[Terrapreta] torrified wood vs. charcoal

[Greg and April]

Grrrrr - one of these days I'll remember to hit 'Reply All'.

Anyway - 

Doubtful.

Part of the lure of charcoal, is a low even heat, with little in the way of smoke ( unless it's on purpose ), if you want a high energy fuel you may as well use propane.   

 While it may be roasted, I don't think that volatile materials have been fully driven off - just in part ( the lower temperature material ).    In the case of specialty hardwoods, like apple or hickory, that's actually a part of what gives the food it's flavor and if a part of it has been driven off, it then the final product is going to suffer.

Greg H.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Gerald Van Koeverden 
  To: Terra Preta 
  Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 13:09
  Subject: [Terrapreta] torrified wood vs. charcoal


  Is torrefied wood going to replace charcoal in our barbecues?  It seems to be both more energy efficient and less polluting...


  Gerrit


  B: Torrefied Wood, Energy For The Future
  At a global level, renewable energy is of increasing importance because of the greenhouse effect. Emissions from the burning of fossil fuels must be reduced, so alternative fuels are needed. Torrefied wood can be burnt in a conventional coal-fired power station.
  But what is torrefied wood? The word comes from the French ‘bois torréfié’, which means “roasted wood”. This means that the first stage of carbonisation has taken place, without reaching the stage of charcoal.
  Why pre-treat wood in this way, instead of burning it directly, for example in a bioenergy power station? Thanks to roasting, the fuel is better than ordinary biomass. Torrefied wood is wood that has undergone thermal drying and has a relatively high energy potential (20-22 MJ/kg), and is suitable for grinding in coal-grinding mills. It has an excellent combustion rate and low emissions. Moreover it is easy to store, even outdoors, since it is hydrophobic. Transport is relatively cheap.
  Initial tests (phase I of the project) were carried out in 2003 in the Netherlands and Britain.



  Results were very positive.
  After the positive outcome of phase I, the partners in the project, BGP Ingenieursbureau BV and Stramproy Contracting BV, decided to continue. Phase II is currently in progress. The aim is to produce large quantities of torrefied wood. It is produced in a continuous process plant which can produce a tonne of torrefied wood per hour.
  Many sectors of industry could be interested in this innovation, especially because of the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, which allows mixed biofuels to be offset against CO2 emissions.
  In future, it is believed that production will reach 10 tonnes an hour. In the meantime additional biomass will be provided by agriculture, the food industry, and forestry.
  Info: H. Kroopman, hkr at bgp.nl - M. Verbeeten, mv at bgp.nl - info at bgp.nl

  (MilieuDirect, Belgium, www.kluwer.be/kluwer/home.asp?doelid=3)




  AN FAO paper:

  http://www.techtp.com/tw%20papers/fao_paper.htm









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