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Had a big fire to make char for #biochar last night.

I dug a 10' trench then made sure to keep a good fire going. If a good fire is burning, it starves the coals of oxygen. I think angled sides help with this. The heat releases all volitile compounds and leaves just the carbon structure behind.

When done burning, I poured 40 gallons of water then buried it. I don't have running water here, otherwise I would have used much more. I'll leave it buried for at least a week to let it cool

#grownostr #permies

Brisket 1y ago

You're best bet is to build a kiln using corrugated iron to both reflect the heat back in & restrict the oxygen. You still need to quench at the end but it produces a lot more biochar.

Simply cut lengths of corrugated iron to 1.2m (4ft) & bolt/screw them together to form a cube that's open at both ends. Star pickets wired to the top hold the general shape & support it when you throw long branches in.

Feed the fire when the wood burning starts to turn to charcoal. Only the top layer of wood will be combusting because of the restricted oxygen.

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Discussion

NaturalNerd 1y ago

Nice biochar kiln. I may make one at some point, but the pit method works pretty well too. I'm not too worried about getting less biochar, wood is abundant here. This was a quick and easy approach. I still have a large amount of char.

If I wasn't burning wood that was 7-10 feet in length, I would have tried a dryer drum set on the ground to plug the holes. It works as a great burn barrel when off the ground. I like to build things out of pallets and bedframes, so when I have a pile of scraps this burns it up fast.

Devon Olsen 1y ago

I also prefer the cone pit for simplicity, ability to scale up or down with a shovel and a few minutes and ability to use stock in the raw.

however this gives me an idea of what to do with the dryer I just tore apart for the motor

NaturalNerd 1y ago

What are you thinking for a project. I love building out of scrap.

My grandpa had added a shelf inside the shell of a dryer and had it in the garage/ shop.

I thought about painting the shell black to use as a dehydrator, but I'm going with a different design.

Devon Olsen 1y ago

I mostly tore apart for motor that I hope to use for a generator, going to start tinkering with some homemade wind turbines as I get the opportunity, I want windy days to be just a scoche less grumpifying lol

not sure of drum use yet, kiln for clean char or a dehydrator both sound like good ideas

Brisket 1y ago

I have a lot of green & brown waste too.

The simple kiln is incredible at burning through it all. Very minimal smoke even when burning green leaves. The size allows you to add whole branches and logs without spending hours chopping into smaller peices.

It's a brilliant design (also not mine).

NaturalNerd 1y ago

I imagine with a good bed of coals in that thing, it would burn almost anything.

Do you have an infrared thermometer? I would be curious how hot you could get it.

Brisket 1y ago

No thermometer but it's very hot work - it's like being in a sauna working around it. You can feel the heat radiating from the iron quite a few metres away.

When you put a branch with leaves in it, they seem to spontaneously combust in a ball of hot air. It wasn't until I did my own burn that I fully grasped how clever the design was.

Brisket 1y ago

Tip: It's easier to reduce the ash and maximize the charcoal if you build a simple kiln for your fire.

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Brisket 8mo ago

I've built a few & settled on an open kiln made out of corrugated iron.

I've found just getting charcoal in the ground to be super beneficial. My priorities are getting the most charcoal with as minimal time/effort as possible. I've no shortage of branches & debris to burn here.

Basically cut 5 or 6 lengths of corrugated iron about 1.2m long. Bolt then together top and bottom with some overlap, making sure 1 side is even (it will be sitting on this end). You need it to be about 4.5m long because you'll fold it up into a 1m² square. Wire some old star pickets to the top to provide structural support & you're done.

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