[Terrapreta] charcoal British article

[Michael Bailes]

  [image: Gmail] * *
 ------------------------------
  *Sorry the British article seems to have disappeared from its site.
here is what I could retreive of it from my old mail
Sorry to send such along post (Tom may archive it ratherthan sending??)
m
*  * 9 February 2007 15:06 *
  * Horticulture*
 Charcoal has been used for horticultural purposes for at least two thousand
years,
archaeological research has come up with evidence of charcoal being used as
a soil
ameliorator in the Amazon basin
 19
 around the time of Christ.
Green keepers of golf and bowling clubs used charcoal extensively as a top
dressing but
in recent years this has been substituted by sharp sand, the reason may have
been that
the demise of the British charcoal industry caused a shortage in supplies of
the correct
grades. Fine charcoal powder used on lawns (golf) absorbs and eliminates
excess
amounts of fertilizer and chemicals present in the soil
 24
 .
Charcoal was widely available from horticultural sundriesmen up until the
late 1960's,
for use mainly in bulb fibre where the pots do not have drainage holes. The
charcoal was
said to keep the compost 'sweet'.
Orchid growing employs the use of charcoal and specialist growers of
carnations and
pinks find charcoal to be invaluable.
It has been reported that charcoal may act as a means of eradicating moss in
lawns.
Trials
 20
 have been carried out and the results are currently being analysed.
Research has shown that growing mediums that have charcoal present, are able
to buffer
the effects of sporadic watering, by reducing the frequency of watering
whilst helping to
prevent 'damping off'
 20
 . Charcoal also reduces the leaching of fertiliser
 19
 in free
draining soils as the charcoal's porous carbon structure enables the
nutrients to be held
for slower release to the plants.
The inclusion of charcoal in open seedbeds showed
 22
 that it facilitates the uptake of
nutrients. Calcium uptake almost doubles, with significant increases in
potassium,
magnesium and phosphorus, the pH increases slightly and there is an obvious
increase
in organic matter.
6
 ------------------------------
*Page 11*
Charcoal has been recommended as part of the treatment
 23
 for the eradication of a fungal
disease, Cylindrocladium that infects Box hedges.
Charcoal has proved to be an ideal renewable substitute
 21
 for perlite and vermiculite,
compost additives used to increase aeration and aid drainage, but both
finite resources.
Both of these products are readily available from most garden centres and
retail for around
35 pence per litre packed in 10 litre bags (approx. �1400 per Tonne) and
around �5 per 100
litre bags to the trade (�500 per Tonne).
At present horticultural charcoal is on the market in 20litre bags
 33
 retailing through mail
order at around 25 pence per litre (approx. �1,000 per Tonne) and in 350gms
(1.5 - 2 litre)
boxes
 34
 for use mainly in bottle gardens retailing at �2.50 (approx. �7,000 per
Tonne). A
Lancashire company
 34
 who buy in charcoal, package it and sell it on to garden centres,
requires charcoal graded 5 – 10mm. It is accepted in 25kg bags at around
�250 per Tonne
and their annual requirements are about 2 Tonnes.
D. W Kelley
 18
 reported that the main reason for the decline in the use of horticultural
charcoal was that it is a dirty material to handle. If uses can be found
that have clear
horticultural benefits and minimum handling, then we believe that a
considerable
market exists. For example, charcoal would make a good additive to grow
bags, where
the contents aren't handled much and there are problems with erratic
watering.
The currently favoured water retaining gels are not liked by all growers
 30
 and there are
doubts about how well they actually release the water they have absorbed
"Petunias in
hanging baskets tested in greenhouses showed no benefits when
water-absorbing
polymers were used. And plants grown in media containing water-absorbing
polymers
required watering just as often as plants grown in potting soil containing
no water-
absorbing polymers. Also, their usable life is limited by the amounts of
salt or fertilizers
in the soil
 26
 ". Hence, charcoal could be used where watering may be a problem, e.g.
hanging baskets, or where it is hard to change the compost, e.g. in large
tubs.
Charcoal could be incorporated into locally produced 'green compost'. No
further
processing, other than simply grading would be required and transport costs
would be
low. We have had preliminary discussions with Scarborough Borough Council
about
adding fines to their Green Compost and they hope to do some simple trials
in hanging
baskets. Used this way the bulk charcoal could realise up to �500 per Tonne
Thanks Adriana
i didn't mean to be critical I am just in awe of the information you two
have. i am sure you achieved your objective and I am sure the Hort industry
will come on board. Charcoal is just what they are looking for at this time.


Perhaps you should talk to ANL the biggest producer of potting and 'soil'
mixes.( Be wary of them)

I realize the problems now of in-house research. I just feel the price asked
is unjust. they should be paying you to do the research because of its many
social and economic benefits

The problem seems to be we want to sell a non-existent egg before the
chicken is born

Here is an intersting article on the markets for charcoal in the UK I have
copied the horticulture section

http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=cache:I0TgdV-gQ_UJ:www.visitthemoors.co.uk/uploads/publication/978.pdf+


Opps looks like I can only copy the whole thing
The pricing is interesting
-- 
Michael Bailes.
