Making your mold a long tube would require about the same number of hammer strokes as making a single briquette but would yield a briquette bar that could be cut into many briquettes. Another idea would be to make a sheet to the correct thickness, then cut the briquettes out like biscuits.
The casava porrage acts as a binder (glue). I've just been looking at some other ideas and they use clay type soils/water, flour/water, or paper/water mush. Its basically anything starchy or gloopy that will bind it together when dry. The mix tends to be 1/4 to 1/3 binder to charcoal, but thats for experimenting with.The plus sides of burning charcoal to cook on in the home is the lack of fumes and smoke which causes no end of respiratory problems all over the third world. Another plus is it uses what would be waste biomass. Ok, that should be composted and returned to the land but it won't be and it is better than chopping down forest. Yes, "it's bleedin obvious" once you have watched it but the point is she is sharing it. Getting the thought process out there. There are utube examples of womens groups setting up small co'ops and doing this to supplement the family income and cut down on imported fuels/LPG, giving them bussiness skills and developing community. All good in my book.
Instead of mixing it with cassava porridge, mix it with the isopropyl- calcium acetate jelly stuff made in Nurdrage's video ( flaming jelly). This will not only act as a binding agent, but will also let you easily light the charcoal briquette on fire without having to dry it out.
@Thetruthishere11 The idea is to make use of a material that normally would be wasted and just rot on the field. Wood means trees, and the whole idea is to spare trees.
cassiva is a plant commonly grown by subsitance farmers in tropical regions, it's the plant that makes tapioca- so it produces a lot of starch. Pretty much any starchy binder would work. It just depends on your area. Look for whatever is cheap to make gravy or puddings in your area- cornstarch would work well, anything that makes things thicker or stick together.
Love the video and the kind lady in it explaining things in a nice and simple way. Thank you for posting this video. I will try making it at some point.
I live in Mexico and I use leftover tortillas to make porridge for charcoal briquettes, but I boil newspaper in the porridge to make more shock resistant briquettes. If you have clay, then you should use it to make a reusable charcoal mound like Primitive Technology. Btw, I just made a hydraulic briquette press, reducing unnecessary splashing and messy work.
Wonderful work. I want to try this in Haiti especially using the little cube stoves. The briquettes can be dried using the small family-size solar ovens and the big Villager, oven from Sun Ovens International, too. Perfect for small microenterprises involving cooking, bakery goods, soups,...any cooked food without using charcoal from wood. Keep up this work. It is affordable and we intend to try it! WE have 3 Villager Ovens and many small Sun Ovens in Haiti and plan to establish an extension of our bakery program. Exciting.! Will write for drawing and more information for large press to assembly line. Hey...new jobs for the villagers!
@ 8:25, do you even need the bar stock across the bottom? Just a short section of square tube, the back plate on its post, and the presser plate with the whacking end. Having the bar stock across the end means being able to scoop and fill more easily, but it isn't crucial. And if the users don't have access to welding, cut the square tube with a hacksaw but leave a couple of flaps to fold over. Those become the back.
4:50 when you see wood turn red glowing eye ball it with a bigest stick and flames get smaller they turn glowin red if you put the lead turn black if you keep it glowing turn to white ashes
Not sure if you are interested but when you sho the square stock, instead of welding the bars on the bottom just leave open and use a slightly thicker base, that way the outside just sits over the base and no welding other than for the tamper. Neat ideas though.
This is one of the best way to make biochar of agriculture wastes and its best managment to use in naturaral farming to save our climet and human civilization.
This is both science and art...science is precise ..and art allows for environmental variables ...tis is a great way for people living in underdeveloped nations to be self sufficient. And juat because in USA we have modern convenience's doest make it best...independence is best!
@pilebut The idea is that you use agricultural waste, which otherwise would rot on the field. I agree of course that using trees to make charcoal is one of the main reasons for deforestation.
