[Stoves] Grass Gasification - grass tablet biochar

[Jonathan P Gill]

Friends,

I easily run a fan assisted TLUD that is loaded with grass tablets to make wonderful grass biochar.  The best tablets are made from a mix of field grasses that include golden rod and milk weed as their saps make for good binders.   The tablets are about 4 cm in diameter.  I break the tablets into pieces about 5 to 10 mm in height.  I am now using tablets that are three or 4 years old!

I fill a reactor can that is about 15.5 cm in diameter by 19 cm tall, a 3 lbs Costco coffee can, about 3/4 full.  In the beginning, quite a bit of fan power is required, but after that the fan can be turned down.

Of course I can also cook over the burning gases as the grass tablets are converted to charcoal.  Note: grass makes for an ashy charcoal.  This is to be expected as grass has high ash content relative to wood.

Note: I find that grass tablet biochar, soaked in cold water, makes a great treatment for burns.  I simple form the soft wet charcoal disc over the burn.  I find the pain is usually gone in less than 45 minutes, even with a blistering second degree burn.

I can send pictures of my set up and the resulting grass tablet biochar if you  like.

Cheers,

Jock


On Aug 24, 2013, at 2:23 PM, Paul Anderson <psanders at ilstu.edu> wrote:

> Stovers,
> 
> I am forwarding a message from Paal Wendelbo this is quite informative about pyrolysis of grass fuel in his Peko Pe.    It should apply to all true TLUD stoves with full diameter access to the fuel chamber.
> 
> I now ask Paal:   Please discuss the "grasses".   There are so many types.   Do your comments / experiences relate to certain types (such as those with nice stiff stems, which species??) more than to other types of wavy / leafy  grasses?
> 
> Also, the diameter of you stove is important to get 1/2 kg in a bundle that is 20 cm tall.    Did you have stoves with different diameters?
> 
> Very important info you gave about difficulties when the grasses are simply packed in (not in bundles of vertical stems).
> 
> Paul

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