This is the html version of the file
http://www.visitthemoors.co.uk/uploads/publication/978.pdf.
* G o o g l e* automatically generates html versions of documents as we
crawl the web.

*Google is neither affiliated with the authors of this page nor responsible
for its content.*
------------------------------
*Page 1* *M*
 *ARKETS*
 *F*
 *OR*
 *C*
 *HARCOAL*
 *F*
 *INES*
 *A feasibility study into the Uses of Charcoal Fines*
*commissioned by the North York Moors National Park Authority*
*jointly with Yorkshire Forward as part of the DAPA Project.*
*DAPA (Developing the Assets of Protected Areas) Project aims to*
*encourage and help develop businesses that build upon the special*
*qualities of the North York Moors National Park and *
*Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)*
 By
Andy Sharp and David Hutchinson
 March 2003
 ------------------------------
*Page 2*
------------------------------
*Page 3*
*Markets for Charcoal Fines*
*Contents*
 *Feasibility Study Brief*
*1*
 *Introduction*
*2*
*Background *
*2-3 *
*Current Uses of Fines*
*Worldwide*
*3*
*UK*
*3*
*Possible Uses of Fines in the UK*
*1 As a renewable fuel co-fired with coal*
*4 *
*2 Domestic fuel*
*4-5*
*3 Metallurgy industries *
*5*
*4 Air filtration*
*5*
*5 Water treatment*
*5-6*
*6 Charcoal briquettes*
*6 *
*7 Horticulture*
*6-7*
*8 Animal feed*
*8*
*9 Wholesale to the charcoal industry*
*8 *
*10 Pollution spills and odour control*
*8*
*Summary Recommendations*
*9-10*
*References*
*11-13*
*Equipment Details*
*13*
*Analytical Tools*
*13*
*Authors*
*13*
 ------------------------------
*Page 4*
------------------------------
*Page 5*
*Brief For A Feasibility Study Into The Uses Of Charcoal Fines*
 *Objective*
 To investigate existing and potential uses of charcoal fines, in order to
understand and develop
a market in the UK. Specific emphasis should be given to maximising
environmental and
economic gain from the charcoal burning process.
 *Background*
 Following each charcoal "burn" the barbecue grade charcoal is collected,
graded and packaged.
However, some charcoal, around 15 – 20% is too small for this and is
generally discarded. These
small particles, known as "fines" are left over which often go to waste but
have a potential
commercial value. Over a period of time a substantial quantity of waste is
produced.
 *Suggested Potential Markets*
 1.
The market for horticultural fines is vastly under exploited. It has not
been pursued to
any great extent and research in this area should prove effective.
One traditional market for this product is the 'sweetening' of a growing
medium such
as compost or soil. Charcoal fines are added to compost or soil at the rate
of as much as
one part charcoal to three of compost. This helps render the soil porous,
improving
drainage. It also absorbs gases so therefore assists in keeping the soil
'sweet'. It is safe to
use with almost all plants and is a particularly useful growing medium for
some e.g.
orchids.
2.
It is suspected that substantial markets exist for the use of charcoal fines
in filtration
processes and pollution control.
3.
A process for the manufacture of reconstituted fuel logs (as a replacement
of wood fuel)
using charcoal fines and a binding agent should be investigated. From
initial
investigation waste paper or waste industrial starch has shown promise. This
alone
would provide a considerable outlet for fines and also give local charcoal
burners a
much needed winter market.
 *Brief *
 1) Conduct a review of existing research that has taken place into the uses
of charcoal fines
2) Investigate alternative potential applications for the use of charcoal
fines in industrial
or domestic processes.
3) Produce a report of this investigation for dissemination among other
local authorities
and if appropriate, for publication in the suitable technical journal.
4) Provide evidence of commercial outlets which could be supplied with fines
produced
and collected in the areas of NYMNP/Howardian Hills AONB, including details
of
any processing required in order to do this.
 1
 ------------------------------
*Page 6*
*Introduction *
 At least 90% of the BBQ charcoal sold in the UK is imported, often from
unsustainable
sources. Not only is there a large expenditure of non-renewable energy
simply shifting
charcoal large distances, but also there are major problems within the
developing world in
matching the use of wood fuel and charcoal with sustainable use of forest
resources
 1
 . In
addition, managing woodlands for sustainable charcoal production, e.g.
through coppice
rotations, encourages a greater diversity of both flora and fauna, promotes
rural
employment and gives added value to what may otherwise be low value wood
 2
 . A strong
case can therefore be made for expanding charcoal production within the UK.
However, roughly 15-20% of the charcoal produced is in small pieces, less
than about 15mm,
known as fines. These are not directly suitable for use in BBQs and the
purpose of this
report is to examine what uses might be made of them and if these are
economically useful.