@Thetruthishere11 I agree that something like a rocket stove would also work. However: 1) they are much larger / more complicated / more expensive than most regular cooking stoves that people have, which are basically small improvements over an open fire 2) making the charcoal briquettes in the field reduces the volume to be transported and adds value, which can help build small enterprises 3) making the charcoal in the field gets rid of polluting substances away from where people live. 2)
Nice vid Amy. I have been experimenting with making charcoal for my smoker and was having a hard time figuring out "when" to seal it up, good information. Thanks :)
I just did a charcoal training last week, after many years away from the project, it was great. And what I found is that people tend to want to cover the drum too soon. Patience!! It is better to have a slightly lower yield, with everything carbonized than to have incomplete carbonization, which leads to lower quality briquettes, and more difficult handling of the material...
Interesting video.... well demonstrated and explanation on how to...but 1 key item left out was why? why are you making these charcoal briquettes? As a fire starter? Any tinder? I don't understand why you would go through so much hassle.... please explain.
I tried making charcoal briquettes using rice straw but it doesn’t burn well. It dies off before burning completely. I made it with carbonized woods and it works perfectly. Do you think the problem is with the rice straws?
Beige Velivo shes the kind of person who's not smart enough to do the real stuff, she takes credit from other peoples inventions who invented this decades ago. those inventers moved on and are building rockets by now. shes 50 and still has nothing better to tell than this.
@UnknownNewDisease cassava porridge is starch paste, potato paste or other starches what we used to used to stick wallpaper with until we refined it and called it cellulose paste same stuff fancy name,when you next cook pasta and are left with slimy water its starch or calories take your pick
I could be rude and say "Google it" but I won´t, but I did so cassava/maniok/arrow root/tapioka is rich in starch, my mother swore by arrowroot as thickening for clear sauces and for fruitdishes like Danish Rødgrød or Russian Kissel or Compote or Chinese food. In Sweden we make "kräm"and "saftkräm", Rheubarb is popular in summer, eat it with milk, it´s tasty and neutralize the otherwise strong acid in rheubarb which could be bad for your teeth."Rabarberkräm". PS Lignin ought to work.
Someone mentioned using a large pan instead to make multiple bricks. That would work, & the top to the pan can be made to press & cut the bricketts at the same time!
she should get a Nobel prize.because what she does can safe, at first millions of cm3 of wood that will be chopped down to make cooking fires... and make life easier for millions of people BUT also give work to people who will make these brickets.excellent done Doktor! -keep it simple stupid- ( no offence to the Doctor) indeed works and works well!!!!
Only this is nothing new. People have been making charcoal for thousands of years my friend. This professor is just so pleased with herself for having stumbled on a skill that uneducated peasants perfected and use on a regular basis. She acts like she invented the wheel.
in that case, just use dirt to plug up the holes. in my opinion, there's no reason the elevate the barrel at all, no point in risking the barrel toppling over in the middle of a burn. just make a base from dirt or sand and make the depression and air channel and fill the channel when the smoke changes. you can also replace the air channel with a steel pipe, a 90 degree bend and a cap, having the bend under the barrel and having the opposite end ready to take the cap.
Charcoal can be stored for decades, will not rot, lighter by volume than the original material and burns hot. Ideal for small buisness/familys to make charcoal briquettes out of what is considered waste. To cook food even after the stalks would have rotted away, to make money. A large part of humanity cooks their food with wood or charcoal.
Italians in the southern mountain regions have been making charcoal this way for centuries! Until 1862, Italy was no more than a collection of City-State Plantations owned by whom ever was in favor of the Vatican. Countries from all over the Med. had their hands in these provinces, one of the reasons why regional cooking differences so greatly in Italy today.
@lucasmorter you are right of course that fields need nutrients and fiber to stay healthy. you could also use manure or fertilizer to accomplish this, or leave the land lay fallow one year in three or four. Another option is to use the plant matter to make briquettes, and return the ash to the soil. Most of the nutrients are in the ash. In any case, mother nature probably didn't intent to have large fields with a single crop :-)
Похоже что есть проблемма по приобретению каменного угля, впрочем мне так нужен этот материал что слов нет. Теперь здесь выражаю всем вам благодарность за показ способа создания активированного угля из древесины в закрытой системе. Правда немецкого языка не усвоил но видео помогло.
