MAKING BIOCHAR: with Peter Hirst of New England Biochar

[jsmythib]

redirecting the woodgas to augment the process on *itself is fantastic :)

[Vailhem]

Anyone have any links to the larger Adam Retort design talked about near the end of the video?

[MrTimjwilson]

Thanks for posting this. I'll be in touch

Tim Wilson

[turbodog411]

Could this char be used in a water filter system?

Thanks!

[CBlargh]

What about nitrogen and other non-carbon elements in the wood? Are these off-gassed as well, or do they stay in the chamber?

Is there a limit to how much graphite you can put on the plants, or any danger of harming them by doing so? Is it possible to separate the nitrogen from the pure carbon?... or is it even hot enough to make graphite?

I'd be curious to see a breakdown of the chemicals left in the barrel after processing.

[geopacko]

DeadlyDad: There are lots and lots of ways of making charcoal in a carbon friendly way...ie using the woodgas as secondary heat to reduce the organic matter to nearly pure carbon. But the issue with biochar is QUANTITY. Figure 10% by volume crushed charcoal to soil plus compost plus other added organic matter. . If you have a 1000 square foot garden, and you want to mix biochar into the top 1 foot of your beds.....hmmm. Peter is building units for big production. --George (film producer)

[geopacko]

DeadlyDad:  There are lots and lots of ways of making charcoal in a carbon friendly way...ie using the woodgas as secondary heat to reduce the organic matter to nearly pure carbon. But the issue with biochar is QUANTITY. Figure 10% by volume crushed charcoal to soil plus compost plus other added organic matter. . If you have a 1000 square foot garden, and you want to mix biochar into the top 1 foot of your beds.....hmmm. --George (film producer)

[DeadlyDad]

Thanks for making this *extremely* informative video. I was wondering if you could comment on how easy it would be to use the Aprovecho Institutional Rocket Stove (they have a video here; look for 'Institutional Stove (Factory in a Box)') design to generate biochar.

[PoirierMike]

Many thanks to Peter Hirst for a detailed and clear explanation of the process. Also thanks to the producer for freely bringing such an important subject to the masses.

[Trapezoidal]

Other sources seem to claim that the natural antrhosols were made using cold charcoal as you want some of the gunk to remain in the wood - What advantage, other than its cleanliness of burning, is there to the higher temperature charcoal that this method produces?

[saltydog335]

@Trapezoidal Not sure what you mean by "cleanliness of burning". DO you mean burning in the production of the char or in burning the char as fuel? In any event, we are not making char for fuel here. This is biochar, which is not to be burned, but added to the soil. For this we want as little as possible of combustibles other than elemental carbon left in the char. This maximizes its effectiveness in the soil.

[Trapezoidal]

@saltydog335 I mean the cleanliness of the gases coming off from making the biochar at a higher temperature as opposed to a lower one. The lower temperature char off gases dirtier, though correspondingly it maintains a lot more of its tarry, etc. compounds which are supposed to be a beneficial property of the char. How does creating the char at a higher temperature affect this? Is there a median between the two types which will be acceptably clean, though still hold onto a lot of the biogoop?

[halfthemandan]

Where could I get a "Vol-Can" oven that you used in your video to put the 55 gallon drum into?

[saltydog335]

@halfthemandan DOn't know the term "Vol-Can", but this vessel is a surplus wax vat from a candle factory. This was a one-off, and I wish I knew where to get more.

[shoopdeedoop]

Good stuff, thanks for the video!

[saltydog335]

We process it down to about 3/8 minus. Mixes well with materials and soil, and distributes evenly. Also includes a lot of powder and fines . For topdressing this time of year, smaller is better. In the fall, larger particles will break down through freezes and thaws. SO crush it, but don't kill yourself doing it.

[shortywarn]

is it better to have it chunky,,,, or more powdey when adding to soil??? i'll be adding as topdressing,,,,, so i'm wondering if manually chrushing it into a more powdery finer substance would help get it into,under the soil?? or are chunks better???

[geopacko]

Psychoscientist007-- there is very little ash left after the primary kindling burns down...the conventional use for ash in gardens is to help lower the pH of acid soils. --George

[PsychoScientist007]

Is there any effective and productive use of the burnt wood(ashes) stacked outside the inner barrel ?

[projectoutdream]

@PsychoScientist007 clean/non chemically treated, non-citrus, hardwood ash, being alkaline & containing potassium, is perfect for mixing with bokashi (which is acidic, around 3-4pH) in order to raise it to a pH of 6.5 to 7 & then the bokashi can be fed directly to a worm farm as ready food!! otherwise, as george said, generally, it's a good alkalizer if you've got an acidic soil situation.

