Energy Corps Montana: Building a Biochar Retort Kiln

[@benjaminbio5834]

Michael you have demonstrated well enough for me to understand the mechanism, actually I constructed a Silo made of bricks seven years ago but it's just a experimental, the Kaowool blanket is my next order,thank you and God bless

[@lalrinralte8299]

Superb presentation. Everything clearly explained with great passion. Thank you. God bless.

[@sittingelf]

This oh so much more complicated a system than it needs to be. Can't believe that this design is being presented with all of the easier, and just as effective options out there.

[@ronmartin7253]

Give 1 example.

[@andrewparry1474]

Yes, examples please

[@thomaskrafft9890]

Not being able to see inside I don’t know where the opening is in the bricks for the air flow inside the lower barrel. Is there a drawing or build video for this setup? It’s very different from the TLUD style that I know how to make. Thanks!

[@e.p.belltell2227]

how long do you keep the rocket stove burning, and how do you seal the two stacked barrels?

[@glennmartin6492]

Why not drill holes in the flat bottom of the char chamber which would rest stably on the angle irons instead of the rounded lid which teeters alarmingly.

[@amathonn]

Great presentation, excellent detail. Not to be a curmudgeon, but it looks like a lot of time and effort for a very small return. How much biochar would each completed process in this kiln produce? What is the average return per hour? And what would be the optimal amount needed for a garden of 1000 square feet?

[@robertchampagne1516]

what is the part that does not last long enough and how can we improve it ?

[@zomesargentina]

Hi from Argentina... The retort chamber (smaller drum) does it only have holes on one side of it? thanks

[@glennmartin6492]

I appreciate the efficiency of the rocket stove. It's a good use for softwood leaving hardwood to be charred which makes for better charcoal. Ideally you'd set a small fire at the base of the long stem of the "J" to get a draft started before starting your main burn. Maybe if there was a door in the base of the chimney on top of the cooker barrel that would do the same thing. You could also poke a lit taper in there when you;ve got unburnt gases coming out the top and get a burn going at the top of the char chamber as well. Have you considered burying the "J" in a trench to lower it. Then you could dispense with the bottom barrel and support the cooker with a few cinder blocks.

[@andrewcohen422]

Do you have a set of plans for this design?

[@kingdarkem]

Hmmm could this be made electric and achieve 1700°F and hold this temp for 30 minutes?

[@0331856]

Great video. I'm just starting to learn about this and this video helped a lot. On a side note I have a bbq cooker and was wondering if I could make charcoal for fuel for it to burn with your system? I'm still confused on what the difference is between biochar and 100% natural charcoal that I use in my bbq cooker. Thanks

[@CC-jy4gr]

me too clarify please!!!

[@7rutz7]

Biochar is the word for charcoal that is added to soil. I was told that by the man who coined the term "Biochar"...However I'm quite sure there is a difference between store bought briquettes and this black carbon char coming from a retort burn. The store bought charcoal I'm assuming is pressed together condensing it for the purpose of fuel whereas biochar is needed for it's surface area from it's pores structuce

[@7rutz7]

1 gram of biochar can have 9000 sq.ft.. of surface area which is part of the reason it promotes life in soils. I can imagine if it were crushed and compacted like charcoal it would lose some of those values. Also as others have pointed out the char needs to be inoculated with microbes, nutrients, and even fungi to make good biochar

[@7rutz7]

Biochar also has to be clean void of contaminates such as heavy metals and other pollutants that wouldn't be healthy for the microbes in the soil. So no using treated woods, woods with paint etc. also I wouldn't even want to cool off my char with city or rural "treated" water as the chloramines and fluorides would possibly inhibit life in the soils. You really have to have an all natural approach to fully benefit and to have something different than just charcoal

[@jimmarchel1830]

I am starting to gather materials to make a retort. I was wondering if it mattered what was in the retort prior to its use as a retort. if there was oil or other toxic substance in the barrel and you make biochar in that barrel will the biochar pick up that toxicity.

[@kksal4375]

Greatttttt video and explanation! Thank you soo much for sharing

[@josemanuelmartinellreynald5785]

Saludos desde Cuba. Magnifico video.

[@archimagejoe]

how if we change the wood fire starter to charcoal in the rocket stove?

[@lanceroark6386]

So is this legal in East Helena, or are you showing us what we could do if we were free?

[@PaulLadendorf]

Thanks for the video. You say higher temps with less fuel. Than what? Is a slab really necessary? Why not just use gravel?

[@ma55616]

thanks michael great video and also i wish to know that what could be the per tonne manufacturing cost of biochar for a medium scale machine in united states in terms of cost of feedstocks, transportation costs, operating cots etc.