A few points, Brian. 1. I'm a woman. That might alter your argument. 2. Mental attraction can happen before physical- ever heard of online dating? 3. I see no reason to insult Dr. Smith. Just because she doesn't do it FOR YOU is no reason to be nasty to her. While I think she's hot, you not finding her attractive is no reason to be cruel to ANYONE. Everyone has different things they find appealing- thank God, because that makes the world so much more interesting.
I want to make my own square shaped briquette press which is medium sized; this is therefore, I earnestly request you to send me the dimensions of the briquette mold and the other required dimensions of the briquette press.
hi this is very much similar to those methods adopted by us indians to convert agricultural waste to charcoal. the very same method has been in use for ages. we get uniform quality charcoal with zero flue gas emission during the time of use. this is however with little modification
Thanks for this video Amy... I could certainly apply some if not all the information you provided in here to teach my people back home.... would you be so kind to post a video of the "production line" which you mentioned towards the end of your video. thank you for sharing your ideas.
it's a lot easier to just make a depression or hole under the barrel and make a air channel than using rocks to elevate it. with the rocks you need to kick them out without toppling the barrel and you need to handle the barrel to prevent it from toppling over, with a depression under the barrel with a air channel, you just need to seal the top and throw a couple shovel fulls of sand into the air channel and it snuffs it out.
nice video, thanks for sharing. Wouldn't you rather design your bricket form to have facets like the charcoal you buy for bbq because of the radiant properties?
Great video! I like the dog in the background. I am testing your application using my Weber BBQ and OAK flooring from a house next door. The wax and paint on the OAK act as an accelerater. I have not go the timing right yet. This wood is about 5/8" x 3" x 6". Do you have anythoughs?
Thats a great Idea,... and save. But either way I would mould me a forge, so I can make the design as ergonomic and save as possible for plenty of differant settups. Greets
A little confused about how is closing the bottom and covering the top does not smother out the fire inside the drum. Does the drum have other holes that are left open so air can get in and continue the burning process?
I love this, simple and accessible. The one question I have is the binding agent, what kind of proportions do you use or is it just a case of trial and error?
Thanks for this! I'm wondering how this could be applied to a diy incinerator toilet build. I am looking for a low-tech solution to expensive commercial incinerator toilets for a shipping container house project for people in need.
Cassava plant is a root vegetable. Looking at the paste that she had in the video, I am going to take a guess that it's just intended as a binder for the carbon. So maybe shredded paper and water soaked for a long time in high concentration to make a porridge may achieve the same thing? Paper and water are the two of three ingredient in other biomass briquette so it might work here as well? You probably just won't end up with charcoal per se but biomass briquettes. Would love to try this.
7 ปีที่แล้ว +1
TLUD design by the looks of it. Works best when lit from the top.
Estimada Dama , podria explicarlo en español .. o indicarme con que mezclo el carbon antes de prensarlo ? Dear Lady, could explain or point me in Spanish .. I mix with charcoal before pressing it?
Thanks for the video. I was just wondering whether air into the drum will help or hurt the carbonization process. I'm an innovator in Africa, trying to produce briquettes from elephant grass.
Kind of disappointing seeing the hammer press method. Why not add a press with a 2-5ft lever arm (Use a 2x4" or pipe as the lever).. Pivot the arm at the far end and maybe 3-6" from the axis have the press stamp hanging down from the lever. have a U shaped bracket with a bolt going through the 2x4 to attach the two open ends of the U bolt. The U bolt has the press stamp attached and hanging down from it. This way it can move with the lever and fit in the mold. This will increase the compression greatly and could do multiple bricks at a time if needed.
Super leuke video. Wat doen jullie mooie projecten. Inspirerende! Leuk he om videos te maken. Vind ik zelf ook altijd mega gaaf om te doen. Heel veel succes met alle komende video's!!
@lucasmorter Although wood is a great fuel, the trouble is that in many of these countries extensive deforestation has happened, and therefore firewood is not readily available. In Nepal, woman already spend 3 hours a day on average collecting firewood.
