[Stoves] [biochar-policy] More on briquettes and pellets

Crispin Pemberton-Pigott crispinpigott at gmail.com
Sun Dec 5 09:03:44 CST 2010


Dear Jock

 

Very nice web pages and a well presented instructions provided by the link.

 

I have a question relating to the iCan.

 

Have you tried elevating the primary air holes in the outer can above the
bottom? I understand from the photos that the elevated holes are only on the
inner cans.

 

The reason I ask is that I have found benefit from making the primary air
travel downwards at least part of the vertical height. The preheats the air
slightly and provides negative buoyancy reducing draft. As the inner can
starts to heat up, it increases the negative buoyancy because the inner can
is hotter and this interaction tend to self-regulate the power.

 

If you get a significant preheat (I would make the gap between the cans no
more than 10mm) you can burn harder, denser fuels that will not pyrolyse
with a normal preheat.

 

Give it a try! IT is really easy.

 

Best regards

Crispin

 

From: Jock Gill [mailto:jg45 at me.com] 



 

Ron,

 

I have been able to make very good char, as tested by Hugh McLaughlin, from
grass tablets.  These have a diameter of about 1.5 inches and I break them
into wafers about 1/2 CM thick.  My first batch of grass tablet biochar was
actually made by Paul Anderson in one of his TLUDs.

 

Please see this post from Nov. 2009:
http://www.greaterdemocracy.org/archives/931

 

I also find that quenching the biochar at the end of the pyrolysis is not
critical at all.  If I leave one of my iCans overnight, I lose less than
half the charcoal.  My guess is that this is the result of tuning the iCan
for the least amount of primary air.  I have noted that when the pyrolysis
is over, the bed of charcoal emits "smoke".  My goal is for zero smoke, but
find that I can still get god biochar if the smoke is essentially gone in
less than two minutes.  My practice is to only quench after the smoke has
essentially finished f within in about 3 minutes after the pyrolysis flames
extinguish themselves.

 

Cheers,

 

Jock

 

 

Jock Gill

P.O. Box 3

Peacham,  VT  05862

Carbon Negative Solutions

(G) (802) 503-1258

 

 

On Dec 5, 2010, at 1:42 AM, rongretlarson at comcast.net wrote:





  

 

Richard and 2 lists:

Thanks for the complete response.  I conclude that pellets and briquettes
are possibly able to act similarly in char-making stoves, but briquettes
look better in traditional stoves.  Apparently not much comparative work
done yet for advantages of production of one vs the other.  

 

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