 *Background *
 Trees are able to convert Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere into fixed
carbon in their cell
structure, hence the government's targets of 20,000 hectares per year of new
woodlands,
creating 'carbon sinks', but once these new forests have reached maturity,
the conversion of
free carbon into fixed carbon diminishes. It is in the early years of a
tree's growth, or in the
case of coppice, the regrowth, that the conversion rate from free carbon to
fixed carbon is the
greatest, but it is also the early years of a forest's life that the
greatest expense to the
woodland owner is incurred. Thinning operations are vital to the health and
value of the
forest and in the early years, up to 70% of the trees are removed. These
operations are costly
with woodland owners facing considerable expense carrying out 'thin to
waste', as few
markets exist for small roundwood. It is just this material, small
roundwood, first and
second thinnings, that are ideally suited for conversion into charcoal, thus
encouraging
woodland owners to carry out vital thinning operations at the right time.
The size of the woodland dictates the amount of carbon stored or fixed in
the 'sink', it is the
volume of timber that is harvested as part of the ongoing management that
accumulates the
interest on the investment. But most uses for the timber ultimately result
in the carbon being
returned into the atmosphere; biofuels, woodchip and building materials all
eventually
release their carbon. This is classed as carbon neutral, but if the timber
is converted into
charcoal, which is high in fixed carbon, around 80%, there are ways of using
it that fix the
carbon forever. For example, if used as horticultural charcoal or as an
additive to pet foods.
Production methods require consideration, as certain end users, such as
pharmaceutical and
human food preparation industries, demand fully activated charcoal requiring
specialist
production equipment. The production methods employed by most rural charcoal
burners
would not reach the stringent health and hygiene criteria required. However,
Kilns and
retorts are on the market, such as the Webster Retort and the Viper mobile
kiln, that are able
to produce charcoal under more controlled conditions and, in the case of the
Viper, with up
to 60% activation. These are not in widespread use yet, therefore the report
has concentrated
on markets that could be currently supplied using metal ring kiln
technology.
Although some regard charcoal fines as 'waste', an inevitable by-product of
lumpwood
charcoal production, it should be born in mind that every Tonne of fines has
cost the
charcoal burner around �250 in raw materials and labour, and although any
income is better
than none, it would be prudent to realise the maximum return possible.
 2
 ------------------------------
*Page 7*
*Current Uses of Fines*
 *Worldwide*
 Fine charcoal may be the inevitable consequence of using particular
materials, e.g. bark, to
make your charcoal or be the residue from the production of ordinary lump
charcoal. The
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN) suggests that in most
cases the fines are
unsaleable in this form and, if sold at all, are usually made into charcoal
briquettes by
combining them with a binder (e.g. starch) a filler (e.g. ground limestone
or crushed shells)
and then compressed to form solid briquettes
 1
 . There are, speciality markets for fines in
horticulture, as additions to animal feed, pharmaceuticals (to control
infections of the
digestive tract) or in pigments as well as the use of charcoal dust for
activated carbon, lining
of moulds in metal foundries, production of briquettes, cementation
granulate, pyrotechnics,
explosives, electrodes and batteries
 1
 . However, it is clear that disposing of fines is seen as a
problem and that best practice is to minimise their production
 1
 .
In the United States the market for briquetted charcoal is larger than that
for lump charcoal.
Indeed, much of the lump charcoal produced is pulverised before being made
into
briquettes
 3
 . This was partly a response to the problem of dealing with fines, but also
the
desire to produce a uniformly sized, and cleaner, product for the home and
recreational
markets. Since the market for briquetted charcoal in the US is dominated by
a few major
producers the US Dept. of Agriculture points out some of the practical
advantages of lump
charcoal (all natural with no additives, heats faster than briquettes,
easier to light with no
need for lighter fluid etc. retains its heat longer than briquette charcoal
and can be simply
doused and used again
 3
 ) and the fact that pound per pound lump charcoal produces about
twice as much heat.
 *UK *
 The market for the horticultural use of fines has declined in the UK over
the past twenty
years
 4
 , mainly because they are dirty
 18
 , and a lot of fines are now simply ploughed in or
spread on what would otherwise be muddy paths
 5
 .
There have been occasional uses of charcoal fines for other odd purposes.
The Bioregional
Charcoal Company report that one burner sold fines to a film company to give
a film set a
war torn look
 17
 and David Kelley, of the then British Charcoal Group, reported that some
fines had been sold for exhumations as well as small amounts used in mould
linings (e.g. for
casting copper)
 18
 or for use in traditional forges
 5
 . Individual charcoal burners do supply
small quantities of fines to various niche markets, i.e. Orchid growers,
specialist growers of
carnations and pinks, traditional blacksmiths and filter charcoal for
aquariums and ponds.