@Thetruthishere11 i have to make charcoal for my metal working forge,wood doesnt burn even enuff to get steel and iron up to 2000*f. it is a waste of energy to make fuel but sometimes its unavoidable,but she couldve done a lil better job,if you dont light the woodgas (wood smoke/fumes)its pretty harmless but when you light it it piuts off carbon monoxide,haha i know that and i didnt go to m.i.t. lol i hope this helped a lil :)
awesome. Have you thought of placing a loose type weight with a hole in the centre over the top bar that you could use to ram the top piece down with. using the weight with the ramming bar going through it, the top bar would have a stop piece on it preventing the weight hitting the mould, this would allow for the weights kinetic energy to transfer to the ramming plate through the top bar. And remove the need for a hammer. if you get my meaning.....where is a own and paper when you need it.:-P .keep up the good work.
Scott, I believe charcoal produced in this manner is somewhere between 25-50% as efficient as coal, so in theory it should perform similarly but you'll consume material more quickly. There may also be other concerns with regard to introducing impurities in the metal, but someone with more expertise would have to confirm or deny that as I don't have specific experience using charcoal in a forge.
sounds interesting... So, yes, it could be used like this. However, the amounts produced by this method are quite small, and it would be hard to produce enough to have a substantial impact on a piece of land. But it is worth a try, I guess
I come from west Africa Nigeria to be precise where many of these things are almost in abundance so producing this char coal in large quantities is not going to be a problem at all.
@feltwiener69 Any kind of starchy material usually works, at least, if you can 'bake' the brickets afterwards to firm them up. Otherwise, you will need some kind of natural glue, I suppose.
Dr. Smith, I saw your TED talk and have been researching your charcoal briquettes ever since! Your work is amazing. I have a question: Is the carbonized plant material dangerous for handling (will it damage lungs)? Thanks! Sonja
It is not dangerous to handle, but the small particles are indeed dangerous to breathe... So we suggest wetting the charcoal before crushing it, thus reducing the dust...
Hello, Im looking for information about how to make charcoal briquettes, I live in Managua, Nicaragua, I heard about the foundation in Haiti and how its helping reduce the use of wood for firewood, we have a similar problem in Nicaragua, as a very poor country just second after Haiti. We still have very large spreads of forests, but slowly and surely they are being consumed. Could you help me?
I know that this is an old video, but in my years of searching for ideas on making briquettes this has been by far the best one I have seen. Thank you
2022 and the simplicity of it is still relevant.
Lol I saw this done by village people in east Asia. Here's a professor from MIT to demonstrate... Wow, just how much education has brought us to.
***** bla bla bla indeed, this person thinks she made a invention that changes the world. well she didnt
Making your mold a long tube would require about the same number of hammer strokes as making a single briquette but would yield a briquette bar that could be cut into many briquettes. Another idea would be to make a sheet to the correct thickness, then cut the briquettes out like biscuits.
The casava porrage acts as a binder (glue). I've just been looking at some other ideas and they use clay type soils/water, flour/water, or paper/water mush. Its basically anything starchy or gloopy that will bind it together when dry. The mix tends to be 1/4 to 1/3 binder to charcoal, but thats for experimenting with.The plus sides of burning charcoal to cook on in the home is the lack of fumes and smoke which causes no end of respiratory problems all over the third world. Another plus is it uses what would be waste biomass. Ok, that should be composted and returned to the land but it won't be and it is better than chopping down forest. Yes, "it's bleedin obvious" once you have watched it but the point is she is sharing it. Getting the thought process out there. There are utube examples of womens groups setting up small co'ops and doing this to supplement the family income and cut down on imported fuels/LPG, giving them bussiness skills and developing community. All good in my book.
Instead of mixing it with cassava porridge, mix it with the isopropyl- calcium acetate jelly stuff made in Nurdrage's video ( flaming jelly). This will not only act as a binding agent, but will also let you easily light the charcoal briquette on fire without having to dry it out.
@Thetruthishere11 The idea is to make use of a material that normally would be wasted and just rot on the field. Wood means trees, and the whole idea is to spare trees.
cassiva is a plant commonly grown by subsitance farmers in tropical regions, it's the plant that makes tapioca- so it produces a lot of starch.
Pretty much any starchy binder would work. It just depends on your area. Look for whatever is cheap to make gravy or puddings in your area- cornstarch would work well, anything that makes things thicker or stick together.