[@airheartwoodmiller]

I am making a retort to boil maple sap using pistachio shells. I could have used a little more insight into the construction of the base. I couldn't figure out how to replicate the profile of bricks passing through the side of the barrel. Did you only use whole bricks or did you do some cutting? Thanks!

[@ronmartin7253]

He quickly mentions cutting them. Id like to share with you an other use for those nut shells - i wash your dog @gmail

[@b_uppy]

This guy forgot to say that biochar also corrects the fast drainage issues of sandy soil, too.

[@glennmartin6492]

I like the simple way of sealing a lid to the internal char chamber. Just about the only simple thing in this video

[@romoshka1]

How do you determine how long to allow the burn to continue to ensure the conversion is complete within the retort?

[@6969smurfy]

it will tell you when it stops off gassing .

[@pranavsharma203]

Daniel..is biochar can be used as fuel again with little smoke?

[@randalmoroski1184]

Rocket stove Retort Kiln… Great Video!

[@GrantFitz]

How much of the kiln do you have to take apart to clean out the wood that was burned for the heat generation?

[@NCATATTRA]

+Grant Fitz You don't have to take apart the burn chamber where the wood is burned to generate heat. It's an open space made of the fire bricks. Is that the part you mean? You can just scoop out any ashes with your hands once they've cooled off.

[@NCATATTRA]

+Grant Fitz You don't have to take apart the burn chamber where the wood is burned to generate heat. It's an open space made of the fire bricks. Is that the part you mean? You can just scoop out any ashes with your hands once they've cooled off.

[@CC-jy4gr]

If your getting that many ashes it can't be that efficient

[@calientefirewood]

What is the specific pattern of the bricks? Read the book you referenced but cant find the specific pattern

[@pinantan001]

Although it is called a "rocket' stove, it's not rocket science, Gary. The specific pattern is pretty much whatever you come up with. It's the sort of thing that creativity is rampant and the only really important thing is the basic geometry and restricting the air from entering anywhere it shouldn't. I have thought of several methods of stacking the bricks and even adding some steel vanes in strategic places to create a vortex with the rising gasses, particularly at the bottom of the retort, thereby increasing the effective distance the flame front travels for a more efficient heat transfer. These things are so amazing, you can even, as shown in mass heaters, force the heat to travel back down and exit at the bottom of the assembly. Be creative, imaginative and if you have an idea, try it.

[@CC-jy4gr]

think simple

[@billkaroly]

How long did it take to create the batch of char?

[@NCATATTRA]

Sorry for the late reply. Between an hour and two hours.

[@glennmartin6492]

Check the safety requirements for your insulating material. Some require respiratory masks to keep the fine fibres from getting in the lungs and acting like asbestos.

[@BalazarsBrain]

good job, but it looks pretty unstable with the top piece rocking back and forth

[@johnbonitz7658]

Thanks for sharing your work, Michael Daniel! This is a clear explanation, and should be helpful to others as they experiment. I have a question: Why did you choose the rocket stove instead of, say, the Jolly Rogers TLUD with a retort stacked on top?

[@CC-jy4gr]

lol yeah how come?

[@JeshueMArcher]

I believe it's because the Rocket Stove is more efficient. If you look at the TLUD system you see that he does not use nearly as much fire wood to cook his biochar.

[@noraajagger4239]

SO... the top of the heat riser gets to 1500 - 2000 deg F. 17:13 put your hand over it

[@CC-jy4gr]

stfu

[@pitpotdeeerste]

you dont even want too cook to hot as you would lose hydrogen bonds

[@biffmalibu3733]

Just a suggestion. I would put a 3/4 inch pipe in the retort and pipe it into the rocket stove. You get more heat and no smoke. Burn the woodgas dont vent it.

[@marciedawson7513]

Wouldn't top part fall off? It seems that for safety reasons there should be some sort of mechanism to lock the top in place so that the top can't be knocked over accidentally.

[@scotts.2624]

I would rather use the one designed by James Hookway. Search, "The best charcoal retort kiln in the world" It doesn't take a concrete pad, is only one barrel high, probably safer to use, portable and looks like it makes more charcoal (Biochar)

[@Digger927]

Carbon like material? Isn't it pretty much pure carbon?

[@watchthe1369]

The 'flue' needs to be at least 3 times the diameter of the firebox in length to get the stove part of things working. The pressure cooker retort will explode like any other pressure vessel without the vents. I like the way you built a triple stage, very efficient burn

[@josephpadula2283]

Price 70 Fire bricks not regular Home Depot bricks snd you will look at other Models

[@ahowl7mx]

Cool system but there's a debate about not pulverizing biochar because whole pieces hold more water by volume than finely crushed pieces. You don't want captured water to be 100% bioavailable, so keep your biochar pieces large.

