x the energy content, of 4.5 MJ/m3 or 450 Btu/scf. Compare to > natural gas at 1000 Btu/ scf. > > I'd sure like to see some comments from all you practical guys (and dolls?) > out there. > > Onward > > Tom Reed. Dr WoodGas > > > > > Dr Thomas B Reed > The Biomass Energy Foundation > www.Woodgas.com > > > > _______________________________________________ > Gasification mailing list > > to Send a Message to the list, use the email address > [email protected] > > to UNSUBSCRIBE or Change your List Settings use the web page > http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/gasification_lists.bioenergylists.org > > for more Gasifiers, News and Information see our web site: > http://gasifiers.bioenergylists.org/ > _______________________________________________ > Gasification mailing list > > to Send a Message to the list, use the email address > [email protected] > > to UNSUBSCRIBE or Change your List Settings use the web page > http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/gasification_lists.bioenergylists.org > > for more Gasifiers, News and Information see our web site: > http://gasifiers.bioenergylists.org/
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