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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Tom,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Thanks for the reference to the Kalle. Lots of good principles to remember there. We’ve all been fascinated with that one from time to time. Many thanks to Joachim for the translation. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Pannirselvam,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>The Adam retort does make good use of heat. Low quality waste heat can be recovered. If you could recover the gas you could generate about 4 kWe. But I am looking for ways to generate power from small scale charcoal production equal to 5-10 Adam retorts: 50-100 kWe So I’m looking for the $2200/kWe solution based on gas from 12 m3 batch kilns. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Most charcoal in SSA is probably produced in earth kilns. There are big quantities. DRC alone consumes 1.9 million tons of charcoal per year; Tanzania 1.5; Ghana 1.5; Mozambique 1.8; Ethiopia 3.6; Nigeria 3.8. Together that’s 14 million tons, of 25 million tons consumed in Africa, compared with 10 million tons produced in Brazil. Charcoal creates 20 to 40 times as many jobs as LPG ro kerosene. I don’t want to put those people out of business. I just want to help them generate power from the energy they are wasting. The social transition from an earth kiln – where labor and questionable resources and exchanged for cash - to a fixed kiln business is a big change. If we can use a charcoal gasifier as part of that transition in a small business then we can help keep money in rural areas.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>I would prefer to convert the oil and tars to gas in a single step out of the kiln without handling them separately. Make a better quality gas and burn it in a boiler or engine. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>There are companies that are working on advanced gas, heat and power systems from kins. But it will take a French, Belgian, Australian, South African or Brazilian company to see profit in putting advanced system into Africa. A system of that scale would not benefit a village. In practice today power is generated from charcoal kilns by burning the off gases in boilers that are also burning wood. Even then the power side is a couple of million dollar add on to an existing fixed kiln system. Stepping up, biorefineries are multimillion dollar investments. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>I don’t see externally heated gas turbines, Stirling engines, or ORC systems going into African village charcoal systems. That’s because they cost from $5,000-$10,000/kWe. So I wonder if we can be creative and do something at a smaller scale where you don’t use large energy intensive pumps, fans, blowers made of expensive metals and elaborate controls systems. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Thanks<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Tom <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> <a href="mailto:gasification-bounces@lists.bioenergylists.org">gasification-bounces@lists.bioenergylists.org</a> <a href="mailto:[mailto:gasification-bounces@lists.bioenergylists.org]">[mailto:gasification-bounces@lists.bioenergylists.org]</a> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Pannirselvam P.V<br><b>Sent:</b> Sunday, May 08, 2011 3:31 PM<br><b>To:</b> Discussion of biomass pyrolysis and gasification<br><b>Cc:</b> Rajesh sk<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [Gasification] Charcoal Gasifiers<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Respected TOM <o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> Like Africa Brazil ,and Thailand also has large numerber of small scale charcoal production units .The optimization of not only the combustion after burner, comgasifbined gasification and Pyrolysis reactors , as well as the co2 reuseand reducion all these need system optimization studies.Then only the energy recovery and co2 produced during combustion can be consumed correctly .The best fuel can be the pyrogas that can be turned into hydrogen rich methane , thus the syngas can be fed into pyrolysis , the energy recoverd as steam which can improve the quality of both syngas and also pyrogas.Several good small sytem are operating well in the case as isolated system<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>The choice of correct type of simple gasifier can make the biomass refinery plant more flexible.The producer gas can enrich pyrolysis gas , make possible charcoal and bio char co production , one fourth of the bio oil can be easily extracted into useful as much useful bio-diesel.The swirl type combustion can burn tar char all