"adam-retort" Vs.1, Charcoal Retort, Terra Preta, Biochar, Briquettes,

[crazyirishdad]

so are you going to give the information on building these retorts to these people who can not afford them ? this knowledge was given to you as a gift . should you not do the same ? or is it only about the money ?

[1310monster]

@crazyirishdad Last time I spoke to Hirst, the plans were $1500. It's funny how these so called enviro conscious people are worse than the greediest scoundrel on wall street when given the opportunity to gouge someone...wouldn't you agree?

[r43007]

can you make this design or drawing plan available. I need to use this in DRC. Thank you

[HomeDistiller]

traditional method have one huge advantage over this.. you dont need to haul the wood to the burner just build it next to the wood as they are quick and easy to build

[fatturdburger]

How bout running a generator off the woodgas

[cosmopolit123]

@fatturdburger

The woodgas is normally needed to be flared (burned) to push the carbonization. Also during a day's operation (12hrs), the methan gas will only be available for about an hour...,

cosmopolit123

[bdiscoe]

I don't know about this 'adam' retort, it strikes me as rather dubious. Strong claims require strong evidence, and i have yet to see independent 3rd-party numbers on it. There's also the weird amount of secrecy. For someone that's trying to build or buy a kiln/retort, being able to see a schematic is basic to having an idea of whether it will work - who would spend thousands of dollars blindly on an unknown mechanism with unknown results?

[cosmopolit123]

1. There is no mystery/secrecy about retort carbonization. Retort carbonization is an international industrial standard, i just reduced this principle from an industrial level to an appropriate technology level!

2.Who says the this "low-cost retort kiln" cost "thousands of dollars!

3. "3rd party?" I just got news from a french man in West Africa that he makes 350kg-375kg of charcoal per batch (about 1000kg of wood) with this "adam-retort"

That's it.

[bdiscoe]

1. There is a mystery, because there is no available retort in the USA for under $10,000, and no available plans for one. There is only Very small plans for 1-2 55-gallon barrels, nothing bigger.

2. The biocoal site has no pricing, so the only info is rumor. Rumor says it costs $1000-$3000 to "license" to even SEE the schematic for adam retort design, to study before deciding if it worth pursuing. Do you know anything more?

[fedaikn]

well, the volume difference is obvious. more obvious is the fact that the drums need to be replaced after 30 or so uses and there is another obvious fact, they don't burn the wood gases in the way the icps does it.

the whole advantage is that the construction plans can be found easily, it's relatively easy to build one and it produces a batch of charcoal in very little time. besides being used by a village blacksmith or a hobbyist, there is obviously no great use for it.

best regards

[cosmopolit7]

You are right, the "adam-retort" is too complex to be just quickly built. If the intention is to use the retort just casually, once a while- Getting the materials, preparing all the parts necessary is not really worth just to built one retort when starting from ZERO.

However if you want to produce charcoal regularily- the retort will be very useful and effective...

[fedaikn]

google for iwasaki sumiaki, it's a interesting charcoal kiln, not expensive and efficient

the first google result should lead to their homepage where the give away FREE construction details

[cosmopolit7]

The "adam-retort" works with a wood chamber volume of ~3000 litre. An oil drum has about ~200 litre. You need about 15 oil drums to reach the same volume! i don't think oil drums are a cheap solution!

How about live expectancy of an oil drum? 1 week, 1 month, 6 month??

How about effiency of these oil drums kilns? No word lost about it?

[cosmopolit7]

Next to Pondicherry it was developed by myself in cooperation with an architectural group, but this product does not fit into the services offered by architects, so on the premises where the pilot retort was built, buildings were constructed afterwards. We might take up this project in Pondicherry area beginning of 2010. =A.

[MaaTini]

We need this retort technology here for SE Asia, we are one of the largest private charcoal consumers- about 3 million tons of charcoal per year.

Millions of trees could be saved if these retorts are built in Asia......

Excellent economic Production for Charcoal - high Efficiency with low Costs! This will help our World in many Ways!

CONGRATULATIONS

[letschangeworld]

Let's not only make charcoal out of wood in this retort?; lets use bamboo, coconut shells, briquettes from wood chips and saw dust, maize/corn cobs, rice and coffee husks, dozens of possibilities to save our trees , we just have to start....

[ecotslaunch]

has anyone tried making charcoal from coconut husks?

[cosmopolit7]

Yes it works with coconut shells, they do it in Kenya/ Mombasa...

[fouruandme]

Yeah..finally some movement in this old fashioned charcoal technologies! Well done!

Saving half of the wood hard- to believe... Burning most of the methane- sounds great....!!!!