I loved the idea of using bricks. I've seen people using a double barrel, but the bricks is the way I will try it. I live in a small village in New York and they don't allow open fires within the village. We have a 150 year old Oak tree that we have to cut down due to a recent storm, and that will give me lots and lots of wood. Looking forward to the adventure...
OJ what a brilliant video you have made here. I've recently been looking into this and found your video one of the best available. easy to follow and keeping it low cost as well. thanks for taking the time to do this for the benefit of others like me. all the best to you in oregon usa from western australia....
Really glad to have this video show up. I live in a town, but mine is one of the few properties to still have what they used to use as property dividers. 18 100 year old trees: white oak, maple and a few pines. They drop both large and small branches all the time. I collect them in part of my yard and planned to start using them to make biochar. I could turn my rocket stove into a much larger brick chimney kilm. I also have a metal fire ring. I'm 75 but that seems easy enough even for me. Last year there was a burning ban, crossing my finger this year.
Carmen, I have the exact same trees, so I can relate to your situation. I currently use a 5 ft diameter, 2 ft. tall metal kiln to make biochar using tree falls. Oak is really a mess to cut, so a big kiln is nice…even bigger pieces can hang over the sides of the kiln and when they fall off..throw them in. The key is never put anything over 3" thick. The kiln gets real hot to approach…use boots, an old coat and hat…nothing made of nylon. Nylon melts. You could adapt your fire ring or dig a pit. Once you get your fire going and are beginning to show white ash, throw another layer of wood on. Keep repeating this layering until you are out of wood or the kiln is filled. The bottom layers are void of oxygen and stay charcoal instead of turning to ash. Extinguish with water or if a pit, cover with old sheet metal and dirt to shut out the oxygen supply…wait 5 days for it to totally cool. You can really get rid of a mountain of dead branches this way. Least labor intensive method I've found. O.J.
OJ thank you i have been studying this subject after making a small amount for myself in some old dryer drums. Thank you for the content, educational and entertainng !!! God Bless
Great, this is the one.! Looks it will work well with commercial poultry litter in the bin. But, temps will need to be kept as low as possible. Maybe can be done with a firebox at the bottom and feed it slowly.
Great episode! The brick construction is genius! I'm going to use a 30 gallon drum for a single, larger burn. Saw it on another site. I'll need to put holes in the bottom only, then I can load and burn just as you demoed!
I know a guy who does this in Pittsburgh. He uses wood from dead or fallen trees to make the charcoal, and fuels the kiln with crap wood (from building sites) and discarded rubber tires. Then he sells it to barbecue joints. Sometimes he makes money carting away the waste from building site and stokes the kiln with it.
Great...let me know how it works out. Only real downside we have found is smoke coming from the structure on windy days...it affects the draw. Making lump charcoal calls for more burn time, so use more log type fuel, especially in the bottom. O.J..
"I had no idea what biochar was, but it sounded like it would be fun to make because you get to play with fire" I 100% totally understand this feeling. If there isn't fire, it's probably not all that fun.
Thank you, my niece did the video, but I get all the credit. Hirst and Kelpie Wilson are giants in the biochar world...me and Gregory are just pluggers. O.J..
Thanks John. We were trying to design a safer, affordable method for the everyday gardener/bbqer that didn't smoke out the neighborhood. Find what works best for you.
Excellent video, great use of b roll to tell your story. I created some biochar and made a video of it but I like your video better. Your video is part of the reason I'm making biochar. Thank you for sharing. I would like to find a use for the heat produced in the production of biochar. I have thought about using a rocket stove mass heater approach to kickstart my compost.
Hey Blake. It shouldn't be too hard to add a simple heat exchanger to either heat oil or water. There is plenty of heat there to heat compost or preheat water heater water. I would think you could easily run a steam generator to produce electricity.
+Steve Truelove Thanks Steve. After over 200 burns, I think the fire brick will last indefinitely. For those using biochar to correct for the acidity in Northwest soils, we have found the ph of our douglas fir biochar to consistently fall in the 9.2-9.4 range. This will help balance the ph of the soil for up to 3 years, after which the rains leach out the biochar and you need to reapply. Bummer! ...we were hoping for better longevity. O.J.
In an earlier comment meredithromo said: " The bucket goes in upside down so when it outgasses the flames go up the side of the bucket further heating its contents...just more efficient that shooting off the top if put in right side up. The contents of the bucket are what you are turning into char."
Ronan Lyons as someone who had tried both, I find myself gravitating to the 'kon tiki' style burns because there is much less wasted effort in preparing the fuel source. With any container, you have to not only process the wood initially to get it small enough to fit in the chamber, to get consistent results the whole lot needs to be uniform in thickness. After trying several methods, I've found just digging a trench in the ground works wonderfully. No bricks, no containers, no chippers, no internal combustion engines needed. Just a sufficiently sized and shaped hole in the ground close to where the fuel originates (to minimize transport effort) for tons of charcoal. I'm making it on the order of cubic yards not gallons.
@@kirkjohnson9353 no video. And I wouldn't call it an 'operation'. I was just toying around trying things. It's literally as I said, just a hole in the ground. Mine is probably about a shovel long, half a shovel in width and a blade or two deep. Basically I just stockpile all my wood in the vicinity of the hole and when i'm ready to do a burn, I pile a bunch of wood in the hole and set it light. once that burns down some, but still has flames, I throw on some more, and I do that til all the brush is gone. Sometimes it can take 3-4 hours. But it really depends. Then just let if burn away til there's no more flames (meaning the wood has completely off-gassed) then either quench it with water or dirt. Usually the next day I would rake it out and set it all on a giant, black tarp and spread it out as even to dry (if you used water). After it's dried I put it through a big sifter I made with roll of 1/4" hardware mesh. Whatever falls through I throw in the compost to eventally make it out to the garden. Whatever won't pass a 1/4" I stockpiled in three 55 gallon drums for grilling. I've done it two or three times, but just the first time set me up with a lifetime supply of charcoal. I don't even really do it anymore because I have more than i'll ever need using it at the rate I use it. I've also kinda stopped using charcoal to fuel my grill, and just use the wood itself. I really have no clue what i'm going to do with all the charcoal I have. I may just spread it all out on the garden. To be honest, you really don't even need the hole, that just helps retain heat and restrict oxygen. But you'd still get a MASS of charcoal if you just piled the wood up like any old burn pile, set it alight and let it burn til right when it stops producing visible flames. Then just quench it with the hose. Spread it out the next day to dry for several days, and then store it in some vented container. It really is that easy to make.
