[Stoves] re The Ccharcoal project

[ajheggie at gmail.com]

On Sunday 28 August 2011 16:42:41 Crispin Pemberton-Pigott wrote:

>
> Regarding the transport of charcoal, I am sure you have seen 10 tons of
> charcoal on a 7 ton truck.

Crispin, what bulk density are you allowing for charcoal? In bags? We have 
a serious problem getting a full 28tonne load of woodchip into a walking 
floor trailer unless it is quite fresh.

>
> What would be helpful is if you would engage the topic of sustainable
> charcoal production. People want to use it as a fuel because it is
> nice, simple as that. Lots of people in Canada who can afford any fuel
> they want choose to cook meat with charcoal. It is a market that is
> going to last as long as there is cooking, as far as I can see.

In UK there was a brief fillip in the consumption of char for BBQ but that 
seems to have given way to LPG fired BBQs. I doubt it is used for 
domestic cooking at all here.
>
<snipped>
>
>
> Char production can supply high quantities of 'process heat' for
> powering all sorts of things on the farms. 

I agree, drying and ceramic firing look like they could sensibly use 
offgas from advanced kilns. We briefly burned the offgas a small 
gasturbine which showed promise for a cheap system, making it overly 
complicated to maximise electricity genration ruined any economic 
benefit.



> Farmers should be allowing 
> nothing to leave their land unless it is as processed as possible in
> that region. 

This is debateable but I generally agree because I see export of cash 
crops without properly valuing the mineral fertiliser take off with the 
produce as being a danger in some situations.


AJH