[Stoves] Char used for cooking

[Andrew Heggie]

On 21 September 2017 at 06:30, Frank Shields <franke at cruzio.com> wrote:
> Stovers,
>
> When i do a butane activity test I pass butane gas through the char and a
> good char will take up ~ 20g butane for every 100 g dry char. Most is around
> 8 g added to 100 g dry.

This is adsorption?  Presumably the more internal surface area the
more butane is retained. Most chars are only mildly activated and the
effect is increased many fold by treating the char with an oxidant
that will "pit" the structure.

>On a volume basis there should be an increase in
> energy. Filling stoves is done on a volume basis. Not sure about increase of
> energy on a weight basis.

As butane has three times the calorific value of wood it should be
more but what's the point, for cooking, in devolatising wood to make
char just to add a gas back?


>Butane is what I use but the char will take up
> other organic gases.

... and heavy metals apparently

Andrew