@@maxdecphoenix Thanks for the detailed explanation. I too use just wood for my bargeque. I like the simplicity of that and the flavor from the wood. The reason I'm looking to make charcoal is to use it in my garden- which is big. It sounds like it can make a great garden- if done properly with innoculation. Cheers.
Great idea. I have been trying to get my hands on steel drums but very hard to come by a small one that will fit into the standard 55 gallons. Your method mentions that you need a good source of metal buckets, not sure how I can do that without buying them new which would be very expensive.
Super helpful! Thanks! I've been looking for a design that didn't require welding and this looks great! I'm wondering how hot the top surface of the bricks/chimney adapter get. Think I could put cast iron pot on it and cook swill?
Due to the size of the brick structure with the chimney in the middle there isn't much surface area to put a big pot and the largest portion of the pot would be over brick resulting in an uneven heating surface. Couple that with a burn lasting about an hour and a half your swill may be half done. Regretfully, I can't honestly recommend it. O.J..
Thank you for the information! Just curious, why not make more videos about gardening you guys have so much experience and knowledge that you can share to people like me that just start gardening ? Thank you for such great information !
Gardening is a very personal endeavor. I personally feel the best way to learn is just do it. There are many approaches; Till/no till, organic, pest/herbicide, wood chips, composting, cover crops...its endless. They all have their virtues. There are enough videos on the subject. There are garden clubs all over and most colleges have 'Master Gardener' programs for next to nothing that cover your specific growing area. Thanks for watching our video. O.J..
useful info thanks. i am working on project in Philippines ( American ) low budget but long lasting , need to make charcoal, biochar as well as wood vinegar need to make maybe 150 kilo per burn to make it worthwhile. i can borrow some of what you do i think to save money. does anyone know the shrinkage of wood after the burn ?what percent
Dennis, As a rule of thumb, expect to retain about a third of both weight and volume of your original wood using a retort method. Open burns such as pits and 'flame cap kilns' are in the 25% or less range plus give quite a bit of ash. I recommend looking up Justin Jenning's 'Charcoal Charlie' kiln on TH-cam. Simple design that can be made cheaply and expanded to meet your needs. Only improvement I would make on his design is to insulate the retort and keep the outgassing pipe inside the retort and directly feed into the firebox. Best of luck, O.J..
O.J., thank you for the great content! I have two questions. 1. How do you clean out the kiln after a burn? 2. You mentioned that you use old varnish cans. Do you clean them before using? If so, how. I would think that they'd be pretty toxic from the varnish. Any feedback would be appreciated!
Luke, 1. What little ash that is left in the bottom of the brick kiln is pulled out through the bottom holes with a square point shovel. This only needs to be done about every 3rd burn. 2. You can burn out a can first before using if you like, especially if making BBQ charcoal. I've gone to using an old 7 gallon milk can with 4 half inch holes drilled an inch from the bottom of the can for out gassing. Much longer longevity. The most efficient system I've seen used is 'Charcoal Charlie' on youtube. The best features of our kiln are that it's easy to build and once lit, you walk away. Down side…it doesn't make a lot at a time. In relation to store bought lump charcoal, ours lights easier and burns more even. Thanks, O.J.
SHOUT OUT: Anyone know if you can use this charcoal to purify rain water/water? Sand/charcoal filter. Thanks O.J. very nice. Next time a 55 gallon drum?
HI, I've seen survival shows doing just that, but I can't say how effective it is. Most store bought charcoal filters use 'activated charcoal' derived from a higher temperature and the molecular structure is changed from that of biochar or bbq charcoal. Fire and metal don't do well together over time, especially 55 gal drums, and the metal starts flaking after a few uses. The bricks make this method more efficient because of their insulative quality. Go with what you've got...open burn pits work too. Thanks for the comment, O.J.
suggestion. when you go to open the fold over clips on the can use a screwdriver or a long metal rod which has a diameter less than the hole in the clip. just poke the shaft of the screw driver into the clip hole, from the top. then push or move the screwdriver handle back towards the can centre. this will open the clip up and away from the can edge. bingo your in. much easier than the hammer method you were using. hammers are really meant for driving nails i guess.... :) ps. i liked your vid. t is clear, concise and lots of relevant facts and info. one of the better bio char vids i have viewed.
@@meredithromo6353 you miss the point i make completly. i never suggested using a sharp pointy object. i said use a screwdriver which is not sharp. so i suggest you reread my suggestion and at least try it. it is actually how the can makers suggest you open this sort of can.
@@traktorworks3200 I apologize, didn't mean to offend. Bad attempt at wit on my part. I'm 70. Of course I've used a screwdriver to open a 5 gallon can. When they are new it's the only tool you can use. Once the tabs have been pried open I've found the tabs easily opened and closed with a claw hammer. Thanks again, O.J..
I got a backhoe ans though about digging hole down for a 55 gallon metal barrel and doing somthing like this make a trench for with a pipe for air intake and cap the top with a metal cap and Is chimney. Any thoughts?
Not sure if you’re still monitoring comments and answering questions. I don’t have a ready source to get and replace 5gallon tin buckets. Instead I’m planning on having a local maestro fabricate a stainless internal drum for biochar. I can have it made any size I choose. My question is what is the optimal ratio of volume inside/outside the drum?
I've been using an old 7 gallon milk can of late. Drilled 4 half inch holes an inch from the bottom for outgassing. Thicker metal. Holding up well so far. Thanks, O.J.
