[Terrapreta] % yield of charcoal

[Duane Pendergast]

          Thank you AD,

 

Would that 33% be 33% by weight of the original dry mass? Would the original
dry mass be fairly typically about 50% carbon? Does that mean some 66% of
the original carbon in the biomass becomes char? Would it be possible to
adjust the oven and retort process possibly with some external energy input
so the pyrolysis gas is mainly hydrogen and water with minimal carbon
bearing gases? Could the yield of char be increased to something approaching
100% of the carbon originally in the biomass?  The goal, perhaps silly,
would be to maximize the carbon sink potential of the process.

 

Duane

 

-----Original Message-----
From: terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org
[mailto:terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of adkarve
Sent: May 17, 2007 9:22 PM
To: Terrapreta at bioenergylists.org
Subject: [Terrapreta] % yield of charcoal

 

Dear Duane, 

pyrolysis requires temperature of about 300 degrees C. In the traditional
charring process, the material to be charred is kept in a charcoaling kiln
and the heat is provided by burning the material to be charred. The rate of
burning is kept low by providing very small quantity of oxygen. In this
process, a part of the material is lost in the form of carbon dioxide and
water, and the yield of char is often as low as 25%. In a process called
oven and retort process, the material to be charred is enclosed in a vessel
called retort and heated from outside in a kiln called the oven. Once the
pyrolysis gas starts emerging fom the retort, the pyrolysis gas itself is
burned in the kiln to provide the process heat. In this process, one gets
about 33% char.

Yours

A.D.Karve

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