Bio-char Kiln in the Cariboo( Probably the first)

 Bio-char Kiln using waste wood and horse manure.
 Here is a series of photos of my efforts to make and use a simple bio-char kiln or stove, It is made from used steel barrels.The design is called a TLUD--a Top Lit Up Draft very similar to that of a rocket stove. The stove takes about 100lbs of waste wood fuel and some horse manure ( I cut it up into kindling size pieces and added some small branches) and the result is about one third in weight of bio-char- about 35lbs. The operation took 45 minutes. It was easy to tell when the bio-char was finished as during the process the heat produced gases which were completely burned off. No smoke , no pollution! When the flames from the burning gases stopped that indicated the process was complete. You have to be fairly quick to tip out the bio-char and immediately douse it with water. It was formed by the top lit, up draft (TLUD) process so when exposed to oxygen there is a chance that it could ignite and burn to ashes. soaking it prevents this. it is also a good idea to spray water on the pieces of the stove to cool them down. It only took me about 3 hours to make the stove. I used an angle grinder to do all the cutting and used 3 cutting discs. I put three pieces of steel bars under the bottom barrel to allow passage of air through the forty drilled holes in the bottom of the barrel. Everything worked perfectly and I will make another 3 kilns so that I can make much more bio-char. Most for my raised beds and the remainder for my forge, where I teach the art of blacksmithing to young students who want to learn the basics of a dying art, before I am not able to! The charcoal produced this way is ideal for forge work as it is so clean and is what the blacksmiths used during the gold rush to the Cariboo as coal was not then available.Having done so well with the mixture of waste and manure, I believe that used in a bigger commercial sized kiln this process could easily use sewage and garbage, not only to get rid of the pollution but to create electricity from the heat produced and if the gases were captured as well then there would be additional power produced. Bio-char is one product that could help reduce global warming , stop pollution of the water table and reduce the waste going into landfills. That is on top of its benefits to agriculture and forestry, and as an amendment to the soil instead of chemical fertilizers

The 40 holes were quite tedious to drill but it was necessary for the Up draft effect.

This is the afterburner/ adapter that connects the bottom barrel to the narrower chimney.

This is the kiln completed and ready to be filled with wood waste, manure, hay, or anything organic that will convert into bio-char. The metal rods under the bottom barrel allow air to enter the holes for the up draft effect.

Here is the result after 45 minutes! Perfect bio-char the first time. It is very important to spray water on the hot bio-char immediately as it could burst into flames and end up as ash. Now to make more as I have lots of friends who will want some!

Ken Bourne.