[georgpackard]

Zeffrin: I don't know what the "no sound" problem is...but I just tried my video out, and the sound is there. Try it again, Please. George

[Zeffrin101]

hrm no sound for me :(

[turuanu]

Well, I've watched this video again after watching many on the same subject, and this is much clearer now, and so far the best and most exhaustive video. thanks.

[saltydog335]

@Helioforge DOn't know how your comment got flagged: its a good question. YOur video would benefit from showing the whole burn process, especially the beginning: toplighting is the key. ALso, when dousing an open burn, if you want to get the water effect, sprinkle, don't drown. Max temp and residence time in steam is what you are going for

[forestfairness]

he refers to the "first phase burn" in the video....how many times does the retort have to be loaded with wood to make one barrel of char????....a couple weeks ago i also had a couple other questions, see below under forestfairness....i am slowly building a larger one, mahalo for all the info.....sounds like a good missing link for the homesteader farmer....aloha, forest

[havocdaemon]

Now I don`t know anything at all about the benefits for the soil, but as far as making charcoal, that is the most BRILLIANT thing I`ve ever seen! Not only perfectly clean with large results, but it`s also a lot faster! A lot cheaper! A lot tidier! How can you go wrong? So simple, and it burns up the tiny amount of fuel that you use completely, including the wood gas! I`m totally floored, and any future charcoal I make will be done using THIS method. Thank you!

[forestfairness]

couple questions, would it work to have the outer chamber be a hole in the ground slightly larger than the inner chamber and covered with corregated roofing and chimney????.....does galvanized roofing give off any toxic gasses when heated up????...... could one stand far enough away to not be affected by the heated galvanization????....does one need to use hardwood for the char, or could softer wood be made into biochar???....thanks for the video, it is great there is little pollution....

[tappakeggaday1]

I had another "silly idea"why not if you have one is used leaves and grass clippings in a pelleting machine and turn that into bio char?it would be a lot more dense in the burn barrel and the right size for the soil instead of having to break it up like the larger stuff here.seems like it would work and it is a renewable idea.

[saltydog335]

@tappakeggaday1 Pellets are too fine to circulate the hot gasses in this unit, and too expensive to make. Also leaves and grass are more valuable as compost. Large hog fuel (very caorse ground wood) is another matter.

[tappakeggaday1]

@saltydog335 well like i said it was an idea,but also the idea from what your doing is to pack or as i have seen in many other videos is to pack that center chamber as full as you can because it will lose mass when it out gases and turns to char.While true pelleting machines can be expensive initially i really dont see why pellets would be a bad idea because once heated up they would out gas like any other wood and still seem like they would be the right size for the ground

[saltydog335]

@tappakeggaday1 OK one more time: please read carefully: pellets will not work in this retort, because they are too fine and hence too dense: heat will not penetrate, hot gases will not circulate. Yes I pack this as full as I can, but with much coarser material. WHy pay even $200 ton for feedstock when there is so much available free?

[MiguelAngelSF2010]

I would like to know, what kind of material he is using for changing the classical dark smoke to clear gass. Very good video.

[saltydog335]

@MiguelAngelSF2010 The "material" is the secondary air added at the top of the burn. We do this with any material.

[Getawaymoments]

love the biochar theatre sign ... nice video

[tappakeggaday1]

I have a really "wild" idea,I don't know if it has ever been tried but couldn't a Fresnel lens be trained on the drum instead of burning to make the heat to make the char?like I said it's one of those silly ideas.

[icicicles]

@tappakeggaday1

Far from silly, Fresnel lens would work but there is the cycle of the Earth you have to keep up with, so experment with that and let us know what you come up with.

[ktrez2000]

The statement that charcoal is made at 400 F is incorrect it is made at 850-950 F (455 – 510 C). When cooked at that temperature the volatiles in the wood are driven out leaving a product that is practically smokeless. That is why charcoal is used rather than stinky smokey wood.

[icicicles]

@ktrez2000 You just repeated what he said about the heat.

As for the stinky wood, why not use alder or maple and smoke some salmon or beef jerky while your at it?

[saltydog335]

@ktrez2000 The dialog in the film makes this distinction between F and C, and I stand by the statement that traditionally made charcoal is closre to 400f. In the traditional methd, the volatiles are certainly NOT driven out, because they provide added btus and smoke flavor. Biochar, on the other hand is made in the temperature ranges you indicate.

