[Terrapreta] Flash Carbonization reactor progress

[Michael J. Antal, Jr.]

Hi Ron: thanks for your kind comments.  Our most recent test of the Flash
Carbonization Demonstration Reactor (a commercial scale pyrolysis unit on
campus) was a complete success.  The reactor performed somewhat better than
our lab scale work had led us to expect.

On the other hand, the catalytic afterburner did not perform well.  There
was far too much smoke for an urban environment.  We are focusing our
current efforts on fine tuning the afterburner.  We hope that the equipment
will be fully operational (turnkey) by the end of the spring.  At that time
it will become the responsibility of the business community to exploit the
practical knowledge that we in academia have gained after much toil.

More details can be found on the HNEI website below.

Thanks again, Michael.

Michael J. Antal, Jr.
Coral Industries Distinguished Professor of Renewable Energy Resources
Hawaii Natural Energy Institute
School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST)
1680 East-West Rd., POST 109
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Honolulu, HI 96822

Phone: 808/956-7267
Fax: 808/956-2336
http://www.hnei.hawaii.edu

-----Original Message-----
From: Ron Larson [mailto:rongretlarson at comcast.net]
Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2007 4:04 AM
To: terrapreta at bioenergylists.org
Cc: Jdeenik at Hawaii. Edu; Morten Gunnar Gronli; Amanda T McClellan;
William R Goldner; Goro Uehara; Michael J. Antal, Jr.
Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Charcoal properties II


   This is to thank Professor Antal for jumping into this charcoal
properties dialog so helpfully.  We have never met, but have exchanged
e-mail many times over about 10 years (lots of charcoal-related exchanges at
the "stoves" part of "bioenergylists").

    The main thing about Michael's charcoal work that I have not yet seen
here on "terrapreta" is his invention and development of a unique rapid,
high-pressure batch means of producing charcoal.  Rather than the 25%
charcoal (by weight) that most of us achieve, Michael gets 50%.

    Michael - can you add a bit on where your own (UH?) charcoaling
commercialization efforts stand?

Ron


----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael J. Antal, Jr." <mantal at hawaii.edu>
        <snip>
Sent: Monday, March 05, 2007 1:47 PM
Subject: [Terrapreta] Charcoal properties II


> Dear friends: many thanks for your kind comments and questions on my
> previous posting.  In what follows I will attempt to briefly respond to
> the
> many messages I received.

    <snip>