Great economical build, will likely use this exact idea for my first setup! Pardon the nitpick, but maybe spare the plastic bag for something that won’t leave toxic residue in your system. This is supposed to be material you can use to grow consumable goods with. The potash is no exception, and you don’t need to risk that kind of contamination for something as simple as kindling.
wonder if a modified beer keg or similar would provide a long lasting biochar can. i'd like to try making biochar out of dried compost material, as i've always got more than i can handle, even with two large four foot compost bays. as a bonus, saves making compost and the carbon and methane emissions it produces. in fact, when it's finally ready, finished compost only lasts about one season in the ground, before ending up in the atmosphere.
There are better cans than regular 5 gallon buckets, but we were looking for cheap. If your dried compost material is mostly woody, slow to compost, it might be a good biochar candidate. Otherwise it has more value as compost. O.J..
James, No, never gave it any thought. The green egg is designed to burn charcoal, not wood. It would have to be reloaded 3-4 times or more to get the job done, defeating the purpose of lighting it and walking away. A chimney is needed to draw air through the system. A chimney changes the air pressure and pulls air through the system. Without a chimney you would have incomplete combustion....meaning smoke. Thanks for the questions. O.J..
~10:35 plastic bag to start a fire. some would claim many things about this being bad but i see this as more biodegradeable than biodegradeable plastics that merely get too small to see with the naked eye but are still there. and you're not needing lighter fluid as a result. i call this environmentally friendly.
Thank you. You can see some of the negative comments about the 'plastic bag'. I understand their concern, but we're no purists, just guys trying to do things simply. I'll accept your rationale. Have a good day, O.J..
+Soma_Trip The chips I get from the dump have occasional pieces of plastic bags. Rather than return them to the dump I would rather use them as starter ignition. I rationalize it's the better of two evils. Thanks.
Didn't mean to come off as trollish or anything, not saying you reacted that way, merely a clarification. I'm as guilty of more than my share of burnt toxins, plastics, and overall degradation. Still major kudos on the setup and video. So far, I've just been using the cone pit technique, which I realize is less efficient than a retort system, but is also way less resource intensive. Now I just need to rig up a contraption so I can brew with it! Cheers!
Just wanted to say thank you. I've watched several video's about making lump charcoal, mostly using 55 gallon barrels. Just didn't want to look at a rusty mess at the end of the yard. Now I have a kiln that doesn't upset any of my neighbors. I have the incentive to keep the yard picked up of branches blown out of my old growth trees and I get charcoal for the effort. I brought your idea to the east coast.
I realize this comment is 2 years old, but I still want to clear up a misconception. Plastic bags are made out of polyethylene, which is a pure hydrocarbon and, in the right conditions, burns cleanly into carbon dioxide and water. Of course conditions are never perfect and you might have other burn products, such as soot and carbon monoxide, which is undesireable but no different to wood and still harmless compared to the burn products of other plastics (dioxins). You will note that it smells just like paraffin wax when burning, which is also a hydrocarbon. The problem is people apparently can't be trusted to distinguish polyethylene and polypropylene from other plastics, so burning of _all_ plastics is now frowned upon. Meanwhile our oceans are covered in plastic waste which we should really burn for energy, since it is chemically the same as oil, and everyone would be better off including the environment.
Hi, Sorry for the wait. With a regular 5 gallon bucket all you need do is use 4 of the clips to hold the lid on. This holds the lid on, but is loose enough to let the gasses escape. With a bucket of similar size that is tightly sealed, you need a hole/s of about 1 square inch total diameter to prevent pressure to build. O.J.
Stovepipe temperature from a digital laser thermometer was measured at over 400 degrees C. You can measure the temperature reached by taking the ph of the biochar as well. There is a definite correlation between temperature and ph. My biochar is consistently in the 9.0 to 9.4 range...indicating approximate internal temps of 500 C. Thanks, O.J.
@@nabeelibrahim4316 This is a new one for me. I've never seen it done, I would imagine because of the expense (electricity). Baking a 2 inch board would probably take 2-3 hours at 400-500 degrees C. Ventilation would be key...the outgassing of volatiles from the wood needs to be safely away from any heat source. The gathering of gasses in an enclosed area, such as an oven, could develop into a bomb. I don't see why it couldn't be done with appropriate precautions.
As the fire burns down the brick chimney and the fuel wood around the retort turns to ash and falls down the chimney, more oxygen is fed to the outgassing of the retort. This coupled with the wood still burning under the retort....that's when max temp is reached...equaling that of the stack. If you're asking which burns hotter, the wood or the outgasses...they're the same. The difference is in the air (oxygen) flow that raises or lowers temp. Thanks, O.J.
What type of wood did you use for your biochar? I want to make charcoal is it the same process? Thanks for sharing this it was very interesting, I have some house bricks left over from my daughters house but now you have said don't use bricks with holes in them I will have to find another use for those bricks, thanks guys, greetings from Sydney Australia.
Hi Heather, You can use any type of wood for biochar...even bones..basically any organic material! Just stay away from any treated wood like plywood, OSB, railroad ties, pressure treated wood and the like. They are loaded with toxins. For cooking charcoal, stay with hardwoods (oak, ash, hickory...) and fruit and nut wood. Making it is the same process except the hardwoods take a little longer...I usually put 2-4 logs at the bottom of the brickwork to extend the burn another half hour or so to make sure the cooking charcoal inside the retort (5 gallon can) is done. The only problem with bricks with 6-8 holes is instead of breaking in half they break in multiple places and the structure won't last as long. It still may hold up for 20-40 burns. With whole bricks I've gone around 100 burns with some TLC. Fire bricks are obviously best. Thanks for the questions, O.J..
Thank you for this informative video. The cheapest bricks I find in my local hardware store are concrete bricks. Do you have any experience with them over clay bricks? Were the bricks that you've mentioned in the video that crack due to their porous nature concrete bricks?
Thanks for the question. The break down of bricks is related to the materials they are made of and their porosity, aka ability to hold water. Fire brick are made from aluminum silicates and are mostly water resistant. Clay will absorb and hold moisture and depending on the heat and moisture content in the brick are subject to cracking. My experience its about 50% cracking of clay brick after 10-20 burns, 2-4% with firebrick. The kiln will still work with cracked brick and very seldom have I found a clay brick that broke more than once...usually in the middle. Concrete block is very porous, holds water well and literally crumbles with sustained heat. I don't recommend it for long term use. There are many methods of making charcoal/biochar. Find the best suited for your needs. Thanks, O.J.