[opcn18]

The stack effect is not the siphon effect.

[icicicles]

@opcn18

Yes it is, it's called thermo drafting.

[opcn18]

@icicicles If a stack is a siphon then so is a hole in the bottom of a bucket full of water.

[icicicles]

@opcn18

A stack is a siphon because of a heat cold displacement. The same thing happens outside your window, it's called thermo drafting or weather.

As for the hole in the bottom of a bucket. Sitting on the ground, up right and no other variables. I'd say the force of energy is gravity.

[opcn18]

@icicicles Palm=>Face .

The force that runs the stack effect is gravity too, different temperatures cause differential gas expansion and differential density.

The water in the bucket vs. the air around it responds differently to gravity because they have different densities. The siphon effect is drawing dense water against the gravity gradient with a greater pull in the direction of gravity.

[saltydog335]

@opcn18 Thermal siphon or stack siphon is a descriptive term not meant to indicate that it is the same principle as with a liquid.

[opcn18]

@saltydog335 A thermosiphon is a siphon run on the stack effect, since this is just a stack and not a siphon that doesn't apply.

[vuthisa]

Excellent video. I have referenced back to the contents of this presentation on my own biochar blog. I have a similar system (not sure georgpackard will agree!) that is able to produce 264 lb of charcoal per batch.

[panstriato2]

Hello, I built a smaller one and am building one of the same size of the vid now. What I havn`t found is what size the botton holes should be, please tell me what size you used.

[nckcanna]

love what your doing! go sox

[Axbent]

5-15% is very dry wood! usualy fire wood is more like 20% where i live (sweden).

[nuke38]

Fantastic: most informative biochar video I've seen on YouTube, this a true biochar process, not just a charcoal one. Lots of excellent information and appropriate caution.

[GetMeThere1]

Informative. Thanks for posting.

[whackitov]

regarding the comments on carbon accounting.

the claim that co2 contributes to global warming is false.

the natural cycle is as follows, as c02 content in the atmosphere rises, vegetative growth increases until the natural balance is restored.....actual basic scientific fact.

global warming is due to us exiting the last ice age...also a fact.

governments are pushing this carbon issue in order to create a new tradeable commodity....carbon trading.

you are not being told the WHOLE story.

[saltydog335]

@whackitov You are overlooking one thing: The "natural cycle" does not include returning billion of tons of ancient carbon to the atmoshphere.  As for carbon trading: my char is worth about 5 bucks a ton in carbon credits, Over 2000 in increased crop production.

[whackitov]

@saltydog335 isnt all carbon ancient?, do forest fires not naturally occur? even within ancient forest?

im not disagreeing that biochar is a good thing, im simply disagreeing with the manmade global warming statement, carbon trading as it were will never make the slightest dent in any natural planetary cycle. it is however a good thing that biochar has been rediscovered in recent years and that we are beginning to use it once more, resulting in higher crop yields

[saltydog335]

@whackitov Yes, forest fires occur naturally, cows eat grass and fart, you and I respirate, and the natural cycle goes on. Naturally occurring combustion of ancient deposits of coal, oil and methane is somewhat less frequent.

[saltydog335]

@whackitov Yes, forest fires occur naturally, cows eat grass and fart, you and I respirate, and the natural cycle goes on. Naturally occurring combustion of ancient deposits of coal, oil and methane, however, is somewhat less frequent.

[fendi164]

Great vid !! But what do you do with the burnt wood stacked outside the inner barrel ? Do you mix it with the biochar? I would think that the chemical composition between the directly burnt wood and the biochar is different.

[georgpackard]

The bits of wood and twigs in the outer barrel all burn down to ash...that's what starts the heating process.

[Axbent]

@georgpackard do u mix ashes to the compost too?

[Linguiphile]

Did he buy it somewhere or did he make it? I can weld, so I may try to put one of these together. Good point that it has to be treated before applying it to the soil.

[georgpackard]

Peter and Bob have been developing a wide range of designs and sizes of biochar retorts, and yes, they build them themselves.

George

[propositionjohnston]

Does anyone know where I could get one of these kilns (outer barrel) that would fit a 44 gallon drum.(to fit the wood to be charcoal) I'm in Australia.

Maybe I'll have to make one myself?

[georgpackard]

Good luck finding or making it! Let me know if you get it done.

George

[edudrepus]

If the guy would put some pink fiberglass insulation around the can it would make the whole thing better.

[georgpackard]

Actually Peter and Bob use a hi-tech hi-temp insulating material. Sorry, I don't know what it's called. You can email Peter to find out.

