FW: [Biochar] Biochar-making Cookstove, Top Lit – Not a TLUD

Doc / Dr TLUD / Paul S. Anderson, PhD — Website: www.drtlud.com<www.drtlud.com/>
Email: psanders@ilstu.edu<mailto:psanders@ilstu.edu> Skype: paultlud
Phone: Office: 309-452-7072 Mobile & WhatsApp: 309-531-4434
Exec. Dir. of Juntos Energy Solutions NFP Go to: www.JuntosNFP.org<www.juntosnfp.org/>
Inventor of RoCC kilns for biochar and energy: See www.woodgas.com<www.woodgas.com>
Author of “A Capitalist Carol” (free digital copies at www.capitalism21.org<www.capitalism21.org/>)
with pages 88 – 94 about solving the world crisis for clean cookstoves.

From: main@Biochar.groups.io <main@Biochar.groups.io> On Behalf Of Paul S Anderson via groups.io
Sent: Friday, May 8, 2020 1:06 AM
To: main@Biochar.groups.io
Cc: Anderson, Paul <psanders@ilstu.edu>
Subject: Re: [Biochar] Biochar-making Cookstove, Top Lit – Not a TLUD

[This message came from an external source. If suspicious, report to abuse@ilstu.eduabuse@ilstu.edu>] Kevin,

Yes, cylindrical will work. But the issue remains about being a stove first and biochar as a “co-benefit.” MANY persons have spent time on this. There is no easy answer, especially when emissions measurements are “required”. Or said another way, there is no “sufficiently inexpensive” biochar-producing stove (yet), with inexpensive being defined US$10 or less and will last for some moderate time (3 months, but they want 3+ years of use for almost no price). The better stoves can last longer, but there is need for “subsidy” or sponsorship to get the cost covered to then get the stoves into the hands of the impoverished households.

CLEAN burning has been proven in the TLUD / gasifier stove category. But that technology still has not received the traction for success. Efforts are directed toward business models and carbon credits and other issues (such as use of pellet fuel) to try to get some backing. Several efforts are continuing, but all with industrially produced stoves, each with specific features that can become limitations in the eyes of the funders.

Note that this discussion is on the Biochar Discussion Group. The Stove listserv is VERY quiet for many months now. Why? IMO, because the issue of CLEAN burning is clearly dominated by the char-producing stoves. And in your case, and in Ron’s (and increasingly in mine), it is the biochar that is driving the discussion.

Paul

From: main@Biochar.groups.io<mailto:main@Biochar.groups.io> <main@Biochar.groups.io<mailto:main@Biochar.groups.io>> On Behalf Of Kevin McLean via groups.io
Sent: Thursday, May 7, 2020 11:24 PM
To: main@biochar.groups.io<mailto:main@biochar.groups.io>
Subject: Re: [Biochar] Biochar-making Cookstove, Top Lit – Not a TLUD

[This message came from an external source. If suspicious, report to abuse@ilstu.eduabuse@ilstu.edu>] Paul,

Any suggestions for improvement?

Does the shape need to be conical? Will cylindrical work?

Use as a cookstove is the first priority or it will not be used. The goals are efficient, clean and able to use agricultural waste as fuel. Biochar would be a huge plus.

Thanks,
Kevin

On Thu, May 7, 2020 at 9:37 PM Paul S Anderson <psanders@ilstu.edu<mailto:psanders@ilstu.edu>> wrote:
Kevin,

What you describe is classic, as follows:

1. It is a TLUD, but without any concentrator nor riser; works that way on the downward pyrolysis of the initial load of biomass. Small diameter can work but is not optimal.

2. But open top allows you to keep adding fuel which is heated from below, as would be in a retort, and makes additional gases (retort style, not TLUD with a migratory pyrolytic front MPF)), which is fine. And if a flame is maintained above the newly added fuel, there can be some “flame cap” functions to help make the charcoal.

3. Massive amount of info about control and turndown and how to support the cooking pot, etc. is in the Stove Listserv archives, and much at www.drtlud.com<www.drtlud.com>.
If your goal is to make biochar, what you show is fine. If the goal is a cookstove, better check the 2 decades of TLUD stove work. If you want to do both, then the cookstove approach is the major concern and the biochar will be available with each meal preparation.

Paul

From: main@Biochar.groups.io<mailto:main@Biochar.groups.io> <main@Biochar.groups.io<mailto:main@Biochar.groups.io>> On Behalf Of Kevin McLean via groups.io<groups.io>
Sent: Thursday, May 7, 2020 1:51 PM
To: main@Biochar.groups.io<mailto:main@Biochar.groups.io>
Subject: [Biochar] Biochar-making Cookstove, Top Lit – Not a TLUD

[This message came from an external source. If suspicious, report to abuse@ilstu.eduabuse@ilstu.edu>] Have any of you tried this and can you provide direction?

image001.jpg@01D624D4.E1B15410“/>

I put additional holes in the bottom of a terra cotta pot. I filled the pot with hardwood chips to 2″ below the top and lit the top of the fuel. Once the fire was strong, I added a handful of fuel every few minutes. The level of the fuel remained the same throughout, about 2″ from the top. I quenched with water after 30 minutes.

The fire burned very clean. The result was about 50% biochar (by volume, compared to the total fuel used). There was just a little unburnt wood that had not turned to char.

What seems to be happening is the heat from the fire pyrolyses the fuel below. The pyrolysis gasses rise to the fire and ignite. More photos and videos are in this folder<drive.google.com/open?id=1W006AnxsuHVC9LKGGEPA3DzZX4SS_a_n>. This video<drive.google.com/open?id=1-EzFq4LWOYf1OTNQhoLAqVvPqQYJPDc6> is particularly interesting. Note the flame on the left side curling over the trapped smoke.

This method can probably be used with agricultural waste such as corn cobs and stalks. There are many ways to place a cookpot above the fire. We don’t have a good way to turn down the heat, yet.

Ron Larson and I have been trying to design low-cost cookstoves that make biochar. If we are successful, the Catholic Church can probably train smallholder farmers in Africa to make and use biochar to improve crop production.

If you have done something like this, I hope you will share your experiences.

Kevin
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