Biochar2

This is the barrel biochar maker.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• gardening
• biochar
• gasifier
• terra
• preta

[Tossdart]

Are you making a bed for Morrell mushrooms?

[theoriginalSkooby]

This is to make biochar for the garden. It helps to hold nutrients and improve the soil.

[Jkirk3279]

When I first saw this burner I thought it was a MIDGE stove.

Then I realized your air jets are too close to the top and your collar leaks.

You want to pre-heat the air inside the barrel, and guide that air into the reactor tube just below your top lid.

BTW, if you cut and bend tabs on your top lid you can screw it to the reactor tube.

A properly set up MIDGE will burn stick fuel for about fifteen minutes to char perfectly, then go out. Using chips is slowing down your airflow.

[theoriginalSkooby]

It is supposed to be a MIDGE. Unfortunately it isn't working very efficiently. I modified it since this video but it seems to stop working when the fuel is only half spent. I plan on messing with it some more this spring. The way I modified it is I cut slits down to the existing hole and folded the flaps to get a better seal. I then drilled new smaller holes for the biogas about 3 inches from the top. Is it better to have larger biogas outlets or smaller ones?

[nitack]

I think you need to refine your process. In order to produce Biochar you need to heat the wood in the absence of oxygen. You need to seal off your wood from both the fire and the air with the exception of a venting hole. You appear to just be burning the wood itself, which just creates burned wood not biochar. I recommend the Hypography Terra Preta forums where there are many extensive discussions going on about the topic of biochar

[theoriginalSkooby]

A down draft gasifier heats the wood in the absence of oxygen after the fire gets going. This obviously doesn't turn all the material into biochar. It does save the extra fuel that would be used by using the fuel contained within the wood. That is the point of this type of gasifier. And it can indeed be refined. My other gasifier is much more efficient but too small to create a usable quantity.

[stonerj0e]

just burn some wood in a fire pit and put it out with water before it all burns away . i do not understand why this is "new" !

[Covertmaddroxx1]

FF standing for Fire Fighter, if you dont believe me im with station 4-somerset county Maryland, Deal island fire department est. 1954

[Covertmaddroxx1]

Ok guys your not making wood gas by burning the wood itself what you have too do is Have the wood in a container, then the container suspended over a fire, the fire causes the container with the wood too heat, the heat makes this wood rapidly decompose into charcoal IE=Biochar and the gases from the rapidly decomposing wood is WG (wood gas) which is flamable and a little warning too people, the actual smoke form the wood is DANGEROUS, DO NOT INHALE!!!!!!!!! this is coming from a professional FF

[WorldStove]

love it. I might add a fan if I were you but it sure is a nice little setup.