Making Biochar For Small Farms
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ก.พ. 2011
- The Biochar Kiln is a top-lit updraft (TLUD) design. The biochar process described is scalable for small acreage farms. The set up of four kilns is capable of producing one cubic yard of biochar in six hours. We use raw materials from recycled wood.
John Rogers, Biochar Kiln and Process Designer, bamboojohn@hotmail.com
Ann Augustine, Editor and Producer, ann@annmaugustine.com
Copyright. 2011. All rights reserved. - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
Thanks for your interest! I conducted a Biochar trial in my home garden with 6 different plant types. I've seen young seedlings grow more robust and more shoots - it is remarkable. - Ann
Although we use larger logs, the process here and the drum construction is the one we followed. Awesome. Thank you so much for putting this out there!!
Thank you Ann for producing this episode
You both did a great job making both the biochar and video. Thanks so much!
Thank you Mr. and Mrs. John Rogers for that very informative video. May the LORD bless you both for sharing your knowledge to the people. THANK YOU!! ! ! !
Of all the systems shown on websites and youtube, your barrel setup is the best and easiest to make, setup, and use. Kudos!
Nice job! I'm glad you mentioned charging John because many forget this part and cause a nutrient lock up in their soil.
Thanks for such a thorough and well-organized presentation!
This is by far the best and the most informative video about making biochar that I have encountered. Thank you very much sir for the the info that you have given.
Fred Peter Arope living web farms has a much better one.
I'm so glad I stumbled across your biochar video. Well done. I'm going to try your method. Very well presented and recorded - thanks for the education.
Genius! I love it-feel like I've learn a book worth of info on 15 min video. Thank you.
Wow, very practical and simple design for the manufacture of char. Thank you very much for sharing.
Fantastic. I'm so glad to see someone effectively processing wood chips. Here in Florida's Space Coast I have an unlimited supply of free mulch available at the county. I wasn't sure if it would work for char. Now I know. Thanks!
the easiest and cheapest process I've seen so far. thank you for posting this!
John, Congradulations! You are the first person I have seen that uses the top down burn method. I developed the same method about four years ago and absolulty love it. The afterburners I use are actually the same size barrel as the retort with the ends knocked out. This acts as the chimney and afterburner adapter. Ie, you do not need the afterburner adapter. Have you tried it that way? Great video and kudos to you for showing people the easy way to make char.
Hey John, thanks for this video. I learned a lot, and I plan to do this up in North Carolina. Appreciate your help.
Beautiful design. I tried the TLUD kiln today and it works like a dream.
That was really interesting and informative, easy to follow and straightforward, thanks for posting.
Simplicity is the key to success.
Thanks for this useful information and a great job to make a very simple system which looks very efficient.
Really awesome, simple and informative video .. Thanks a lot John..
You're the man! Thanks for the helpful tips
I tasted fruit from John's jungle garden today. They were awesome. The best Starfruit, dragonfruit, and cherries i've ever eaten.
I was wondering about what they do to the charcoal or biochar before using it. And you answered that with the word "Charging" and the explanation. Thank you very much.
I learned a lot from this. Thank you.
Merci pour vos Explications clairement compréhensibles. Je vais m’aventurer à la production du Biochar en utilisant votre technique. Merci
This is one of the most interesting video for me.
TheBushdoctor68, I can answer your question. The burn took place on the concrete, where there was no seal around the bottom of the barrel. Too, the afterburner (chimney) creates a lot of updraft. When you place the afterburner on, you can hear the increase in draft - it's really remarkable. After the burn was complete, the afterburner was removed, a lid was placed on the drum and the drum was moved onto soil. Those things in combination stopped the air intake.
Just saw this video. Hope things are going well with you since this is 2021. Really enjoyed this very informative and something that I plan to do again thank you very much. Would enjoy any follow up videos of your success with your soil.
Thank you both very much! You've saved me at least a million dollars. I grow orchids and would have had to buy the charcoal!!!
Why do you need Biochar in Mango Orchard.
Have built the TLUD exactly like yours. For other people out there. When you use an angle grinder for cutting it takes about 5-7 good cutting blades. Don't try grinding ones!! Took about 1/2 hour to do. Worked perfectly with mixed wood. No smoke when the wood etc is dry just a big hot flame. You are right about the heat. The bottom glows red at night where the burn line is. Next going to try the jolley Roger variant.
Thank you so much for this post.
Well explained and I appreciate your work and your time. How to use this biochar in the garden and for planting could make another video.
spot on mate. that was brilliant.
You might want to try inverting a 30 gallon drum full of those clippings inside one of your 55 gallon drums. Will prevent more oxygen from being introduced and probably a hotter burn.
6 years later, it seems most others recommend an inner barrel too.
Will it help if I follow the method shown in the video above as it is + I also invert a smaller barrel inside with wood chips.....so in a way the smaller barrel will ensure that those many wood chips turn into top quality wood chips+ I can fill up the outside gaps of the smaller barrel with more woodchips and also top it up with more woodchips as shown in the video to get more second grade biochar as shown in the video. Will this method work....if I combine TULD with inverted barrel method?