@@pa.fishpreacher6166 The bucket goes in upside down so when it outgasses the flames go up the side of the bucket further heating its contents...just more efficient that shooting off the top if put in right side up. The contents of the bucket are what you are turning into char. Thanks, O.J.
Hi. I am a biochar enthusiast planning to start a micro scale business based on Biochar made from agriculture waste. My question is can I use retort system to carbonise agriculture waste? What I have seen in most of the video is that they all used open burning system. Your suggestions will be highly appreciated.
Hi EC, Absolutely yes! There are definite advantages to using a retort. They are more efficient, you get a consistent product because you can better control the process and there is little ash. I'm going to steer you toward 4 TH-cam videos. Search: 1. Hookway charcoal 2. Justin Jennings charcoal 3. Pressvess mobile charcoal 4. Exeter charcoal Hookway came up with the most efficient way of making charcoal, basically using a rocket stove to heat the process until the outgassing took over. Downside is rocket stoves burn so hot they literally eat through metal and affect the longevity of the stove. Also his design is difficult to unload. Jennings has the simplest retort kiln I've seen. Efficient, relatively clean burning and easy to load & unload. I like it all around and the only improvement I would make {other than the ones he mentions in his second video) is to insulate the retort to shorten the burn time. The Pressvess is similar to Jennings except it is portable. I don't believe they use the outgasses, but could easily be adapted to. The Exeter is a large scale, portable retort. I can't comment too much on it. I would like to know how long it takes and how it is fired up, how much manpower is needed and the longevity of the system. They always show these things new. I want to see it after it's been used a dozen times. For a small business on the side you are starting right if you can get your 'waste' free. You could even start using a 5-6 foot cone shaped pit (no cost). It's an open burn but you can make a decent amount for free. Work your way up to something like Jennings'. If you can use your waste to fire your kiln as well as your product to char...that's optimal. Best of luck. If I can help further, contact me. O.J..
Thanks very much for your informative video :) A bit off topic, but I have a dog almost identical to your large black and white one. Mine is a rescue, so I don't know her lineage. Is yours a specific breed, or just a mongrel? Cheers
@@meredithromo6353 Many thanks for that: I've been calling her a Collie Borzoi cross, as those were the images on line that appeared to match her the best, but, seeing as she comes from Romania, Bucovina makes total sense :)
remember its just charcoal untill you mix with compost or compost tea, then it is biochar. love the video thank you
Incorrect.
Charcoal burns, bio char doesn’t.
Talking about "inoculated" biochar.
There are 3 different things: charcoal, "char" and biochar. Self explaining names.
Yeah. You’re thinking of inoculated biochar
Doesn’t have to be inoculated, of course it helps.
Nice demo!
The prices quoted makes me nostalgic for pre-2020.....
right? 44 cents a brick. lol
Great demonstration mate you really hit that on the head perfectly.
I made this 3 days ago, but in a rectangular and shallow shape. Works as in the video. One of the most informative videos out here.❤
Best bio char making overview video out there. Very well done
Interesting choice of music. Great tune. Nice project too. Great job.
Hey, another Willowa guy! I grew up down on the Grand Ronde. Great video. Thanks for the content.
brother
You have simplified everything
and maintained The high quality of the final product
you are really amazing
keep it up
"Shrinkage!!" LMAO. Great vid. Thank you for sharing.
Good video! (Nice garden, BTW)
Hmmm... aircrete bricks. Maybe lined with fire bricks.
This is the video that made me think that this a doable Project. Thanks for sharing.
I loved the idea of using bricks. I've seen people using a double barrel, but the bricks is the way I will try it. I live in a small village in New York and they don't allow open fires within the village. We have a 150 year old Oak tree that we have to cut down due to a recent storm, and that will give me lots and lots of wood. Looking forward to the adventure...
You'll have good BBQ charcoal with the oak. Have fun. O.J.
OJ what a brilliant video you have made here. I've recently been looking into this and found your video one of the best available. easy to follow and keeping it low cost as well. thanks for taking the time to do this for the benefit of others like me. all the best to you in oregon usa from western australia....
Really glad to have this video show up. I live in a town, but mine is one of the few properties to still have what they used to use as property dividers. 18 100 year old trees: white oak, maple and a few pines. They drop both large and small branches all the time. I collect them in part of my yard and planned to start using them to make biochar. I could turn my rocket stove into a much larger brick chimney kilm. I also have a metal fire ring. I'm 75 but that seems easy enough even for me. Last year there was a burning ban, crossing my finger this year.
Carmen, I have the exact same trees, so I can relate to your situation. I currently use a 5 ft diameter, 2 ft. tall metal kiln to make biochar using tree falls. Oak is really a mess to cut, so a big kiln is nice…even bigger pieces can hang over the sides of the kiln and when they fall off..throw them in. The key is never put anything over 3" thick. The kiln gets real hot to approach…use boots, an old coat and hat…nothing made of nylon. Nylon melts. You could adapt your fire ring or dig a pit.
Once you get your fire going and are beginning to show white ash, throw another layer of wood on. Keep repeating this layering until you are out of wood or the kiln is filled. The bottom layers are void of oxygen and stay charcoal instead of turning to ash. Extinguish with water or if a pit, cover with old sheet metal and dirt to shut out the oxygen supply…wait 5 days for it to totally cool.
You can really get rid of a mountain of dead branches this way. Least labor intensive method I've found.
O.J.
@@meredithromo6353 Thank you for this valuable information. I will save your information and try it.
Thank you sir for this information. Really it is going to help me in future.
Best video yet...thank you for your retirement time. Got to work on findng the inner cans with lids....Again thank you!
Thanks.
OJ thank you i have been studying this subject after making a small amount for myself in some old dryer drums. Thank you for the content, educational and entertainng !!! God Bless
th-cam.com/video/JIrgNosdRFE/w-d-xo.html
Thank you friend. I hope all is well with you and yours. May Abba Father continue to bless you! Peace and grace!