dirty of the kiln exit emission gas , thus minimiz environmental problems make possible energy efficiency.However simple equipment design are needed as the man power training of complex technology need to be considered.Adam charcoal production made in Pondicherry ,India using after burner make good energy recovery.Some African rural charcoal kilns do recover bio oil with air cooling , thus diluting the pollution problems .Thus using this in the burner , latter some co2 recycling can be mad possible for charcoal updraft gasifier.Thus integrated combustion , gasification , pyrolysis can help to solve the challenging problem of charcoal , small energy production with less co2 problems too, but need collaborative expert knowledge. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Pannirselvam P.V<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'>Brazil<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>On Sun, May 8, 2011 at 6:32 PM, Tom Miles <<a href="mailto:tmiles@trmiles.com">tmiles@trmiles.com</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Thanks for the comments.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Everything counts because outside of India there are probably only a few hundred gasifiers generating power. How many of those work 4000-6000 hours per year? Very few I would think. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'>The context is Subsaharan Africa (SSA) where charcoal is the primary cooking fuel, and Southern Africa where abundant biomass exists that is underutilized. One project in The DRC promotes fuel wood plantations for charcoal. The villages where charcoal is produced are not electrified ad will not likely be electrified in the future. Where there is off-grid power from gensets it is expensive. So the challenge is how to recover power from waste charcoal kiln gases. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'>In most charcoal production the kilns are vented as they go through drying, torrefaction, pyrolysis and cooling. During drying and torrefaction the offgas is mostly CO2 with some CO. The calorific value of the gas is quite low (<5 MJ/m3) for the first thirty to forty hours until kiln temperatures reach about 280 C. Combustible gases do evolve which should be incinerated in an afterburner. From 35-80 hours, a period of about 45 hours, gases evolve with a calorific value of about 16 MJ/m3, depending on the peak temperature (at 325-380C, 19 MJ/m3 at 500C). During that time the chemical energy in the gas is considered to be recoverable. The gas of course contains tars and acids. The challenge is how to recover this energy for heat or local power generation. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'>In the US charcoal kilns are required to use afterburners to burn out the gas and pollutants. Solid fuel (e.g. sawdust) afterburners have been largely unsuccessful. Most kilns use propane piloted burners that consist of an eductor which draws the gases from several (usually four) kilns. The standing propane flame ignites the mixture to insure combustion at 1600F as required by the EPA. (The most recent batch kiln was installed with a catalytic afterburner followed by a lime scrubber and a baghouse.) In Brazil, where some large charcoal producers are supplied entirely by plantations, companies have studied the evolution of gases and the potential for energy recovery. They have tested arrangements of six or more kilns to obtain a steady gas flow in overlapping kiln cycles. Some kilns have afterburners or combustors. As yet there are no commercial systems recovering heat and power from kilns. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'>I am inspired by a local biochar producer who uses a downdraft wood fired gasifier to heat his batch pyrolyzer. He starts the heating process with wood gas. Once combustible gas appears from pyrolysis he valves it into the combustor where the evolving gas combines with the flame from the producer gas to heat the carbonizer. The wood gasifier provides a stable source of heat and ignition. The combustor is the afterburner for the kiln gas. He uses a chipper to prepare the wood for the gasifier and pyrolyzer. Chips, nuts and shells make great fuels for downdraft gasifiers. If you don’t have a chipper (making gasifier fuel by hand is tedious) but you do make charcoal, why not use charcoal as the pilot fuel? </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'>So my thought is to use charcoal from the kiln production to run a small gasifier. No need to chip the wood. The gas could be used two ways: A) the gas could be used as a pilot for an afterburner which could provide heat to dry the fuel to be charred; and B) cold clean gas could be used to power a genset in dual fuel or 100% producer gas mode. A charcoal gasifier requires steam which could be supplied from the kiln gas during the early cycle. Introduce the kiln gas with the air to the charcoal gasifier. Thus the kiln gas could fuel the charcoal gasifier reducing the fuel required to fired the engine-genset. You could generate 50 kWe from about six small (12 m3) kilns.