By far one of the most straightforward, simple & practical ways of making bio char, John.
I have a question for you: Would you get a quicker biochar if you used larger sized biomass? Thanks
Nice rig, I especially like it because it does not use additional wood to create the heat for making the biochar as in the drum within a drum setup, the benefit far out weighs any negatives, those wood chips would have released much more carbon in their decomposition.
Fantastic video, thank you!
Great job, thanks for sharing.
Hi John thank you.i was looking for simple and now I have it. I've tried buning in the ground, which I'm sure the Indians would have used. But this is simple, cheap and productive. Excellent
Well I found this a very interesting and informative video. Definitely is giving me ideas
Very very informative. My thanks to you and also to the lady who asked the last question, what do you mean charging it... Made this video very complete. Wonderful stuff xoxo
I really appreciate the insight you give.
Very helpful! Thank you.
Hi John I love your set up. I do leaf char on a much smaller scale and will give you a link to see that. I have a small suggestion after you stir the pockets of char to make sure it is all burned just spray the char in the burner, then dump it out. It stops the dusty ash from flying around you as much as possible (for health reasons), in "busy mode" you may not be thinking of that. You will accumulate the ash and smoke in your lungs that is NOT good!
This is a great of new
Product of fertilizer
Great video! really glad to see this. The one thing I see in this that I haven't seen in other designs is, most TLUD's have a barrel within a barrel, you're actually burning the wood in the bottom 55 gallon which is the same container you're getting the char from. How do you stop it from burning all of the wood? Usually, when using separate containers, its the gases from the (smaller) container that feed the fire but also char... never actually being exposed to flame themselves.
Hey So awesome you made this video. I recommend using larger Biomass, which in turn give faster pyrolosis rates. I am using corn fennel and bamboo stalks. they easily dry on the plant and I don't need to do anything. I am thinking of getting some chips though as they are easily attainable for free from most county transfer stations.
University of Tnn. Said you can use old tires to make char. th-cam.com/video/rOUwg37N-40/w-d-xo.html
Excellent explaination.
Good video but you are missing out on best part of pyrolysis of biomass, the syngas/woodgas.
Thanks!
Hello ckirk1311: You may be right but I've made char using every method I've ever read about or heard of and I think this is about as efficient as it gets. It takes a lot of fuel to char wood. John speaks of producing a yard of char in six hours. Do that by your method and see how much wood you consume for fuel. Direct methods are not a bad way to go.
How do it go with your enhanced soil now after 6 years ??
Great video thank you
One of the best TLUD designs I've seen on TH-cam for 55 gallon drums. Only thing that I might change is more air intakes in the adapter unit to get more air entrenchment for the after burner. What about the air gap at bottom?
Instead of placing on the ground, shall we put it on 3/4 bricks, so that from the bottom air flow will be more.. right ? in this case performance will increase or decrease ?
You would end up burning up all the charcoal if it gets too much air.
If you notice, his burn pad was paved with bricks, which were slightly uneven, leading to gaps that gave very limited air flow from beneath. The strong ‘rocket chimney’ action created a powerful enough draw that it got adequate air through the bottom to allow for the charring to occur. Then after the burn, he moves the barrel to ‘dirt ground’ to block the holes and kill the fire.
Charge it with a varied mixture - compost, worm casings, stone dust, egg shells, kelp/seaweed, dead fish, bonemeal, bloodmeal, manures, manure teas, etc. Incorporate this into waterswales, your neighborhood gardens, etc.
nice rig thanks
thanks bro - well done
If there is a smaller barrel placed in the larger barrel the char yield will be greater. I have the type with two barrels. Better quality as well.
Thank you
Biochar should sound like glass when handled !! Baked wood is the key !!
The best I have seen. thanks
There has to be a trade off between higher yields and easy setup. This setup uses a couple of oil drums, no welding, and is close to a load it, light it, leave it operation. Once you go down the retort road, you need to work out a way of building a gas tight hatch, which IME is not trivial, and you need to be prepared for thermal runaway.
Dude we totally have the same shirt 😂✌️🤜🤛
If you set the barrels a few inches off the ground, say on some bricks the airflow will increase and your production time with decrease. Try it!
I really like the simple process of making char. I too live in Central Florida . Its very sandy but char wood is not a good compost. Spreading mulch over the property over a period of 3 to 4 years will transform the sandy soil to productive .
Thanks for the information. I too should try this.
... thats because you are applying charcoal only. To make biochar you must mix it compost/urine/manure/fertilizers etc to inoculate it. Give it about a year and after that plant
Im curious about harvesting wood vinegar from this method. What modification would need to be done?
Wow this was an inspirational video....we spend about 300-500 a yr for mined phosphate 0-0-50 for 2,000 fruit trees. Im now going to be a wood chip dumping ground. The drums look to be easily fabricated. Like to see a side by side growth and fruit comparison. Chime in viewers if a link is out there and thank you.
I would be interested in knowing how many burns you get from your 55 gallon drums. Keep up the good work as I'm sure it will pay off many times over in the future.