Great, this is the one.!
Looks it will work well with commercial poultry litter in the bin. But, temps will need to be kept as low as possible.
Maybe can be done with a firebox at the bottom and feed it slowly.
Thank you O.J. Excellent video!! And thanks for taking the time to share with us, I can do that!!
Great idea and wish I saw this 3 years ago but now I’m going to make a brick furnace for a retort ..
Thanks for education sir..
Your chimney retort rocks!🎸
Great video.
Even better enthusiasm!!!
Thank You so mutch, well done - grate work !!!
Best Reg. from Poland
❤❤❤
Great episode! The brick construction is genius! I'm going to use a 30 gallon drum for a single, larger burn. Saw it on another site. I'll need to put holes in the bottom only, then I can load and burn just as you demoed!
Where can you find a used chimney stack like that
@@BalazarsBrain Craigslist is your best bet.
Great video thank you so much for sharing this important information listening from Bangs Texas
You have a great way of explaining things so people can understand it. Nice job!
Agreed
Who doesn't love a great Forest Gump quote, 😀
Jenny,!! Jenny!?!
thank you
God bless you for this eye opening methods of charcoal production.
I will make one immediately
Check all the methods referred to early in the video and find the one that best suits your needs...they all work.
Thank You so mutch, well done - grate work !!!
Best Reg. from Polan ❤❤❤
I know a guy who does this in Pittsburgh. He uses wood from dead or fallen trees to make the charcoal, and fuels the kiln with crap wood (from building sites) and discarded rubber tires. Then he sells it to barbecue joints. Sometimes he makes money carting away the waste from building site and stokes the kiln with it.
Excellent!
Thank you! Love it!!!
Amazing❤ 18:04
That was great and simple. I have all the parts lying around on the property now. Thanks.
Great...let me know how it works out. Only real downside we have found is smoke coming from the structure on windy days...it affects the draw. Making lump charcoal calls for more burn time, so use more log type fuel, especially in the bottom. O.J..
I really admire your way of working about things, sir. I would like to be as cool as you when I grow old.
Who's old? You must be talking about Gregory, but I am cool. lol Thanks, O.J..
@@meredithromo6353
0092345 2458622
Thank you for sharing this great information on making biochar and lump charcoal using common items readily available.
Thank you...that is one of the main purposes of our doing the video...you get it. O.J..
Well Explained. You'd make a good teacher!
This is a very well produced video. Good info and well done.
"I had no idea what biochar was, but it sounded like it would be fun to make because you get to play with fire"
I 100% totally understand this feeling. If there isn't fire, it's probably not all that fun.
Best method for me I’ve seen yet! Thank you, sir
Great job on the demo for biochar, thank you! Liked !! I am about to startup my biochar production now.
When I saw your last burn, firstly noticing the fire brick, then no burning plastic, I shouted "Hallelujah!" and did a jig!
i think your video is up there with the 3 you mentioned at the beginning. good info, thanks
Thank you, my niece did the video, but I get all the credit. Hirst and Kelpie Wilson are giants in the biochar world...me and Gregory are just pluggers. O.J..
Thank you! Best biochar video I have seen so far..
Thanks John. We were trying to design a safer, affordable method for the everyday gardener/bbqer that didn't smoke out the neighborhood. Find what works best for you.
Excellent!!!
Good
Excellent
Excellent video, great use of b roll to tell your story. I created some biochar and made a video of it but I like your video better. Your video is part of the reason I'm making biochar. Thank you for sharing. I would like to find a use for the heat produced in the production of biochar. I have thought about using a rocket stove mass heater approach to kickstart my compost.
Hey Blake. It shouldn't be too hard to add a simple heat exchanger to either heat oil or water. There is plenty of heat there to heat compost or preheat water heater water. I would think you could easily run a steam generator to produce electricity.
Great video. Nice instruction.
fantastic presentation. plain and simple...
Thank you sir.Now I'm late for work,had to watch the whole thing.
I really like that. Very cool. Other than finding those metal cans, I am looking forward to trying your method.
+Steve Truelove Thanks Steve. After over 200 burns, I think the fire brick will last indefinitely. For those using biochar to correct for the acidity in Northwest soils, we have found the ph of our douglas fir biochar to consistently fall in the 9.2-9.4 range. This will help balance the ph of the soil for up to 3 years, after which the rains leach out the biochar and you need to reapply. Bummer! ...we were hoping for better longevity. O.J.
Gee whiz you sure learned a lot sir. Thanks a bunch for sharing
Thank you...don't do what I did. Do what I say...sounds like my Dad. Thanks, O.J..
Hurrah! Thank-you!
We are not allowed fires at our allotments in England.
One question: why, please, do you put the retort buckets in upside down?
In an earlier comment meredithromo said:
" The bucket goes in upside down so when it outgasses the flames go up the side of the bucket further heating its contents...just more efficient that shooting off the top if put in right side up. The contents of the bucket are what you are turning into char."
Very nicely done. Thank you.
I like your method top light is definitely the way to go
Ronan Lyons as someone who had tried both, I find myself gravitating to the 'kon tiki' style burns because there is much less wasted effort in preparing the fuel source. With any container, you have to not only process the wood initially to get it small enough to fit in the chamber, to get consistent results the whole lot needs to be uniform in thickness. After trying several methods, I've found just digging a trench in the ground works wonderfully. No bricks, no containers, no chippers, no internal combustion engines needed. Just a sufficiently sized and shaped hole in the ground close to where the fuel originates (to minimize transport effort) for tons of charcoal. I'm making it on the order of cubic yards not gallons.
@@maxdecphoenix Do you have any videos of your operation. It would be interesting to see how you do it and how you use your charcoal.