 3
 ------------------------------
*Page 8*
*Possible Uses of Fines in the UK*
 *1. As a renewable fuel co-fired with coal.*
 The "Renewables Obligation Order 2002
 28
 ", which came into force on January 2002,
allows power generators to meet their targets for production of electricity
from
renewable sources by co-firing with a renewable fuel in an otherwise fossil
fuel powered
plant. Since the price for buying themselves out of this obligation is set
at �30 per MWh
(3p per kWh) there is a financial incentive to do this. However, the rules
in the Order
mean that such co-firing will not be eligible for crops not specifically
grown for fuel
beyond 2006 or for any bio fuel beyond 2011.
Studies in America suggest that the use of charcoal for co-firing has
distinct advantages,
in particular it can simply be mixed with the existing fuel and doesn't need
a separate
feed system
 6
 .
Assuming that the power plant turns about 1/3 of the heat energy into
electrical power
and that charcoal has a heat content of about 29MJ per kg, I (APS) have
calculated that
124kg of charcoal would produce 1MWh of heat, that about 372kg would produce
1MWh of electricity and that if this is worth at least �30 then 1 tonne of
charcoal would
be worth at least �80. Since charcoal fines are quite bulky transport costs
would be
relatively high, the moisture content would need to be reasonably well
controlled and
there would be bureaucratic costs involved in obtaining the relevant
certificates.
However, permission has been sought from the Environment Agency to blend bio
fuels
with coal at Drax power station near Selby and there are not foreseen to be
any problems
with including charcoal fines in this mix
 29
 .
 *2. Domestic Fuel*
 Charcoal is rarely used as a fuel in domestic heating equipment, as
problems occur with
the production of Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen, however wood pellet boilers
and
room heaters with high combustion efficiency are now readily available on
the market
 31
 .
The design of these boilers and stoves results in the safe combustion of
charcoal. The
wood pellets are made of highly compressed woodchips or sawdust and are
automatically auger fed, at a controlled rate into the stoves. Small-scale
trials were
carried out
 31
 to find out if there was potential for substituting the pellets with
charcoal
fines, which are of similar size, 2mm – 6mm. Apart from a 20% reduction in
efficiency it
was noted that the charcoal caused problems in the auger feed, as charcoal
is more
abrasive and of irregular sizes. It was also noted that the charcoal burned
with a blue
flame rather than an orange yellow flame of the pellets. Comments were made
that in
the stoves where the flame can be seen, charcoal did not give the same
warming visual
effect.
Wood pellets
 32
 retail for between �80 per Tonne in bulk, or up to �200 per Tonne in
15Kg bags.
There may be some benefit blending charcoal with the sawdust prior to
compacting,
with the view of increasing calorific value of the pellets
(Biocompactor.xls, see below,
has a spreadsheet to calculate this). A number of companies
 32
 would be interested in
carrying out trials in the future, but as the pelletising machines consume
around three
Tonnes of material per hour, the minimum quantity of charcoal would be
around 1
Tonne per day.
 4
 ------------------------------
*Page 9*
Compacted logs can also be produced using sawmill waste (sawdust and
chippings)
without using any other binder
 15
 and these can incorporate charcoal fines. Derek Bielby
of the Hemp-union has "investigated using the waste from lumpwood charcoal
burners
in the UK and the program seems viable. We produced samples of charcoal
briquettes
but would consider there is a wider application for all year round
production/ rural
work in adding value"
 16
 . Given that there is a lot of this sort of waste in and around
the North York Moors this should be investigated.
An excel spreadsheet has been produced which calculates the minimum price
for which
the logs produced would have to be sold (Biocompactor.xls ). Case studies
performed
by the Hemp-union suggest a market price for the logs of about �80 per tonne

 15
 , and one
of the schemes described involves supplying the logs to a traditional
bakery.
 *3. Metallurgy Industries*
 The use of charcoal in smelting is now restricted to specialist metals and
particular
materials such as silicon. However, the smelters using charcoal are dealing
with high
value products, and the process usually requires the source of carbon to be
in a
particular form and purity (e.g. for smelting silicon metal they use
charcoal briquettes of
about 75mm diameter
 7
 ).
One company in Yorkshire
 38
 requires a steady supply of fines preferably of *soft wood*
origin. These would require no further processing other than initial grading
and the
shipments can be loose charcoal, in tote bags, similar to those used for
fertiliser. One of
the points that should be considered, however, is that the process is to
produce an alloy
that is employed in the nuclear industry and some burners may not wish their
charcoal
to support this industry.
 *4. Air Filtration *
 Charcoal, particularly in its activated form (where remaining tars etc are
driven off,
leaving a very large internal surface area available for adsorption of
contaminants), is
used to filter air. However, a prime requirement is that the material should
be hard, to
avoid the formation of dust and reduce the risk of channelling (where the
air finds a
quick route through without being properly filtered) and have a low sulphur
content.
The best charcoal for this is generally agreed to be made from coconut
shells
 8
 .
