Stephen,

Is it OK to quench biochar with water?
Can biochar be put in an airtight container where it then cools off?

Paul


On Mon, Apr 29, 2013 at 7:04 AM, Stephen Joseph <[email protected]>wrote:

> All
>
> Japanese quench biochar with ash.  This also helps to functionalise the
> surface of the biochar and make it more active
>
> I actually use a mixture of soil and ash as the heat can help release
> locked up phosphorous.
>
> Regards
> Stephen Joseph
>
>
> On Mon, Apr 29, 2013 at 2:01 AM, Paul Anderson <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Dear all,
>>
>> These two and many other "tips" need to be collected and told to TLUD
>> stove users.   One avenue is in Christa's Manual,   Another is in stove
>> manuals and at training sessions.   And at websites, etc.
>>
>> 1.  Charcoal to extinguish hot charcoal:   When dealing with small
>> amounts of hot charcoal as in the residential TLUD stoves, one easy way to
>> extinguish hot charcoal is to dump it into a somewhat larger amount of
>> already extinguished (cold) char.   The cold char takes up much of the
>> heat, extinguishing the hot char.   Be sure that it is well mixed and
>> sufficiently cooled to avoid re-ignition.  This is best done in containers
>> that can be sealed.   Containers of metal or ceramic are best, but even
>> wood could be used if the quantity of cold char is sufficient to prevent
>> the hot char from reaching the sides.   As always, be careful because
>> oxygen to a small hot ember can lead to much greater combustion.
>>
>> 2.  "Space fillers" in loose fuels in TLUD devices:
>>
>> General note about fuel in TLUDs:
>> In general, dry biomass fuels in TLUDs need to appropriately fill most of
>> the air-space in the fuel chamber.   This is accomplished with smallish
>> pieces such as wood chips, pellets, short-cut twigs, and shells of seeds.
>> Also, careful packing with vertical wood-segments or straight-ish reeds can
>> occupy the space.   But twisted sticks and long-ish pieces that bridge
>> inside the fuel chamber leave too much space unoccupied.   In those cases,
>> the space can be appropriately occupied by adding small pieces, as named
>> above.   Shake the TLUD to assure that the pieces have settled in well, and
>> add more as needed.   These fillers will also pyrolyze and become charcoal.
>>
>> Inert materials as "space fillers":   Technically, the space fillers
>> could be inert materials such as ball bearings or pebbles (of rock that
>> will not shatter with this heat) or fired clay balls.  Although they could
>> function effectively, they would require separation after the batch is
>> unloaded and cooled.   But there is one material that solves these
>> inconveniences and costs.  It is charcoal.
>>
>> Charcoal as a space filler:   TLUD stoves make charcoal. Therefore,
>> charcoal is not a fuel for TLUD stoves.   However, small pieces of charcoal
>> (but not charcoal fines) can also be used as "space fillers" to solve the
>> need to restrict air flow in the fuel chamber.   The char will not pyrolyze
>> and will not burn (char-gasify or oxidize) as the pyrolysis front moves
>> downward through that biomass fuel.
>>
>> a.  Char is abundant for TLUD users, and at no additional cost, and is
>> not consumed.
>>
>> b.  Unlike small pieces of biomass as fillers, char pieces cannot catch
>> on fire and then fall down to the lower areas of the fuel chamber and
>> igniting fire there.
>>
>> Charcoal as a reducer of thermal output:   Clearly in the above
>> statements when charcoal is used as a space filler, the fuel chamber
>> contains less biomass and therefore less heat will  be generated (which is
>> desirable for simmering and some other cooking needs).
>>
>> Another variation is to have well packed (mainly straight) wood or reeds
>> or stems as a vertical bundle in the middle of a TLUD fuel chamber.  Then
>> load in small charcoal all around the bundle to fill in the remaining
>> space.   When used (pyrolyzed), the fuel will yield heat in proportion to
>> its cross-sectional area of the fuel bundle, not of the entire
>> cross-sectional area of the fuel cylinder.  This is because the annulus of
>> char is essentially non-combustible at the pyrolytic temperatures in the
>> TLUD reactor.
>>
>> Variations of all of the above need to be tested and even measured.
>> (This will be utilized at the Stove Camp at Aprovecho 22 - 26 July 2013).
>>
>> Note:  Credit for much of the above goes to Dr. Jack Bacon, a senior
>> scientist at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX.   Jack, a leader
>> in the local chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB-JSC), suggested
>> charcoal as fillers during discussions in April 2013 with Paul Anderson
>> about an EWB project to use TLUDs for heat in a fruit dryer in Rwanda.
>>
>> Dr TLUD
>>
>> --
>> Paul S. Anderson, PhD  aka "Dr TLUD"
>> Email:  [email protected]   Skype: paultlud  Phone: +1-309-452-7072
>> Website:  www.drtlud.com
>>
>>
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>
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-- 
Paul A. Olivier PhD
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Dalat
Vietnam

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