@@kirkjohnson9353 no video. And I wouldn't call it an 'operation'. I was just toying around trying things. It's literally as I said, just a hole in the ground. Mine is probably about a shovel long, half a shovel in width and a blade or two deep. Basically I just stockpile all my wood in the vicinity of the hole and when i'm ready to do a burn, I pile a bunch of wood in the hole and set it light. once that burns down some, but still has flames, I throw on some more, and I do that til all the brush is gone. Sometimes it can take 3-4 hours. But it really depends. Then just let if burn away til there's no more flames (meaning the wood has completely off-gassed) then either quench it with water or dirt. Usually the next day I would rake it out and set it all on a giant, black tarp and spread it out as even to dry (if you used water). After it's dried I put it through a big sifter I made with roll of 1/4" hardware mesh. Whatever falls through I throw in the compost to eventally make it out to the garden. Whatever won't pass a 1/4" I stockpiled in three 55 gallon drums for grilling. I've done it two or three times, but just the first time set me up with a lifetime supply of charcoal. I don't even really do it anymore because I have more than i'll ever need using it at the rate I use it. I've also kinda stopped using charcoal to fuel my grill, and just use the wood itself. I really have no clue what i'm going to do with all the charcoal I have. I may just spread it all out on the garden.
To be honest, you really don't even need the hole, that just helps retain heat and restrict oxygen. But you'd still get a MASS of charcoal if you just piled the wood up like any old burn pile, set it alight and let it burn til right when it stops producing visible flames. Then just quench it with the hose. Spread it out the next day to dry for several days, and then store it in some vented container. It really is that easy to make.
@@maxdecphoenix Thanks for the detailed explanation. I too use just wood for my bargeque. I like the simplicity of that and the flavor from the wood. The reason I'm looking to make charcoal is to use it in my garden- which is big. It sounds like it can make a great garden- if done properly with innoculation. Cheers.
John Fahey is The Man
Really charming and informative. Great video.
Thanks a lot. You answered the very question (why not fire brick) that I was wondering about. Much appreciated.
Great idea. I have been trying to get my hands on steel drums but very hard to come by a small one that will fit into the standard 55 gallons. Your method mentions that you need a good source of metal buckets, not sure how I can do that without buying them new which would be very expensive.
Super helpful! Thanks! I've been looking for a design that didn't require welding and this looks great! I'm wondering how hot the top surface of the bricks/chimney adapter get. Think I could put cast iron pot on it and cook swill?
Due to the size of the brick structure with the chimney in the middle there isn't much surface area to put a big pot and the largest portion of the pot would be over brick resulting in an uneven heating surface. Couple that with a burn lasting about an hour and a half your swill may be half done. Regretfully, I can't honestly recommend it. O.J..
Thank you for the information! Just curious, why not make more videos about gardening you guys have so much experience and knowledge that you can share to people like me that just start gardening ? Thank you for such great information !
Gardening is a very personal endeavor. I personally feel the best way to learn is just do it. There are many approaches; Till/no till, organic, pest/herbicide, wood chips, composting, cover crops...its endless. They all have their virtues. There are enough videos on the subject. There are garden clubs all over and most colleges have 'Master Gardener' programs for next to nothing that cover your specific growing area. Thanks for watching our video. O.J..
Apart from plastic bag - fantastic video
useful info thanks. i am working on project in Philippines ( American ) low budget but long lasting , need to make charcoal, biochar as well as wood vinegar need to make maybe 150 kilo per burn to make it worthwhile. i can borrow some of what you do i think to save money. does anyone know the shrinkage of wood after the burn ?what percent
Dennis, As a rule of thumb, expect to retain about a third of both weight and volume of your original wood using a retort method. Open burns such as pits and 'flame cap kilns' are in the 25% or less range plus give quite a bit of ash. I recommend looking up Justin Jenning's 'Charcoal Charlie' kiln on TH-cam. Simple design that can be made cheaply and expanded to meet your needs. Only improvement I would make on his design is to insulate the retort and keep the outgassing pipe inside the retort and directly feed into the firebox. Best of luck, O.J..
O.J., thank you for the great content! I have two questions. 1. How do you clean out the kiln after a burn? 2. You mentioned that you use old varnish cans. Do you clean them before using? If so, how. I would think that they'd be pretty toxic from the varnish. Any feedback would be appreciated!
Luke, 1. What little ash that is left in the bottom of the brick kiln is pulled out through the bottom holes with a square point shovel. This only needs to be done about every 3rd burn. 2. You can burn out a can first before using if you like, especially if making BBQ charcoal. I've gone to using an old 7 gallon milk can with 4 half inch holes drilled an inch from the bottom of the can for out gassing. Much longer longevity. The most efficient system I've seen used is 'Charcoal Charlie' on youtube. The best features of our kiln are that it's easy to build and once lit, you walk away. Down side…it doesn't make a lot at a time. In relation to store bought lump charcoal, ours lights easier and burns more even. Thanks, O.J.
SHOUT OUT:
Anyone know if you can use this charcoal to purify rain water/water? Sand/charcoal filter.
Thanks O.J. very nice. Next time a 55 gallon drum?
HI, I've seen survival shows doing just that, but I can't say how effective it is. Most store bought charcoal filters use 'activated charcoal' derived from a higher temperature and the molecular structure is changed from that of biochar or bbq charcoal.
Fire and metal don't do well together over time, especially 55 gal drums, and the metal starts flaking after a few uses. The bricks make this method more efficient because of their insulative quality. Go with what you've got...open burn pits work too. Thanks for the comment, O.J.
@@meredithromo6353 Thanks my friend. Good to know.
This was a fantastic video! Thank you
this is perfect. simplicity is key. a complex j biokiln is unecessary
Does it help to quench it out with compost tea water rather than clean water?
You can scrape the pith off with a hatchet and add to compost heap
I liked this video (thumbs up). Subscriber #229,
Thanks from Chicago
suggestion. when you go to open the fold over clips on the can use a screwdriver or a long metal rod which has a diameter less than the hole in the clip. just poke the shaft of the screw driver into the clip hole, from the top. then push or move the screwdriver handle back towards the can centre. this will open the clip up and away from the can edge. bingo your in. much easier than the hammer method you were using. hammers are really meant for driving nails i guess.... :)
ps. i liked your vid. t is clear, concise and lots of relevant facts and info. one of the better bio char vids i have viewed.
