[Terrapreta] Niels Bech's flash pyrolysis

[Tom Miles]

Sean,

 

Labor and operating costs kill you in small scale, low capacity systems
unless you are willing to invest your labor (sweat equity) into a product
that you will obtain enough value for (charcoal or TP in your crop) to
justify the effort. That's the earth kiln model for making charcoal in
developing countries: sweat for cash.  If  a small batch kiln the size of
Robert Flanagan's (1.5 t fuel/8 hrs  at 20% = .3 tonne charcoal) will suit
your needs you can probably do it if you supply the labor and capital. 

http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/flanaganvinegar

 

Start with removable straw at 1.5 t/acre to produce 0.3 ton/acre charcoal
(20%).

Harvest (chop or bale) and fieldside the straw including labor $20/ton x 1.5
t = $30/acre

Charcoal = 0.3 ton/acre  

Charcoal cost before capital and labor for kiln =  $30/0.3 ton = $90/ton. 

Now add capital and operating cost for the kiln and reapplying the charcoal
to the soil for an annual crop. 

Is there enough value in terra preta at 0.3 ton/acre if broadcast or as much
as 1.8 t/acre concentrated in rows to justify $90/acre?

 

We made charcoal briquettes in a stationary system and we tested various
stationary carbonizing systems in the US and  Europe.  We tried mobile and
stationary cubers and briquetters and built stationary cubing plants. We've
seen various mobile cubers and briquetters. The ones that survive grow
"roots" and are operated in a stationery mode. Even at the small scale it's
all about operating efficiently.  It costs money to move around. I predict
that the small modular bio-oil plants that we see being developed today will
be operated in a single location if they are actually operated commercially
after the grants and subsidies are exhausted.

 

Tom

 

 

 

 

 

From: Sean K. Barry [mailto:sean.barry at juno.com] 
Sent: Monday, August 13, 2007 2:21 PM
To: 'terra preta'; Tom Miles
Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Niels Bech's flash pyrolysis

 

Hi Tom,

 

Why did they fail?  Was there ever any attempt to process straw, not into
pyrolysis oil, but rather only into biochar?

 

SKB

----- Original Message ----- 

From: Tom Miles <mailto:tmiles at trmiles.com>  

To: 'terra preta' <mailto:terrapreta at bioenergylists.org>  

Sent: Monday, August 13, 2007 12:05 PM

Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Niels Bech's flash pyrolysis

 

Doug, 

Thanks for the link. Niels Bech is apparently a Phd student in the CHEC
group under Kim Dam-Johansen at the Danish Technological University. This is
an excellent research team that has worked on the pyrolysis and combustion
of straws and other biomass for many years.    

This is a flash pyrolysis process for producing oil with a char byproduct
similar to those of Dynamotive and Ensyn in Canada. If you scale up the
process it will be a fixed plant that will look very much like those offered
by these commercial groups.

We'll follow up on their research.

All attempts at mobile or portable (at field side) processing of straws that
I have known of for the last 36 years into any form have failed. 

Tom
  
 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org [mailto:terrapreta-
> bounces at bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of Robert Klein
> Sent: Sunday, August 12, 2007 7:59 PM
> To: Douglas Clayton
> Cc: terra preta
> Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Niels Bech's flash pyrolysis
> 
> 
> A nice setup, but i am not sure this can add much.
> Grinding fuel in a low volume environment is great for
> running experiments, but not so great for industrial
> scale were we would immediately switch to coal.
> 
> I would love to see a literature review article that
> organizes the known and puts it behind us.  Huge
> amount of work went into this in second world war
> germany and was briefly revived during the first
> energy crisis.
> 
> We have to appeciate that terra preta carbon was
> largely produced at a fairly low temperature, and any
> system we now use will have to burn the volatiles in
> order to make the same low temperature char.  As
> desribed in my posts on incinerator modification.
> 
> Any other scheme will be rube goldberg mess.
> 
> 
> 
> --- Douglas Clayton <dnclayton at wildblue.net> wrote:
> 
> > Sorry that link didn't work as intended.  The google
> > search does bring
> > it right up.
> >
> > Doug
> >
> >
> > On Aug 12, 2007, at 11:17 AM, Douglas Clayton wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > A friend just suggested I google  Niels Bech flash
> > pyrolysis.  I
> > > suggest you all do the same.  I have not been able
> > to keep up with
> > > posts to the tp list but do not believe Niels Bech
> > has been mentioned:
> > >
> > > http://www.chec.kt.dtu.dk/Research/
> > >
> >
> Experimental%20Facilities%20within%20CHEC/Flash%20Pyrolysis.aspx
> > >


> > Douglas Clayton


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