[Terrapreta] Farm/compost biochar

[Dick Gallien]

Hi Max,
My wife is a  ten quid Pom from Redcliffe.  Left Mother England at 4.

Now we're narrowing it down.  On the internal fire, Kevin suggested top lit,
with wvo, of which I have over 2,000 gallons plus waxed boxes, spread on top
to start it.   What would be the  pros and cons of top lit vs. bottom lit in
producing char?  In both cases the gas would be flared off, which would go
on for days.  Could that gas eventually be run through a turbo?
As the first experiment, what if it was top lit without the lid, adjusting
air intake from the base.  Because of the 10' dia., suppose it could create
air flows without any bottom air.  Can start small, see how the heat is
affecting the tank.  There is only the 6" space between the 10 and 11' dia
tanks and the roof of the steel bldging. Eventually that has to be
insulated, to protect the bldging.  We'll find out right away what damage
the heat does to the roof.  Thoughts on 6" of wide open air flow vs. 6" of
perlite?

Thanks for your input.  Later, Dick


On Wed, Jun 4, 2008 at 4:26 AM, MFH <mfh01 at bigpond.net.au> wrote:

>  Dick
>
>
>
> Thanks for photos of tanks. Serious stuff indeed.
>
>
>
> Basically you have two options: (a) making char the traditional way with an
> initial fire inside the container and (b) using an external fire.
>
>
>
> Given the size of your tanks and limited cash I'd suggest that the internal
> method will be the most cost-effective and simplest to implement. It won't
> give gas for other purposes but it will produce copious volumes of char. For
> an external heat system for example, there needs to be reasonable insulation
> of the tank. That alone will be logistically difficult and expensive.
>
>
>
> Perhaps other experimenters on list have alternative suggestions. If we can
> arrive at the best technique then we can look at the mechanics.
>
>
>
> Max H
>
>
>
>
>
>
>  ------------------------------
>
> *From:* terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org [mailto:
> terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org] *On Behalf Of *Dick Gallien
> *Sent:* Wednesday, 4 June 2008 12:38 PM
> *To:* terra pretta group
> *Subject:* Re: [Terrapreta] Farm/compost biochar
>
>
>
> Hi Robert,
>
>
> I agree, we're not picky about the finished product.  Have a few charred
> pieces in the field from what I put on with the 425 bu. spreader last week,
> but in a garden that I don't have to till, that is no problem.  If a chunk
> is too large to fit out the 4' X 4' door, we can just leave it in for the
> next batch or two.
>
> As you say,  we're down to that simple system we're fishing for.  Have any
> of you seen, heard or read about a simple retort system on even a small
> vertical tank?  How is the excess gas separated and vented from that needed
> to maintain the charring temp.?
> Thanks,  Dick
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, Jun 3, 2008 at 4:57 PM, Robert Klein <arclein at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Hi Dick
>
> I certainly can appreciate the desire to avoid processing the materials.
> You also have a large enough tank to give it a good shot.
>
> The reason for thinking about packing is that it will control the
> uniformity of the end product.  However, it seems that we will end up with a
> tank full of oddly sorted and sized material.
>
> The problem as I see it is that the larger chunks will simply not be
> processed fully.  but that may also not be too much of a concern.  Screening
> will; separate fines, charcoal fuel and the larger bits.  The larger bits
> can be thrown back into the kiln as a starter fuel.
>
> The difficulty centers around how do we keep the temperature under 600
> degrees (actually around 400) and then use the production gas to make heat
> that can be fed back into the kiln and how do you exhaust the spent
> combustion gases.
>
> arclein
>
> The tank really allows us avoid worrying about packing, unlike traditional
> wood kilns.
>
>
> Dick Gallien
> 22501 East Burns Valley Road
> Winona MN 55987
> dickgallien at gmail.com [507]454-3126
> www.thewinonafarm.com
>



-- 
Dick Gallien
22501 East Burns Valley Road
Winona MN 55987
dickgallien at gmail.com [507]454-3126
www.thewinonafarm.com
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