Whatever works for you. Sharp pointy objects + O.J.= danger. Thanks for the comment.
@@meredithromo6353 you miss the point i make completly. i never suggested using a sharp pointy object. i said use a screwdriver which is not sharp. so i suggest you reread my suggestion and at least try it. it is actually how the can makers suggest you open this sort of can.
@@traktorworks3200 I apologize, didn't mean to offend. Bad attempt at wit on my part. I'm 70. Of course I've used a screwdriver to open a 5 gallon can. When they are new it's the only tool you can use. Once the tabs have been pried open I've found the tabs easily opened and closed with a claw hammer. Thanks again, O.J..
I got a backhoe ans though about digging hole down for a 55 gallon metal barrel and doing somthing like this make a trench for with a pipe for air intake and cap the top with a metal cap and Is chimney. Any thoughts?
Not sure if you’re still monitoring comments and answering questions.
I don’t have a ready source to get and replace 5gallon tin buckets. Instead I’m planning on having a local maestro fabricate a stainless internal drum for biochar. I can have it made any size I choose.
My question is what is the optimal ratio of volume inside/outside the drum?
I've been using an old 7 gallon milk can of late. Drilled 4 half inch holes an inch from the bottom for outgassing. Thicker metal. Holding up well so far. Thanks, O.J.
Thanks for sharing! Very good no smoke.
Great economical build, will likely use this exact idea for my first setup! Pardon the nitpick, but maybe spare the plastic bag for something that won’t leave toxic residue in your system. This is supposed to be material you can use to grow consumable goods with. The potash is no exception, and you don’t need to risk that kind of contamination for something as simple as kindling.
use compostable bags?
wonder if a modified beer keg or similar would provide a long lasting biochar can.
i'd like to try making biochar out of dried compost material, as i've always got more than i can handle, even with two large four foot compost bays. as a bonus, saves making compost and the carbon and methane emissions it produces. in fact, when it's finally ready, finished compost only lasts about one season in the ground, before ending up in the atmosphere.
There are better cans than regular 5 gallon buckets, but we were looking for cheap.
If your dried compost material is mostly woody, slow to compost, it might be a good biochar candidate. Otherwise it has more value as compost. O.J..
muy buen video, gracias, saludos desde España
Genesis Biochar organic soil conditioner could be part of the solution. It is mostly carbon and can last for a thousand years.
Have you thought about rigging ur green egg and putting the retort inside the egg? Also what is the point of the chimney?
James, No, never gave it any thought. The green egg is designed to burn charcoal, not wood. It would have to be reloaded 3-4 times or more to get the job done, defeating the purpose of lighting it and walking away. A chimney is needed to draw air through the system. A chimney changes the air pressure and pulls air through the system. Without a chimney you would have incomplete combustion....meaning smoke. Thanks for the questions. O.J..
Great video, thanks
Jesus bless you!
João from Brasil
Allah ( god ) bless
excellent video ...... thank you for sharing !!
15:59 "things are gonna explode" chicken takes off running
~10:35 plastic bag to start a fire. some would claim many things about this being bad but i see this as more biodegradeable than biodegradeable plastics that merely get too small to see with the naked eye but are still there. and you're not needing lighter fluid as a result. i call this environmentally friendly.
Thank you. You can see some of the negative comments about the 'plastic bag'. I understand their concern, but we're no purists, just guys trying to do things simply. I'll accept your rationale. Have a good day, O.J..
How is it I can't help but thinking there are better tinder sources out there than plastic bags.
+Soma_Trip
The chips I get from the dump have occasional pieces of plastic bags. Rather than return them to the dump I would rather use them as starter ignition. I rationalize it's the better of two evils. Thanks.
Didn't mean to come off as trollish or anything, not saying you reacted that way, merely a clarification. I'm as guilty of more than my share of burnt toxins, plastics, and overall degradation. Still major kudos on the setup and video.
So far, I've just been using the cone pit technique, which I realize is less efficient than a retort system, but is also way less resource intensive. Now I just need to rig up a contraption so I can brew with it!
Cheers!
Just wanted to say thank you. I've watched several video's about making lump charcoal, mostly using 55 gallon barrels. Just didn't want to look at a rusty mess at the end of the yard. Now I have a kiln that doesn't upset any of my neighbors. I have the incentive to keep the yard picked up of branches blown out of my old growth trees and I get charcoal for the effort. I brought your idea to the east coast.
Soma_Trip relax. The're from the generation befor this type of conciousness
I realize this comment is 2 years old, but I still want to clear up a misconception.
Plastic bags are made out of polyethylene, which is a pure hydrocarbon and, in the right conditions, burns cleanly into carbon dioxide and water. Of course conditions are never perfect and you might have other burn products, such as soot and carbon monoxide, which is undesireable but no different to wood and still harmless compared to the burn products of other plastics (dioxins). You will note that it smells just like paraffin wax when burning, which is also a hydrocarbon.
The problem is people apparently can't be trusted to distinguish polyethylene and polypropylene from other plastics, so burning of _all_ plastics is now frowned upon. Meanwhile our oceans are covered in plastic waste which we should really burn for energy, since it is chemically the same as oil, and everyone would be better off including the environment.
Thanks for the great video. So does the metal bucket require a specific size or number of holes in it, to function properly?
Hi, Sorry for the wait. With a regular 5 gallon bucket all you need do is use 4 of the clips to hold the lid on. This holds the lid on, but is loose enough to let the gasses escape. With a bucket of similar size that is tightly sealed, you need a hole/s of about 1 square inch total diameter to prevent pressure to build.
O.J.
I was today years old when I learned Crazytown sampled another song to make “Butterfly”
I also learned how to make biochar
you lean "lazytown" not crazytown
thanks for the video.
how much degree celsius of inside of kiln?
Stovepipe temperature from a digital laser thermometer was measured at over 400 degrees C. You can measure the temperature reached by taking the ph of the biochar as well. There is a definite correlation between temperature and ph. My biochar is consistently in the 9.0 to 9.4 range...indicating approximate internal temps of 500 C. Thanks, O.J.
Meredith Romo hi, could you please give some info about if biochar could be made by just high temperature (no fire) inside an electric oven ?