Love the video and the kind lady in it explaining things in a nice and simple way. Thank you for posting this video. I will try making it at some point.
brilliant work, I live in Africa where his kind of work is very much needed.
We have more advanced machines charcoalmachines.com
As usual, westerners copy what is already done in Africa. Watch this: th-cam.com/video/wc1gbfyEpOs/w-d-xo.html
Wow. So simplified and effective. You’re a genius ma’am
I live in Mexico and I use leftover tortillas to make porridge for charcoal briquettes, but I boil newspaper in the porridge to make more shock resistant briquettes. If you have clay, then you should use it to make a reusable charcoal mound like Primitive Technology. Btw, I just made a hydraulic briquette press, reducing unnecessary splashing and messy work.
it is December 12 2019 folks and this is still a good video :) Thumbs Up!!!
Wonderful work. I want to try this in Haiti especially using the little cube stoves. The briquettes can be dried using the small family-size solar ovens and the big Villager, oven from Sun Ovens International, too. Perfect for small microenterprises involving cooking, bakery goods, soups,...any cooked food without using charcoal from wood. Keep up this work. It is affordable and we intend to try it! WE have 3 Villager Ovens and many small Sun Ovens in Haiti and plan to establish an extension of our bakery program. Exciting.! Will write for drawing and more information for large press to assembly line. Hey...new jobs for the villagers!
Brilliant!!! Far more sustainable for those without infrastructure. Bravo!
@ 8:25, do you even need the bar stock across the bottom? Just a short section of square tube, the back plate on its post, and the presser plate with the whacking end.
Having the bar stock across the end means being able to scoop and fill more easily, but it isn't crucial. And if the users don't have access to welding, cut the square tube with a hacksaw but leave a couple of flaps to fold over. Those become the back.
Simplicity = brilliance.
As Einstein said: Make everything as simple as possible, but no simpler.
Simply beautiful. Excellent works
4:50 when you see wood turn red glowing eye ball it with a bigest stick and flames get smaller they turn glowin red if you put the lead turn black if you keep it glowing turn to white ashes
This is fascinating stuff. It's simple yet can be used for economic development in some places. Great video!
Congratulations from Romania! Well done Dr. Smith!
Not sure if you are interested but when you sho the square stock, instead of welding the bars on the bottom just leave open and use a slightly thicker base, that way the outside just sits over the base and no welding other than for the tamper. Neat ideas though.
This is one of the best way to make biochar of agriculture wastes and its best managment to use in naturaral farming to save our climet and human civilization.
This is both science and art...science is precise ..and art allows for environmental variables ...tis is a great way for people living in underdeveloped nations to be self sufficient. And juat because in USA we have modern convenience's doest make it best...independence is best!
Thank you for this beautiful carbonization process revealed!!!
@pilebut The idea is that you use agricultural waste, which otherwise would rot on the field. I agree of course that using trees to make charcoal is one of the main reasons for deforestation.
@Thetruthishere11 I agree that something like a rocket stove would also work. However:
1) they are much larger / more complicated / more expensive than most regular cooking stoves that people have, which are basically small improvements over an open fire
2) making the charcoal briquettes in the field reduces the volume to be transported and adds value, which can help build small enterprises
3) making the charcoal in the field gets rid of polluting substances away from where people live.
2)
You do this on a beach???
Nice vid Amy. I have been experimenting with making charcoal for my smoker and was having a hard time figuring out "when" to seal it up, good information. Thanks :)
I just did a charcoal training last week, after many years away from the project, it was great. And what I found is that people tend to want to cover the drum too soon. Patience!! It is better to have a slightly lower yield, with everything carbonized than to have incomplete carbonization, which leads to lower quality briquettes, and more difficult handling of the material...
Interesting video.... well demonstrated and explanation on how to...but 1 key item left out was why? why are you making these charcoal briquettes? As a fire starter? Any tinder? I don't understand why you would go through so much hassle.... please explain.
I tried making charcoal briquettes using rice straw but it doesn’t burn well. It dies off before burning completely. I made it with carbonized woods and it works perfectly. Do you think the problem is with the rice straws?
that professor is so knowledgeable and informative
Beige Velivo shes the kind of person who's not smart enough to do the real stuff, she takes credit from other peoples inventions who invented this decades ago. those inventers moved on and are building rockets by now. shes 50 and still has nothing better to tell than this.