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'>While a downdraft gasifier might work, an updraft or crossdraft gasifier might be more appropriate to this application because of the amount of fines generated in the kiln. A Missouri kiln makes about 23 tons of charcoal and 7 tons of fines from 100 tons of wood. In Brazil the fines are spread on the plantations (what else in the land of terra preta)? They could also be used to fuel an updraft gasifier if fired together with coarser charcoal. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Putting a gasifier(s) together with a charcoal kiln might be a useful “marriage of convenience.”</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Tom </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt'> <a href="mailto:gasification-bounces@lists.bioenergylists.org" target="_blank">gasification-bounces@lists.bioenergylists.org</a> [mailto:<a href="mailto:gasification-bounces@lists.bioenergylists.org" target="_blank">gasification-bounces@lists.bioenergylists.org</a>] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Robert Kana<br><b>Sent:</b> Sunday, May 08, 2011 10:08 AM<br><b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:gasification@lists.bioenergylists.org" target="_blank">gasification@lists.bioenergylists.org</a></span><o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [Gasification] Charcoal Gasifiers<o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>Dear Tom,<o:p></o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><br>We have tried using charcoal for engine quality gas in 2 types of gasifiers. One was our own design, downdraft with tuyers and throat, the other design was also downdraft grateless design. At first we had some clingers problems, later fixed with adjusting air volume. Gas comes out pretty clean. We washed for cooling gas, in a venturi type washer, used wood chips/sawdust/charcoal for filter medium. Charcoal used was kemiri (some type of nuts grow in Indonesia) shells, coconut shells, regular wooden charcoal pieces and briquette charcoal pieces. <br>The result was OK. Because charcoal cost here is more, we stopped with the charcoal gasification, now concentrating on rice husk and wood chips.<br>Any other details you need to know, we will try to answer. <br>Actually I have almost 30 tons of charcoal pieces in stock, we were originally thinking to built gasifier for use in our own generator. But the charcoal pieces we can sell for $ 300.00 for ton. Rice husk here cost $ 39.00 a ton and we get almost as clean gas from rice husk as charcoal.<br>Robert<o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div></div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><br>_______________________________________________<br>Gasification mailing list<br><br>to Send a Message to the list, use the email address<br><a href="mailto:Gasification@bioenergylists.org">Gasification@bioenergylists.org</a><br><br>to UNSUBSCRIBE or Change your List Settings use the web page<br><a href="http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/gasification_lists.bioenergylists.org" target="_blank">http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/gasification_lists.bioenergylists.org</a><br><br>for more Gasifiers, News and Information see our web site:<br><a href="http://gasifiers.bioenergylists.org/" target="_blank">http://gasifiers.bioenergylists.org/</a><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><br><br clear=all><br>-- <br>************************************************<br>P.V.PANNIRSELVAM<br>ASSOCIATE . PROF.<br>Research Group ,GPEC, Coordinator <br>Computer aided Cost engineering<br><br>DEQ – Departamento de Engenharia Química<br>CT – Centro de Tecnologia / UFRN, Lagoa Nova – Natal/RN<br>Campus Universitário. CEP: 59.072-970<br>North East,Brazil<br>*******************************************<br><a href="https://sites.google.com/a/biomassa.eq.ufrn.br/sites/">https://sites.google.com/a/biomassa.eq.ufrn.br/sites/</a><br> and <br><a href="http://ecosyseng.wetpaint.com/">http://ecosyseng.wetpaint.com/</a><br><br><br>Fone ;Office<br>84 3215-3769 , Ramal 210<br>Home : 84 3217-1557<br><br>Mobile :558488145083<br><br>Email:<br><a href="mailto:pvpa@msn.com">pvpa@msn.com</a><br><a href="mailto:panruti2002@yahoo.com">panruti2002@yahoo.com</a><br><a href="mailto:pannirbr@gmail.com">pannirbr@gmail.com</a><br><a href="mailto:pvpa@msn.com">pvpa@msn.com</a><br><br><br><o:p></o:p></p></div></div></body></html>