[Terrapreta] torrified wood vs. charcoal

Gerald Van Koeverden vnkvrdn at yahoo.ca
Wed Feb 13 11:14:05 CST 2008


Rob,

I went to that "youtube" site.  a lot of cool neat stoves...I will  
ponder your suggestion.

Whatever, for more information about torrefied wood, I found a  
website dedicated to it:

http://www.techtp.com/

Gerrit


On 12-Feb-08, at 10:16 PM, Robert Flanagan wrote:

> Hey Gerald,
>
> Why would you cook on torrefied or charcoal when you can burn the  
> smoke and woodgas with a Top Lit Up Draft gasifier and keep the  
> charcoal?
> http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=woodgas 
> +stove&search_type=&search=Search
>
> Regards,
> Rob.
>
> On Feb 12, 2008 10:31 PM, Gerald Van Koeverden <vnkvrdn at yahoo.ca>  
> wrote:
> As far as quality, you are correct, torrefied wood burns faster  
> than charcoal:
>
> "A survey carried out among 180 consumers comparing torrefied wood  
> and charcoal.
>
>
> Nature, appearance and cleanness were considered to be satisfactory.
>
> Kindling was considered to be easy or very easy, in clear  
> opposition to charcoal kindling.
>
> Glowing embers were considered to form more rapidly
>
> The product appears to be more appropriate to brisk cooking.
>
> Absence of smoke during cooking was noted almost unanimously."
>
> http://www.techtp.com/tw%20papers/fao_paper.htm
>
> But for those in developing countries who make charcoal strictly  
> for cooking, they would get more energy from the same wood since  
> less is lost in the carbonization process.  90% of the original  
> energy is still in torrefied wood, as opposed to 60% (?) in the  
> charcoal product.   Of course, torrefied wood might require  
> developing a different stove to optimize cooking times.
>
> Gerald
>
>
> On 11-Feb-08, at 11:47 PM, Greg and April wrote:
>
>> 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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>
> -- 
> Robert Flanagan
> Chairman & President
> Hangzhou Sustainable Agricultural Food & Fuel Enterprise Co., Ltd.
>
> Skype "saffechina"
> Tel:   86-571-881-850-67
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