@UnknownNewDisease cassava porridge is starch paste, potato paste or other starches what we used to used to stick wallpaper with until we refined it and called it cellulose paste same stuff fancy name,when you next cook pasta and are left with slimy water its starch or calories take your pick
Being fairly academical myself, and coming from a family who have all a high level of academics, i can wholeheartedly agree with that!
wow im very impressed with what you guys built
I could be rude and say "Google it" but I won´t, but I did so cassava/maniok/arrow root/tapioka is rich in starch, my mother swore by arrowroot as thickening for clear sauces and for fruitdishes like Danish Rødgrød or Russian Kissel or Compote or Chinese food. In Sweden we make "kräm"and "saftkräm", Rheubarb is popular in summer, eat it with milk, it´s tasty and neutralize the otherwise strong acid in rheubarb which could be bad for your teeth."Rabarberkräm". PS Lignin ought to work.
Cassava is a starchy crop. When you grate it, it becomes a sticky mass, that is a quite efficient glue.
Someone mentioned using a large pan instead to make multiple bricks. That would work, & the top to the pan can be made to press & cut the bricketts at the same time!
she should get a Nobel prize.because what she does can safe, at first millions of cm3 of wood that will be chopped down to make cooking fires... and make life easier for millions of people BUT also give work to people who will make these brickets.excellent done Doktor!
-keep it simple stupid- ( no offence to the Doctor) indeed works and works well!!!!
Only this is nothing new. People have been making charcoal for thousands of years my friend. This professor is just so pleased with herself for having stumbled on a skill that uneducated peasants perfected and use on a regular basis. She acts like she invented the wheel.
austrorus noobelprice!??! whattt??? NO way!! this is just some old bullshit. if this is worthy of getting a nobelprice I should have got 10 by now.
in that case, just use dirt to plug up the holes. in my opinion, there's no reason the elevate the barrel at all, no point in risking the barrel toppling over in the middle of a burn. just make a base from dirt or sand and make the depression and air channel and fill the channel when the smoke changes. you can also replace the air channel with a steel pipe, a 90 degree bend and a cap, having the bend under the barrel and having the opposite end ready to take the cap.
Excellent Demonstration 👍
Charcoal can be stored for decades, will not rot, lighter by volume than the original material and burns hot. Ideal for small buisness/familys to make charcoal briquettes out of what is considered waste. To cook food even after the stalks would have rotted away, to make money. A large part of humanity cooks their food with wood or charcoal.
Italians in the southern mountain regions have been making charcoal this way for centuries! Until 1862, Italy was no more than a collection of City-State Plantations owned by whom ever was in favor of the Vatican. Countries from all over the Med. had their hands in these provinces, one of the reasons why regional cooking differences so greatly in Italy today.
Yea, we need more info on alternative binders.
@lucasmorter you are right of course that fields need nutrients and fiber to stay healthy. you could also use manure or fertilizer to accomplish this, or leave the land lay fallow one year in three or four. Another option is to use the plant matter to make briquettes, and return the ash to the soil. Most of the nutrients are in the ash. In any case, mother nature probably didn't intent to have large fields with a single crop :-)
that's very interesting, thanks for the suggestion! I didn't know it, and will pass it on also to Amy Smith of MIT.
Your really a good teacher
Похоже что есть проблемма по приобретению каменного угля, впрочем мне так нужен этот материал что слов нет. Теперь здесь выражаю всем вам благодарность за показ способа создания активированного угля из древесины в закрытой системе. Правда немецкого языка не усвоил но видео помогло.
"It's remarkable how common sense comes from the field, not from academia." Aint that the truth!
And that was from a professor.
Have you tried the press without a bottom plate - just against the wood block?
that was amazing ! best thing ive seen for a good while.well impressed thanx
I enjoyed watching the video clip.
Thank you for sharing.
God bless.