 *5 Water treatment*
 Activated carbon (AC) filtration is very effective in removing organic
contaminants from
water. Because organic chemicals are often responsible for taste, odour, and
colour
problems (AC) filtration can be used to deal with all these problems and
will also
remove chlorine
 9
 . At some of its treatment plants, Yorkshire Water uses bone charcoal
(charcoal made from bones) for this, to the chagrin of some campaigners
against BSE
 10
 ,
but there are no obvious references to the use of raw charcoal for this
purpose and it
seems likely that if there were a market for wood charcoal it would be for
the supply of
lump charcoal to a charcoal activation plant (e.g. Norit (UK) in Glasgow
*www.norit.com*) rather than for the fines alone.
 However, charcoal produced by some processes is already highly activated
(e.g.
60+
 %) and could be used for the treatment of contaminated effluent, e.g.
leachate from
a landfill site
 11
 , if not for drinking water. Activated charcoal has been shown to reduce
the estrogenic activity of leachate from landfill
 25
 .
5
 ------------------------------
*Page 10*
Charcoal used to be used as a filtration medium for clarifying Koi Carp
ponds, in
particular, for the slower methods which involved separate filtration ponds.
It seems
that this is now clearly regarded as yesterday's technology
 12
 , even though some modern
high speed filters often include an activated carbon stage
 13
 .
 *6. Charcoal Briquettes *
 The obvious advantage of turning charcoal fines into briquettes is that it
could use the
same marketing and distribution system as the one for lump charcoal.
Since the
charcoal fines don't stick together very well they usually have too be mixed
with a
binding agent (e.g. starch, suitable clay or sawdust) to form a paste,
passed through a
press to from the mixture into a cake or briquette and then baked or dried
to remove any
excess water which has had to be added
 1
 .
A suitable binding agent (potato starch) is available locally from McCains
foods in
Scarborough and has been used in trials of briquettes produced using
charcoal fines
 14
 at
levels of 10%. The same study showed that briquettes made with no starch
still had
some mechanical strength and therefore suggested that some intermediate
proportion
might be appropriate.
briquette.xls is a spreadsheet which can calculate the price the briquettes
would have to
be sold at to make a profit. In this example a guess has been made at the
likely cost of a
machine and at the cost of the binding starch
 .
*7. Horticulture*
 Charcoal has been used for horticultural purposes for at least two thousand
years,
archaeological research has come up with evidence of charcoal being used as
a soil
ameliorator in the Amazon basin
 19
 around the time of Christ.
Green keepers of golf and bowling clubs used charcoal extensively as a top
dressing but
in recent years this has been substituted by sharp sand, the reason may have
been that
the demise of the British charcoal industry caused a shortage in supplies of
the correct
grades. Fine charcoal powder used on lawns (golf) absorbs and eliminates
excess
amounts of fertilizer and chemicals present in the soil
 24
 .
Charcoal was widely available from horticultural sundriesmen up until the
late 1960's,
for use mainly in bulb fibre where the pots do not have drainage holes. The
charcoal was
said to keep the compost 'sweet'.
Orchid growing employs the use of charcoal and specialist growers of
carnations and
pinks find charcoal to be invaluable.
It has been reported that charcoal may act as a means of eradicating moss in
lawns.
Trials
 20
 have been carried out and the results are currently being analysed.
Research has shown that growing mediums that have charcoal present, are able
to buffer
the effects of sporadic watering, by reducing the frequency of watering
whilst helping to
prevent 'damping off'
 20
 . Charcoal also reduces the leaching of fertiliser
 19
 in free
draining soils as the charcoal's porous carbon structure enables the
nutrients to be held
for slower release to the plants.
The inclusion of charcoal in open seedbeds showed
 22
 that it facilitates the uptake of
nutrients. Calcium uptake almost doubles, with significant increases in
potassium,
magnesium and phosphorus, the pH increases slightly and there is an obvious
increase
in organic matter.
6
 ------------------------------
*Page 11*
Charcoal has been recommended as part of the treatment
 23
 for the eradication of a fungal
disease, Cylindrocladium that infects Box hedges.
Charcoal has proved to be an ideal renewable substitute
 21
 for perlite and vermiculite,
compost additives used to increase aeration and aid drainage, but both
finite resources.
Both of these products are readily available from most garden centres and
retail for around
35 pence per litre packed in 10 litre bags (approx. �1400 per Tonne) and
around �5 per 100
litre bags to the trade (�500 per Tonne).
At present horticultural charcoal is on the market in 20litre bags
 33
 retailing through mail
order at around 25 pence per litre (approx. �1,000 per Tonne) and in 350gms
(1.5 - 2 litre)
boxes
 34
 for use mainly in bottle gardens retailing at �2.50 (approx. �7,000 per
Tonne). A
Lancashire company
 34
 who buy in charcoal, package it and sell it on to garden centres,
requires charcoal graded 5 – 10mm. It is accepted in 25kg bags at around
�250 per Tonne
and their annual requirements are about 2 Tonnes.
D. W Kelley
 18
 reported that the main reason for the decline in the use of horticultural
charcoal was that it is a dirty material to handle. If uses can be found
that have clear
horticultural benefits and minimum handling, then we believe that a
considerable
market exists. For example, charcoal would make a good additive to grow
bags, where
the contents aren't handled much and there are problems with erratic
watering.
