Bulworthy Project Presents - How to Make Charcoal in a Ring Kiln

Footage of an overnight charcoal making experience at Bulworthy Project (Devon, England) made into an instructional film on how to make charcoal in a ring kiln. Film created by Fred Iles.
To find out more about our courses, see: www.bulworthy.uk/charcoalcourse

[@balikutaarthasurfschool5274]

Thanks very much 👍👍👍

[@rogerbrisley5657]

very informative

[@nielskie45permejo54]

Thank you for this vedio👌👌👌👌👍👍👍

[@ponyrang]

Wow... !!! My best friend, Great... We liked and enjoyed to the end. Thanks Have a happy day! Keep it up! +thumb up3!

[@Bulworthy]

For more information about making charcoal and a list of British charcoal makers, see: www.devoncharcoal.co.uk

[@alldaymusicman]

You should put your link in with your info so people can access your website. I liked your video, it was very informative.

[@Bulworthy]

alldaymusicman we're really glad that you liked the video. There are links in the comments to www.devoncharcoal.co.uk/howto for people who want to learn more online and www.bulworthyproject.org.uk/charcoalcourse for anyone who wants to come here and learn.

[@j.babiweedor461]

Thanks for the hard work you put into the production of this video. One question please: What is the base of the kiln made of? Metal or earth?

[@Bulworthy]

J. Babi Weedor the kiln doesn't have a base as such. It sits on the 8 vents which act as air inlets and chimneys. These hold it appropriately 100mm above the ground.

[@j.babiweedor461]

Thanks for the prompt response.

[@oswaldcocking117]

...how long does it take to burn into charcoal?...

[@josemercedmartinezrodrigue9395]

Gracias por compartir su trabajo, una pregunta la leña está verde o ya está seca?

[@AdrianGarcia-rk7wx]

Por lo que veo o he visto esta verde la queman para sacarle toda la agua

[@jakjak6526]

super informative .... can i know pls on how to know when to close the vent and the cheminey opening ... and how long it took your process to finish ? is it a 24 hrs for carbonisation and another 24 hours to make it cool? your kind feed back is highly appreciated... thx and keep going , i saw a superb end product of charcoal !

[@Bulworthy]

In our 180cm wide, 100cm tall kiln, carbonisation takes about 15 hours. You should close off the vents & chimneys when the smoke as it leaves the chimney is clear. When the smoke is blue, you're burning the charcoal, so next time stop it a bit earlier. If you haven't seen it, have a look at www.devoncharcoal.co.uk/howto

[@jakjak6526]

@@Bulworthy thx for your prompt reply ... and for the related enclosed document ... can I know please what is the maximum wide and height that we can maximum build and in the same time to give a good quality charcoal and not exceeding a 24 hrs for carbonisation ?

[@Bulworthy]

@@jakjak6526 we don't know the answer to that. There are a lot of variables and we haven't experimented enough. Experiment and let us know.

[@jakjak6526]

@@Bulworthy will do in 2-3 months ... thx

[@haripalakurthi1056]

@@Bulworthy ⁹

[@TheAmbulatoryAnarchist]

This is a really bloody informative video, cheers guys. Didn't know you'd done this

[@malekrassim985]

Mirsse bokuo

[@callumedward405]

pro tip: watch movies on Flixzone. I've been using them for watching all kinds of movies these days.

[@maximoaugustus1768]

@Callum Edward definitely, been using flixzone for years myself :)

[@armouredoutlaw1537]

If you're going to make charcoal from all of that timber why not seperate the sizes when you stack it?

[@shamanking5195]

what is the red stuff you put on top to seal it ???

[@Bulworthy]

It's sand

[@jackgittens2006]

I have same name

[@joeborja1494]

the tank has a tin floor or is grounded on the ground

[@Bulworthy]

It's not got a base. It's just on the ground

[@Bulworthy]

It's not got a base, it's just on the ground

[@gelwood_]

Is the wood green or seasoned?

[@Bulworthy]

We season the wood for a minimum of 6 months.

[@devinmoran59]

How much was the yield

[@Bulworthy]

That kiln used to yield approx 180kg

[@selmanismetdhevisarpejayou4648]

C

[@mackbolan6263]

I feel this process is quite dangerous because of accumulation of gas, and using direct method of burning produces alot of waste. Instead of having a second container inside the kiln for the wood. The direct the exhaust pipe into water to eliminate the smoke and with an out spout which has continious flame to burn out wood gas.

[@kkskoh]

Is the smoke causing bad impact to environment?

[@Bulworthy]

It is mainly steam. There are particulates, which would be a big issue in a built up area, but not so much in the countryside. There are greenhouse gasses, but the carbon in these is part of a short term cycle. We use the waste charcoal in ways that mean that the carbon in it is sequestered into the ground. As the charcoal doesn't decompose, it doesn't release the carbon. Basically, it's better than carbon neutral, but isn't entirely without issue. When compared to a gas barbecue, or imported charcoal, this is much better.

[@kkskoh]

@@Bulworthy so basically the thick white smoke is mainly steam, tar, condensible gases (liquid smoke) and combustible gases such as methane, hydrogen.

[@Bulworthy]

@@kkskoh it's mainly steam, but has those other constituents as well.

[@khosrosadi5196]

The girl is so cool.

[@vineleak7676]

Its way overcomplicated tbh, and not efficient... A propper retort will use the wood gas to heat itself

[@Bulworthy]

Do you make much charcoal?

[@__jack________________2225]

Looks simple and efficient to me. That's quite a good size klin Produces lots of charcoals in 1 batch. Thumbs up!

[@georgecarlin2656]

Talk about over-engineering something. Just digging a hole in the ground is way cheaper, faster and easier.

[@Bulworthy]

That would be a bonfire, which would indeed be cheaper, faster and easier, but wouldn't result in charcoal.

[@georgecarlin2656]

@@Bulworthy It wouldn't? I thought I made already like a ton of (charged) biochar this way and applied to the garden and got great results.

[@Bulworthy]

@@georgecarlin2656 how many tons of wood did you put in for your ton of charcoal?

[@georgecarlin2656]

@@Bulworthy I do mostly corn stover biochar because it's simply better. By volume it takes about 2 wheelbarrows of corn stover to create 1 wheelbarrow of biochar, but this is normal because when it burns it naturally shrinks like boiled mushrooms (unlike wood which stays pretty much the same size). Plus I think about 10% is wasted to ash, which is a nice thing but less wanted than biochar. I tried various sources and came to the conclusion that wood biochar is the worst (if you do it yourself) because it's very hard to grind to smaller particles and is harder to charge it properly. While with corn stover or grape vines you don't have to grind it to smaller pieces which this alone is a huge deal to me.

[@Bulworthy]

@@georgecarlin2656 if you've invented a version of an earthburn which is even vaguely as efficient as a ring kiln, you should weigh the wood and the resulting charcoal and let the world know. I have a feeling that the ratio would be less than 1 part charcoal for every 15 parts of wood.

[@HawaiiLimey]

Me thinks much scrumpy is downed in these parts.

[@Bulworthy]

You knows.