Hi Banq0o,
John's property is slightly acidic, but we've found that biochar is essentially neutral when it's added to the soil. All the literature says that biochar is basic, but I believe that's because they ground it very fine before they check it. I think that, when it's added to the soil, there's a whole different set of effects being created.
charge it with urine if it;s basic
With some tweeks, the stove can be made smokeless. Done right the net is "carbon negative" and actually reduces greenhouse gasses.
Great video! How have the plants been doing with the Biochar?
If I understand things correctly, the small amount of smoke seen in the video can be eliminated by adding some holes at the bottom of the chimney. They would supply oxygen to the "afterburner" and burn off the majority of the smoke.
Great job...!
But I've got a question: can you do it without water quenching?
I mean how to make the system oxygen-free while letting it cool with ambient temperature over the night.
just seal up the retort but for biochar the steam cleans out the capillaries in the structure. that's ++good.
Interesting. Thanks for sharing. I'm looking for a design that will convert furniture shop waste.
it is useful that you make a vedio about Biochar inaculaation & mixing with sands
Ready for agr
Justanieah
Wood doesn't burn, what you see burning is the gases in the wood. if you put all the wood in a closed barrel and pipe it out you'll have gas. then you can use that gas to burn more wood and so on... you can cook you can heat water you can ever run a car with wood.. Have a good day everyone :)
Can one harvest wood vinegar from this method of making biochar?
Very true... gentlemen 🎅💪🙏
It possible my big brother done this concept very gently..
Wondering if there are people who have used this system with a fuel material other than uniform chip material... As in, logs, reeds, paper, sawdust, etc. Does the fuel material have to be uniform for the TLUD to function or can it be heterogenous like logs covered in wood chips for higher density output?
Thanks, this is a great design!
Very nice video.
It looks like the whole secret to Biochar is the charging of it as Biochar itself does not have any nutrients, fertilizers, or anything else but is more like a container of sorts to hold these things and release them. Is it possible to make a video to explain what the charging or the mechanics of how this process works ? Thanks again.
You’re awesome! I love you man. Subscribing just because of your paralysis joke. But also wanna check your progress! I have some char videos too
any way to capture that heat energy? I bet you could generate some serious power with all of those running.
thanks for the upload.
you want the char as finely ground up as possible for the best results
Would`nt it help to sit ur barrels on top of some angle iron perhaps, to increase air for the updraft. luv what ur doing, keep up the good work.
EdibleAcres, John is using a tlud which, by its process, requires that the feed stock be chipped. The other method is called a retort, and it doesn't matter much about the sizing of the feed stock. But---The time to fire a retort is drastically longer than a tlud (usually all day) and then a long time to let it cool (usually all night). The result is that a tlud yields a much larger amount of char per unit of time
The quality is lower tho
Does the char have to be charged?, or can you just root till it into your existing veg. Garden?
John,
I noticed that you let the char cool after placing the lid on top; then tipped the barrel over and dosed the char with water. Is the dosing necessary; or, could you let the drum sit overnight & cool naturally? Or, could you dose it immediately with water in the barrel?
I'm definitely going to do this. I already have about 6 barrels, get them for free at work.
Farming Life Australia. channel John uses 4 55 gallon barrels. That he cut the sides out. Takes a little longer. But works! I have made about 200 pounds of char so far. I use my riding mower to grind up the char. Needs to be damp, and charged. To control the dust. I just spread it over the garden, or field. Drive over the char to grind it up. Works good. Then I can work it into the top 6 inches. th-cam.com/video/WflSIAFOPuw/w-d-xo.html
@@charlescoker7752 thank you for this link! I will be using this on my sandy soil hobby farm in Quebec.
Hey Allen, I beg to differ. I've made lots of biochar by many methods and this is as simple and efficient as it gets, in my experience. Have you any experience gardening with biochar? I do and all I can say is try it. Also, for those with brains who wish to sequester carbon, this is a good way to do that too and improve your soil at the same time.
make you stiff? are you speaking from experience?
nice kiln tho, I'd consider making one if I have several metal barrels laying around.
Can you talk more about the adaptors?
Consider 3 bricks on the concrete pad to support and elevate your burn barrel for better air drafting. Quenching absolutely necessary to prevent biochar carbon oxidation.
Instead of spraying with water I think you could quench it by dumping it directly into a barrel containing compost tea or some other liquid organic medium to inoculate it right away.
I like the low tech approach. Productivity looks good for a low investment. Do you have experience with less consistently sized material like small sticks and brush? I've read steel drums are only good for about 30 burns and they are spent...what has your experience been?
04:08 Hi. I don't understand how these bottom-holes can work? When the drum is set up, how can the air get in?
your video is amazing Please can you tell me in the difference between Bio-char and normal charcoal ?
Does this work with logs or only woodchip size pieces?
make compost tea with kelp and rock dust (and a bio starter (bacteria mycorhizae etc)) and soak the char in it. then innoculate garden with char (and tea).
While it can be eliminated, the biochar will eventually have to be saturated with moisture before it becomes useful. Additionally,. introduction of water when the char is at a high temperature acts to "activate" the carbon structure making it more porous and thus more effective.
can you show us how you made the stoves?
any instructions/plans for the TLUD processor? Preferably something printable?