A few points, Brian. 1. I'm a woman. That might alter your argument. 2. Mental attraction can happen before physical- ever heard of online dating? 3. I see no reason to insult Dr. Smith. Just because she doesn't do it FOR YOU is no reason to be nasty to her. While I think she's hot, you not finding her attractive is no reason to be cruel to ANYONE. Everyone has different things they find appealing- thank God, because that makes the world so much more interesting.
Very helpful, thanks! :D
would be grateful if someone could share research papers on the methodology please
I want to make my own square shaped briquette press which is medium sized; this is therefore, I earnestly request you to send me the dimensions of the briquette mold and the other required dimensions of the briquette press.
hi this is very much similar to those methods adopted by us indians to convert agricultural waste to charcoal. the very same method has been in use for ages. we get uniform quality charcoal with zero flue gas emission during the time of use.
this is however with little modification
good technology that is sustainable to small holders' farmers.
Bridges are not only cassava, but also seaweed and maize are okay.
Thanks for this video Amy... I could certainly apply some if not all the information you provided in here to teach my people back home.... would you be so kind to post a video of the "production line" which you mentioned towards the end of your video. thank you for sharing your ideas.
it's a lot easier to just make a depression or hole under the barrel and make a air channel than using rocks to elevate it. with the rocks you need to kick them out without toppling the barrel and you need to handle the barrel to prevent it from toppling over, with a depression under the barrel with a air channel, you just need to seal the top and throw a couple shovel fulls of sand into the air channel and it snuffs it out.
nice video, thanks for sharing. Wouldn't you rather design your bricket form to have facets like the charcoal you buy for bbq because of the radiant properties?
Great video! I like the dog in the background. I am testing your application using my Weber BBQ and OAK flooring from a house next door. The wax and paint on the OAK act as an accelerater. I have not go the timing right yet. This wood is about 5/8" x 3" x 6". Do you have anythoughs?
Yeah i got you...Cassava porridge..searching and patience makes you success..problem solve..good idea for business too...thank you
Thats a great Idea,... and save.
But either way I would mould me a forge, so I can make the design as ergonomic and save as possible for plenty of differant settups.
Greets
A little confused about how is closing the bottom and covering the top does not smother out the fire inside the drum. Does the drum have other holes that are left open so air can get in and continue the burning process?
Can we use normal glue, such as white glue instead of the 'casava porige'?
Can't believe this video is 11 years and I am only catching up to it now. Any way we can recycle or use the thick smoke?
I love this, simple and accessible. The one question I have is the binding agent, what kind of proportions do you use or is it just a case of trial and error?
Thanks for this! I'm wondering how this could be applied to a diy incinerator toilet build. I am looking for a low-tech solution to expensive commercial incinerator toilets for a shipping container house project for people in need.
Cassava plant is a root vegetable. Looking at the paste that she had in the video, I am going to take a guess that it's just intended as a binder for the carbon. So maybe shredded paper and water soaked for a long time in high concentration to make a porridge may achieve the same thing? Paper and water are the two of three ingredient in other biomass briquette so it might work here as well? You probably just won't end up with charcoal per se but biomass briquettes. Would love to try this.
TLUD design by the looks of it.
Works best when lit from the top.
Estimada Dama , podria explicarlo en español .. o indicarme con que mezclo el carbon antes de prensarlo ?
Dear Lady, could explain or point me in Spanish .. I mix with charcoal before pressing it?
Amazing video and so simple. Looks like fun to.
Thanks for the video. I was just wondering whether air into the drum will help or hurt the carbonization process. I'm an innovator in Africa, trying to produce briquettes from elephant grass.
Allowing air into the drum will allow it to burn to ash,
Kind of disappointing seeing the hammer press method. Why not add a press with a 2-5ft lever arm (Use a 2x4" or pipe as the lever).. Pivot the arm at the far end and maybe 3-6" from the axis have the press stamp hanging down from the lever. have a U shaped bracket with a bolt going through the 2x4 to attach the two open ends of the U bolt. The U bolt has the press stamp attached and hanging down from it. This way it can move with the lever and fit in the mold. This will increase the compression greatly and could do multiple bricks at a time if needed.
+AmericanREPUBLICNow ,Yes an arbor press would work pretty good
Very usefull and nice.
But what did it means : cassava ??
This liquid - what it is exactly?
Thank You very much.
