[Terrapreta] FW: Simple charcoal kiln

[Sean K. Barry]

Dear Erin,

Thank you for this posting.  Making charcoal simply is an objective of this group.  Making charcoal in a "retort" that is made from a couple of interleaved barrels is simple, yes.  But, it is somewhat inefficient, can only make small amounts of charcoal at a time, and it quite easily can vent more destructive green house gases (GHGs) to the atmosphere, than could ever be sequestered, even it all of the charcoal were buried.  This has been discussed here before.  The archives have plenty of references to "charcoal in a barrel" kilns.

Although making some charcoal in this way, in order to study "charcoal-in-soil" applications, for instance, is not a problem per se, this is not the way we would want to make large amounts of charcoal for use in developing Terra Preta soils on a widespread basis.  Many in this group would believe, though, that to solve the problems of world food production and combat Global Climate Change, using the development of Terra Preta soils will require vast amounts of charcoal.  It would not be good to make vast amounts of charcoal in simple, polluting, inefficient charcoal in a barrel" retorts.

Still, making charcoal can be much cleaner, more efficient and still simple.  It's just that this is not done in "open" or "semi-open"  barrels.

Regards,

SKB
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Erin Rasmussen<mailto:erin at trmiles.com> 
  To: 'terrapreta'<mailto:terrapreta at bioenergylists.org> 
  Sent: Saturday, April 26, 2008 12:04 PM
  Subject: [Terrapreta] FW: Simple charcoal kiln


  rescued from the spam filter. :) 


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  From: folke Günther [mailto:folkeg at gmail.com] 
  Sent: Thursday, April 24, 2008 2:46 PM
  To: terrapreta
  Subject: Simple charcoal kiln


  A wonderfully simple method for making charcoal at home or on the allotment.

  http://picasaweb.google.se/folkeg/TheSimplestOfTheSimple<http://picasaweb.google.se/folkeg/TheSimplestOfTheSimple>

  -- 
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  Folke Günther
  Kollegievägen 19
  224 73 Lund
  Sweden
  Phone: +46 (0)46 141429
  Cell: +46 (0)709 710306
  URL: http://www.holon.se/folke<http://www.holon.se/folke>
  BLOG: http://folkegunther.blogspot.com/<http://folkegunther.blogspot.com/> _______________________________________________
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