The currently favoured water retaining gels are not liked by all growers
 30
 and there are
doubts about how well they actually release the water they have absorbed
"Petunias in
hanging baskets tested in greenhouses showed no benefits when
water-absorbing
polymers were used. And plants grown in media containing water-absorbing
polymers
required watering just as often as plants grown in potting soil containing
no water-
absorbing polymers. Also, their usable life is limited by the amounts of
salt or fertilizers
in the soil
 26
 ". Hence, charcoal could be used where watering may be a problem, e.g.
hanging baskets, or where it is hard to change the compost, e.g. in large
tubs.
Charcoal could be incorporated into locally produced 'green compost'. No
further
processing, other than simply grading would be required and transport costs
would be
low. We have had preliminary discussions with Scarborough Borough Council
about
adding fines to their Green Compost and they hope to do some simple trials
in hanging
baskets. Used this way the bulk charcoal could realise up to �500 per Tonne.
 *8. Animal Feed*
 Charcoal is often added to animal feed, e.g. dog biscuits, because it is an
effective
gastrointestinal cleaner, it absorbs intestinal gas, neutralizes chemical
products and
microbes and can help avoid digestive, inflammatory, infectious and
parasitic diseases
 27
 .
A number of pet food manufacturers were identified as using charcoal in some
of their
pet food products, i.e. black dog and cat biscuits. The quality of the
charcoal required
varies with different manufacturers, some requiring particular particle
sizes ranging
from 50mu to 200mu, others requiring fully activated charcoal are beyond the
scope of
local producers. The charcoal is usually purchased in 25kg sacks, or in
water-soluble
bags
 35
 in loads of 2 Tonnes and annual usage for one potential customer
 36
 is 24 Tonnes.
The market value is around �500 per Tonne. Processing of the fines into
uniform particle
sizes can be achieved using ball mills and these are readily available on
the market
 37
 .
 7
 ------------------------------
*Page 12*
*9. Wholesale to the Charcoal Industry*
 Wholesale markets do exist for bulk sales of fines, within the charcoal
industry
 39,40
 who
have their own established markets. The current price varies depending on
level of
grading from �70 per Tonne for ungraded fines to �150 per Tonne, for graded,
5%
moisture content is the maximum but one company
 39
 will accept a higher moisture
content, deducting the weight of water from the delivery.
 *10. Pollution spills and odour control *
 Following small scale trials by the Yorkshire Charcoal Company into the use
of charcoal
fines as a means of mopping up pollution spills, especially oil/petroleum
based
pollutants on water, it was found that charcoal performs better than the
coconut fibre
products already on the market. It is recommended that further independent
trials
should be undertaken.
With charcoal's ability to adsorb a multitude of toxins it is recommended
that research
should be encouraged to establish whether charcoal could be employed as a
means of
cleaning up 'Brown Field Sites'.
Recent research carried out by George Preti of the Monell Chemical Senses
Centre,
Philadelphia, titled "Ameliorating Animal Odours, Down on the farm", shows
that the
addition of charcoal into pig slurry resulted in a significant reduction in
myriad
malodours. There is scope here for further trials into the use of charcoal
in numerous
intensive animal/poultry-rearing units.
 8
 ------------------------------
*Page 13*
*Summary Recommendations *
 The study has identified a number of potential markets for charcoal fines
in a variety of
applications, in order to prioritise these markets a number of criteria have
been taken into
account; level of processing and packaging, haulage costs, financial return,
and last but not least
environmental impact. As mentioned earlier in the report charcoal is rich in
carbon, around
80%, however if the charcoal is burnt this will be released back into the
atmosphere, if more
trees are grown then this is classed as carbon neutral. However if the
charcoal is employed in
horticulture or animal feedstock, the carbon would be fixed forever.
*Basic Equipment *required to process charcoal prior to packing and to
handle bulk bags.
Dust extractor Cost around �5,000
Potato Grader to separate fines, under 20mm from barbecue charcoal. Cost �7
– �10,000
Bulk Bags �6.00 each
Forklift or suitable front end loader on a tractor.
*Horticultural Charcoal*
*This market is by far the simplest to satisfy, yielding the best overall
financial return*
Basic equipment plus optional secondary grader, should multiple grades be
required, at an
extra �7,000 with no need for dry storage.
Price paid for fines approx. �500 per dry Tonne (4,000 litres) with minimal
haulage costs if the
market is local.
Annual current usage of at least 30 Tonnes (Local council currently produces
1400 Tonnes of
green compost, if 20% of this had charcoal added at a blending rate of 10%)
Unique selling points could be that it is 'Fixing carbon forever' and is a
sustainable (natural)
alternative to other products (e.g. water retaining gels)
*Pet food*
*This market would be relatively simple to satisfy; yielding a good return.*
Basic equipment requirements plus ball mill around �20,000 (for 40Tonnes per
year)
Heat sealer for plastic sacks
Weighing scales
Price paid per Tonne �500
Haulage to Lincolnshire
Annual usage 24 Tonnes identified with scope for further customers.