@@nabeelibrahim4316 This is a new one for me. I've never seen it done, I would imagine because of the expense (electricity). Baking a 2 inch board would probably take 2-3 hours at 400-500 degrees C. Ventilation would be key...the outgassing of volatiles from the wood needs to be safely away from any heat source. The gathering of gasses in an enclosed area, such as an oven, could develop into a bomb. I don't see why it couldn't be done with appropriate precautions.
This should be taught in Kindergarten!!!
I'll take that as meaning we've made it so simple a Kindergartener can do it. Thanks, O.J..
@@meredithromo6353 I meant, this information is pertinent to the existence of humanity.
🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙
I wonder: Does the wood fire around the retort make more or less heat than the burning gases in the stack?
As the fire burns down the brick chimney and the fuel wood around the retort turns to ash and falls down the chimney, more oxygen is fed to the outgassing of the retort. This coupled with the wood still burning under the retort....that's when max temp is reached...equaling that of the stack. If you're asking which burns hotter, the wood or the outgasses...they're the same. The difference is in the air (oxygen) flow that raises or lowers temp. Thanks, O.J.
good!!
What type of wood did you use for your biochar? I want to make charcoal is it the same process? Thanks for sharing this it was very interesting, I have some house bricks left over from my daughters house but now you have said don't use bricks with holes in them I will have to find another use for those bricks, thanks guys, greetings from Sydney Australia.
Hi Heather, You can use any type of wood for biochar...even bones..basically any organic material! Just stay away from any treated wood like plywood, OSB, railroad ties, pressure treated wood and the like. They are loaded with toxins. For cooking charcoal, stay with hardwoods (oak, ash, hickory...) and fruit and nut wood. Making it is the same process except the hardwoods take a little longer...I usually put 2-4 logs at the bottom of the brickwork to extend the burn another half hour or so to make sure the cooking charcoal inside the retort (5 gallon can) is done. The only problem with bricks with 6-8 holes is instead of breaking in half they break in multiple places and the structure won't last as long. It still may hold up for 20-40 burns. With whole bricks I've gone around 100 burns with some TLC. Fire bricks are obviously best. Thanks for the questions, O.J..
@@meredithromo6353 Thanks very much for this information it's very helpful.
Thank you for this informative video. The cheapest bricks I find in my local hardware store are concrete bricks. Do you have any experience with them over clay bricks? Were the bricks that you've mentioned in the video that crack due to their porous nature concrete bricks?
Thanks for the question. The break down of bricks is related to the materials they are made of and their porosity, aka ability to hold water. Fire brick are made from aluminum silicates and are mostly water resistant. Clay will absorb and hold moisture and depending on the heat and moisture content in the brick are subject to cracking. My experience its about 50% cracking of clay brick after 10-20 burns, 2-4% with firebrick. The kiln will still work with cracked brick and very seldom have I found a clay brick that broke more than once...usually in the middle.
Concrete block is very porous, holds water well and literally crumbles with sustained heat. I don't recommend it for long term use.
There are many methods of making charcoal/biochar. Find the best suited for your needs. Thanks, O.J.
@@meredithromo6353 Good to know about concrete bricks. I'll try clay bricks as a start. Very helpful. Thanks, O.J.!
what is the purpose of the bucket and it being upside down?
sorry should have watched longer, I saw you pour wood/chips in to the top and thought the bucket was empty?
@@pa.fishpreacher6166 The bucket goes in upside down so when it outgasses the flames go up the side of the bucket further heating its contents...just more efficient that shooting off the top if put in right side up. The contents of the bucket are what you are turning into char. Thanks, O.J.
@@meredithromo6353 thanks, I want to try this
Hi. I am a biochar enthusiast planning to start a micro scale business based on Biochar made from agriculture waste. My question is can I use retort system to carbonise agriculture waste? What I have seen in most of the video is that they all used open burning system.
Your suggestions will be highly appreciated.
Hi EC, Absolutely yes! There are definite advantages to using a retort. They are more efficient, you get a consistent product because you can better control the process and there is little ash.
I'm going to steer you toward 4 TH-cam videos. Search:
1. Hookway charcoal
2. Justin Jennings charcoal
3. Pressvess mobile charcoal
4. Exeter charcoal
Hookway came up with the most efficient way of making charcoal, basically using a rocket stove to heat the process until the outgassing took over. Downside is rocket stoves burn so hot they literally eat through metal and affect the longevity of the stove. Also his design is difficult to unload.
Jennings has the simplest retort kiln I've seen. Efficient, relatively clean burning and easy to load & unload. I like it all around and the only improvement I would make {other than the ones he mentions in his second video) is to insulate the retort to shorten the burn time.
The Pressvess is similar to Jennings except it is portable. I don't believe they use the outgasses, but could easily be adapted to.
The Exeter is a large scale, portable retort. I can't comment too much on it. I would like to know how long it takes and how it is fired up, how much manpower is needed and the longevity of the system. They always show these things new. I want to see it after it's been used a dozen times.
For a small business on the side you are starting right if you can get your 'waste' free. You could even start using a 5-6 foot cone shaped pit (no cost). It's an open burn but you can make a decent amount for free. Work your way up to something like Jennings'. If you can use your waste to fire your kiln as well as your product to char...that's optimal.
Best of luck. If I can help further, contact me. O.J..
@@meredithromo6353 thank you for your valuable advice. Looking forward....
Thanks very much for your informative video :) A bit off topic, but I have a dog almost identical to your large black and white one. Mine is a rescue, so I don't know her lineage. Is yours a specific breed, or just a mongrel? Cheers
Bucovina, similar to a Great Pyrenees. Terrific guard dog, independent. O.J.
@@meredithromo6353 Many thanks for that: I've been calling her a Collie Borzoi cross, as those were the images on line that appeared to match her the best, but, seeing as she comes from Romania, Bucovina makes total sense :)
I love your Salt'n Pepper Great Pyrenees. That's what it looks like, anyway. Beautiful dog!
loverly video!!
What's the breed of your beautifull great dog?
Great Pyrennes mix