Is it really necessesary to hammer the molder to form the briquettes? Some article says that you can form the briquettes just by you hand?
this video is amazing. makes me wanna make my own charcoal
lost me at the binder, what is cassava porridge, and/or what would be an easy alternative?
Is there a way to reduce the smoke or contain it before the carbonization process?
Perhaps covering the exhaust with a type of condenser like a wet cloth?
Super leuke video. Wat doen jullie mooie projecten. Inspirerende!
Leuk he om videos te maken. Vind ik zelf ook altijd mega gaaf om te doen.
Heel veel succes met alle komende video's!!
A very impressive simple process. You did not mentioned what is your cassava porridge. I this a binder?
@realjoefriday thanks for the suggestion!
what is the ratio and proportion of the burnt material: cassava porridge? is it 1:1 ?thanks.
Hello what is the life expectancy of the drum with the high temperature ?
@lucasmorter Although wood is a great fuel, the trouble is that in many of these countries extensive deforestation has happened, and therefore firewood is not readily available. In Nepal, woman already spend 3 hours a day on average collecting firewood.
@Thetruthishere11 i have to make charcoal for my metal working forge,wood doesnt burn even enuff to get steel and iron up to 2000*f. it is a waste of energy to make fuel but sometimes its unavoidable,but she couldve done a lil better job,if you dont light the woodgas (wood smoke/fumes)its pretty harmless but when you light it it piuts off carbon monoxide,haha i know that and i didnt go to m.i.t. lol i hope this helped a lil :)
awesome. Have you thought of placing a loose type weight with a hole in the centre over the top bar that you could use to ram the top piece down with. using the weight with the ramming bar going through it, the top bar would have a stop piece on it preventing the weight hitting the mould, this would allow for the weights kinetic energy to transfer to the ramming plate through the top bar. And remove the need for a hammer. if you get my meaning.....where is a own and paper when you need it.:-P .keep up the good work.
It's called a slide hammer. Good idea as it removes one more tool and reduces the risk of injury.
I like it. I live in the Midwest where we have a lot more ag waste then trees. I wonder how good it would work in a iron forge?
Scott, I believe charcoal produced in this manner is somewhere between 25-50% as efficient as coal, so in theory it should perform similarly but you'll consume material more quickly. There may also be other concerns with regard to introducing impurities in the metal, but someone with more expertise would have to confirm or deny that as I don't have specific experience using charcoal in a forge.
sounds interesting... So, yes, it could be used like this. However, the amounts produced by this method are quite small, and it would be hard to produce enough to have a substantial impact on a piece of land. But it is worth a try, I guess
I come from west Africa Nigeria to be precise where many of these things are almost in abundance so producing this char coal in large quantities is not going to be a problem at all.
Is it possible to use concentrated sunlight to hearing up the drum?
what did they add to the charcoal?
is it other alternatives besides cassava?
Archaeologists are the ones who rewrite history :()
In making charcoal there is actually supposed to be as little air flow as possible.
Is it okay if you briquette first then burn the biomass? Or its better if you burn the biomass then briquette?
@feltwiener69 Any kind of starchy material usually works, at least, if you can 'bake' the brickets afterwards to firm them up. Otherwise, you will need some kind of natural glue, I suppose.
Nice demo, thanks
can probalby curve a water pipe around that barrel a few times to heat up some water for a hot shower.
Dr. Smith, I saw your TED talk and have been researching your charcoal briquettes ever since! Your work is amazing. I have a question: Is the carbonized plant material dangerous for handling (will it damage lungs)? Thanks! Sonja
It is not dangerous to handle, but the small particles are indeed dangerous to breathe... So we suggest wetting the charcoal before crushing it, thus reducing the dust...
I wish I were able to make charcoal that way in my backyard without my neighbors freaking out.
Hello, Im looking for information about how to make charcoal briquettes, I live in Managua, Nicaragua, I heard about the foundation in Haiti and how its helping reduce the use of wood for firewood, we have a similar problem in Nicaragua, as a very poor country just second after Haiti. We still have very large spreads of forests, but slowly and surely they are being consumed. Could you help me?
could these charcoal briquettes be used to filter water through?