Unique selling points of natural product and fixing carbon forever.
*Wholesale to the charcoal industry*
This would be an easy market to enter, with no seasonal variations, but with
poor returns of �70
- �150 Mt
*Co firing*
This market would yield a poor return around �80 Mt and may only exist until
2006, as the fuel
is not derived from dedicated biomass. However there would be no seasonal
variation.
 9
 ------------------------------
*Page 14*
*Metallurgy*
Only one company was identified in the report using sufficient quantities to
be worth
considering, but they now require softwood charcoal. There would be no
seasonal variations
and the return would be around �200 Mt. (Softwood charcoal is almost half
the density of
hardwood charcoal, 6 – 7cu Mt. Per dry Tonne)
*Barbecues and Domestic Heating*
The barbecue briquette markets are the same as for lumpwood charcoal however
this could just
dilute the existing market and sales would be confined to the same short
season that is
dependant on good weather. It is doubtful whether this market is worth
exploring.
Compacted fuel logs are already on the market and it is unlikely to yield a
premium if blended
with charcoal. With the relatively low cost of compacted logs it is unlikely
to give a reasonable
return on the fines.
 *Recommended Research*
 *Pollution Control *
Independent trials should be carried out to verify the findings of Yorkshire
Charcoal Co.'s in-
house trials, 'oil based pollutants on water' and further research should be
carried out
regarding leachate from landfill sites and intensive agriculture. Charcoal
is also an obvious
candidate for adsorbing the toxins on 'brown field sites'.
Every port, harbour and river authority, along with local councils and fire
departments could
hold stocks of charcoal fines as a weapon against spills of a variety of
pollutants and odours.
Oil based pollutants could be reclaimed from the charcoal or it could be
sold on to Drax Power
Station for co-firing. (though there may be problems with emissions from
some pollutants if
burnt).
Most industrial activities create carbon dioxide emissions, however the
charcoal industry is in
the rare situation of reversing the industrial norm by producing fixed
carbon from carbon
dioxide.
It is foreseeable that in the future the charcoal industry could be in a
carbon tax credit situation,
this could in turn help fund the modernisation of the charcoal industry,
especially in the area of
production equipment and Research and Development.
If new markets were to be generated following any of the above
recommendations, the charcoal
would require little or no further processing and the size of the market
could be substantial.
 10
 ------------------------------
*Page 15*
*References*
 *1.*
FAO manual on charcoal making technologies FAO Forestry Paper 63 (1985)
http://www.fao.org/docrep/x5555e/x5555e00.htm#Contents
*2.*
Bioregional Charcoal report on charcoal production and woodland management
http://www.bioregional.com/char/char2.htm
*3.*
United States Dept of Agriculture Forest Service, Agriculture information
bulletin
666.
*4.*
D.W Kelley of what was the British Charcoal Group and is now a specialist
group in
the Forestry Contracting Association.
*5.*
Geoff Norton (Yorkshire Hurdles) and a member of the 3 Ridings Coppice Group

http://www.three-ridings.org.uk/
*6.*
James R. Arcate "Biomass Charcoal Co-firing with Coal" Turbo Expo 98
http://www.techtp.com/archives/Turbo%20Expo%2098.htm
*7.*
Innovations Stories 28-30 January 2001, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
*8.*
American Eco Systems http://showcase.netins.net/web/ecosys/carbon.html#a1
*9.*
Activated Carbon Filtration AE-1029, February 1992*, *North Dakota State
University
*http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/h2oqual/watsys/ae1029w.htm*
*10. *
Dirk Beveridge, The Associated Press April 8, 1998
*11. *
John Ssempebwa "Assessing the activity of activated charcoal on the
estrogenicproperties of municipal solid waste leachate." University of
Albany (2002)
http://www.albany.edu/sph/poster_2002/eht_johnssemp.pdf
*12. *
From a conversation with the owner of East Riding Koi Carp in Flamborough.
*13. *
Koi Plus, Sheffield UK http://www.koiplus.com/filters.html
*14. *
http://www.bitc.org.uk/docs/emc1.pdf trials of briquettes on behalf of
Business in
the Community by B9 Energy Biomass
*15. *
Bio compactor described at
http://www.hemp-union.karoo.net/main/indust/stories/compact.htm
+ full description at http://www.plcproducts.co.uk/b10mar2001.pdf
*16. *
e-mail from Derek Bielby at admin at hemp-union.karoo.co.uk
*17. *
Telephone conversation with Chloe Benson of the Bioregional Charcoal Company
0208 404 2300
*18. *
D.W Kelley telephone conversation.