[saltydog335]

If the guy put some pink fiberglass insulation around it it would make a big mess, because it melts at about 900, and the outer barrel gets to abut 1200. The guy actually uses 1" of 2300 degree alumina silicate insulation.

-- The Guy

[edudrepus]

thank you that was constructive.

[bodayshus]

Great video. I have wanted to do this for some time and now I feel I understand much better. Off to the scrap yard!

[geopacko]

I'm not sure I understand your question re. the inner drum, but it is filled with wood, the top is open (no lid) and then it is inverted in the larger drum. There is no seal. The wood gas is forced down the inner drum and out at the bottom, since the inner drum is simply resting, open, upside down, inside the larger drum. The wood gas ignites as it is drafted up the space between the outside and inside drum and contacts the burning twig-wood. George Packard

[chrisleblay]

5 stars (very clean and well explained)

the inner can is put upside down.

Is it just sealed with his original top or you added other component for a better sealed (but not perfect to let the dangerous gas to go out ) ?

[Firefly804]

we can see you're using an old 55gal drum for the inner chamber, what is the outer shell made from?  Was it fabricated just for this, or is it made from an old recycled oil tank or something? i want to build one like this , as it seems to use a lot less wood to fire the retort than the one i have now.

[saltydog335]

Inner can is 304 stainless drum, outside is a wax melting vessel, also stainless, from a candle factory. The stack is stainless Metalbestos, 8" ID. Use about a 95 gallon overpack drum for the outer can on a 55 to get the same ratio. The key to less fuel use is the insulation. We use 1" of ceramic blanket, avaialble from Ceramic Fiber Online. YOu will probably get better results from the unit you already have if you insulate it and make sure you have plenty of secondary air up high.

[saltydog335]

@Firefly804 SPecial tank adapted, but you can get overpack drums op to 110 gallons

[WorldStove]

This is a spectacular video. My compliments too for demonstrating clean char production and discussing responsible application of char so as to not harm plants or soil. Yours is an example that all of us in the biochar community should follow. 5/5

[saltydog335]

Nat: Thanks so much for the comment. We intend to live up to the highest standards and are very grateful for support like yours in doing that.

[Firefly804]

how fine should it be ground up? small gravel? rice grain? dust? dust gives more surface area,  but i would think larger bits would hold water better

[saltydog335]

We grind to a range of particle size from fines (coarser than dust, more like fine sand) up to about 1/4 inch. Grinding to dust does not necessarily increase surface area, which is inherent in the microstructure. In fact, it probably reduces surface are by destroying the miscrostructure.

[JAROSLAVAGINA]

this has to be the best vid i've seen on the topic yet.

Thanks for posting it!

[saltydog335]

Thanks for the comment, and thanks to George Packard for his fine work. No website yet, but its coming soon.

[tigerone1970]

Question: Could this be done without oil drums? I imagine the Amazon Indians would not have access to oil drums, and yet for all we know they invented this process.

[georgpackard]

Sure, charcoal can be produced in lots of ways, simply by restricting the amount of oxygen that gets to the wood as it's burning. In this short movie I didn't have the space to include Peter's explanation about the fact that this method makes a much cleaner, less polluting burn by combusting the methane and other wood gases that are produced from the wood as it heats in the inner chamber. --george

[tigerone1970]

I was wondering how this could be done using just natural materials.

Would you separate the main wood from the fire and oxygen by putting sand.

How would they create a draft with natural materials?

[saltydog335]

The Adam-Retort, which I mention in the video, is the closest thing I know to a clean-burning closed retort using natural materials. A clean burn can also be achieved, however, in an open burn, using what we call a "Reed Pile" A  limbwood rick burned top down produces char and burns surprisingly cleanly. Terra Preta may have been produced from such a burn, but we don't use it. Energy capture is a huge element of carbon negative potential of biochar.

Peter Hirst

New England Biochar

[JAROSLAVAGINA]

Do you have a website?

[Quranite]

Maybe even cook a meal or two. How about using wheat or rice bran? How about straw or dried sugarcane bagasse?

[Quranite]

Can this be applied to heating up a house? Thereby getting two birds with one stone. You can warm up in your house on a cold night and have charcoal for your garden.

[peugeotogo]

I make char in my woodstove by filling a cast iron dutch oven with sawdust and setting it in the stove atop the wood. The woodgas burns off around the lid, and the char is fully formed in about three hours. I pull the pot out with a poker under its wire handle, cool for a bit, then empty into a covered can.

[ChrisChinchillaUK]

Very interesting, thanks!