*19. *
Horizon BBC Dr Bruno Glaser
 11
 ------------------------------
*Page 16*
*20.*
HDRA members trials 2001-2
*21.*
Forestry Commission Research Division Edinburgh
*22.*
Forestry Commission Research Division Wykeham
*23.*
National Trust, Peter Tasker
*24.*
http://www.basquescharcoal.com/horticulture.htm
*25.*
http://www.albany.edu/sph/poster_2002/eht_johnssemp.pdf
*26.*
Colorado State University Cooperative Extension
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk/ptlk1600.html (Water absorbing polymers)
*27.*
Basques Hardwood Charcoal http://www.basquescharcoal.com/animal.htm
*28.*
Renewables Obligation Order 2002
http://www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si2002/20020914.htm
*29.*
John Grimes, Business Leader Material Handling at AES Drax Power Ltd, 01757
618381
*30.*
Conversation with the proprietor of Reighton Nurseries, near Filey.
*31.*
Gavin Gulliver-Goodall, 3G energi, Allesudden, Charlesfield, St. Boswells,
Melrose,
TD6 0HH, 08000 835949 stoves at 3genergi.co.uk
*32.*
3G Energi And Cornwell Heat Ltd, Bells Lane, Hawstead, Bury St Edmunds,
Suffolk, IP29 5NW, 01284 386447
*33.*
Yorkshire Charcoal Company, Sawdon, Scarborough,
charcoal at ycco.freeserve.co.uk
*34.*
Gem Gardening, Brookside Lane, Oswaldwistle, Accrington, Lancs, BB5 3NY
01254 356635 Contact Pat
*35.*
Aquafilm Limited, Oak Drive, Hartlebury Trading Estate, Hartlebury,
Worcestershire, DY10 4JB, 01299 251335 info at aquafilm.com
*36.*
Foldhill Foods Ltd., Foldhill, Old Leake, Boston, Lincs. PE22 9RJ 01205
270500
Contact Graham Borner Technical and George Lowis Purchasing
grahamb at foldhillfoods.fsnet.co.uk
*37.*
William Boulton Vibro Energy Ltd., Croft Street, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent,
Staffordshire, ST6 3BG, 01782 816158, Contact Terry Meigh
sales at williamboulton.co.uk See equipment details (below)
*38.*
London Scandinavian, Head Office and Manufacturing Plant, Fullerton Road,
Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S60 1DL, 01709 828500, sales at lsm.co.uk
*39.*
Big K Charcoal Merchants Ltd, Whittington Hill, Stoke Ferry, Norfolk, PE33
9TE
01366 500 147, General Manager: Trevor Round, chris.kleanthous at bigk.co.uk
*40.*
Shirley Aldred, Newark, 01433 620003, charcoal.aldred at virgin.net
 12
 ------------------------------
*Page 17*
*Equipment Details *
 William Boulton Vibro Energy Ltd
Ball mills
Prices are:-
MG-3 �6,968.00
approx. 7.5 kg per hour.
10 Tonnes per year
MG-5 �9,628.00
approx.12.5 kg per hour
20 Tonnes per year
MG-10 �14,893.00
approx.25 kg per hour
40 Tonnes per year
Grinding media is �3.40 per kg.
All prices are ex. works Stoke-on-Trent.
Delivery time is 12 - 16 weeks.
Payment terms would need to be 50% with order, 50% within 60 days from
delivery.
For continuous output, any of the mills can be fitted with an overflow type
outlet and
flexible connectors to a vibratory screen with oversize return conveyor at
additional
�5,500.00. The vibratory screen is necessary to return oversize/un-milled
pieces which
would be ejected on continuous operation.
 *Analytical Tools *
 Biocompactor.xls and briquette.xls are spreadsheets developed to analyse
the costs of
production of fuel logs incorporating charcoal. Variables include the cost
of machinery, labour
costs, charcoal costs, interest rates, maintenance costs, rate of production
etc. The aim is to show
what price the finished logs or briquettes would have to fetch for the
operation to be profitable.
In addition, the spreadsheets can calculate the energy cost of the finished
product in pence per
kWh.
 *Authors *
 *Andy Sharp *(Ph.D)
*David Hutchinson*
17 Alexandra Park
Yorkshire Charcoal Company
Scarborough
and
Brompton Moor House
N. Yorks
Sawdon
YO12 5JN
Scarborough
andy at pepper-sharp.freeserve.co.uk
N. Yorks
YO13 9EB
 charcoal at ycc.freeserve.co.uk
 13
 ------------------------------
*Page 18*
------------------------------
*Page 19*
------------------------------
*Page 20*
*Published by*
*North York Moors National Park Authority*
The Old Vicarage
Bondgate
Helmsley
North Yorkshire
Y062 5BP
Tel: 01439 770657
Fax: 01439 770691
www.moors.uk.net
 � North York Moors National Park Authority 2003
 ISBN 0 907480 98 5
  ------------------------------


-- 
Michael the Archangel
"Politicians will never solve The Problem;
because they don't realise they are The Problem.".
-Robert ( Bob ) Parsons 1995
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: /attachments/20080506/01418db5/attachment-0001.html