[@John801]

Data reports identifying X mass of fuel to produce X mass of charcoal would have been useful. Seems this rocket stove process is targeting production in areas with low fuel availability or with burn restrictions. Ken's comment on a vent recirculation process for a cleaner burn is very interesting.

[@jasonsherrill3518]

Interesting, but not necessary. You saw the 24 vent holes in the top of the reyorg chamber right. If he had put that with the top facing up....it would've been wasted fuel. Instead, he faced it downwards so that as it heats up, builds pressure and off gases....those off gases are ignited right there at the bottom of the retort chamber. Therefore, no need to pipe out any more off gas into the burn chamber. It's already being done with the vented, burner top which is inverted inside of the burn chamber.

[@pitpotdeeerste]

Seems a bit elaborate, i wonder if you gain much efficiency with the rocket stove heating this concoction.with lesser materials you could make a double barrel retort. this looks easy to load in, but with that fancy lid a double barrel would be easy to load too. with the right air intake holes you can get complete burn of your gasses and it is basically the same as a rocket stove. this is a rocket stove on a rocket stove to heat the barrel instead of stuffing wood in the sides. it would be nice to know howmuch wood is needed in the rocket stof to burn a 30 gallon barrel of wood, i wonder how long it takes before the woodgas ignites I wonder if this doesnt gets to hot thus loosing all your hydrogen bonds which makes biochar good biochar PS you need to make this charcoal you made in to bio char by adding nutrients, charcoal wil suck up your nutrients and mess up ph for a while if applied directly

[@benjaminbio5834]

impressed

[@valleymetalwood4542]

I would NOT add charcoal to the soil without charging it first.

[@NCATATTRA]

Good point. Appreciate it.

[@intruder3578]

good why to make charcoal

[@scotts.2624]

That seems kind of fussy having to pour the cement pad and how tall it is and all. I dont think you want to use it on a windy day. Injury from burns seems more possible having the very hot retort up so high and trying to pull the upper barrel off over it. If you want to see one that looks way easier to use look up "The best charcoal retort kiln in the world?" by James Hookway. It uses a rocket burner, is they size of one barrel not counting the chimney, makes more charcoal (Biochar), and can be set directly on the ground. It directs the wood gas into the rocket chamber just up wind from the flame front so the gas burns more efficiently. Being portable it can be carried to where the raw material is and or closer to where the charcoal it going to be used.

[@Awed1b]

+Scott S. Scott, I thought he got rid of the rocket burner that was why his title mentioned its death.

[@cwstanton]

"At this point, this char is ready to be added to the soil." In fact, it is far from ideal at this point. You have not created biochar; you have created charcoal. The charcoal now needs to be inoculated with healthy microorganisms before adding it to the soil, or it will actually have a negative affect on the soil for the first several weeks. There are many great ways to turn that charcoal into biochar. Consider a video like this for next steps: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4bMiGZjfrKZg6c

[@NCATATTRA]

Hey, thanks for the link. I'll pass it on.

[@CC-jy4gr]

thanks charles you on dat dank!

[@richardmcphee4827]

I get the Distinct Impression that you've taken a Massive Hammer to Crack open a Peanut... This is a Totally "Over-Engineered" answer to a very simple design...

[@karlbuschtoolmaker]

richard mcphee you got that right university education ?

[@CC-jy4gr]

hes right i can show you another design or two that are probably just as or more efficient and that are easier to build and produce about 3x that finished product. Your a fucking dumb ass lol

[@karlbuschtoolmaker]

Mort Goldstien i used a old water pressure tank thro it on my burning barrel recreational fire , next day 20 lbs charcoal

[@pjroberts09]

People who can not structure a grammatically correct sentence should not refer to others as 'dumb'.

[@CC-jy4gr]

fuck you patty

[@allendeanhuscusson459]

You should never ever add charcoal to soil it becomes biochar until charged

[@macoppy6571]

9 years in the future, please disregard advice to add charcoal directly to the soil. Only after charcoal is inoculated with nitrogen-rich "swamp water" or "compost tea" should it be added to the soil. While the design achieves a more efficient burn than simpler designs, with lower materials cost, it has significant ergonomics problems. A single man *can* operate it, but I heard grunting.

[@vc6984]

In addition if he had been spending income on Fanni and did not disclose in divorce trial he could be in deep do do. Those records need to be unsealed.

[@Michael-vp4zt]

I found spreading on the lawn and running it over with the mower a good way to pulverize it. See here- kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJ2XlISBgNqXoK8

[@vc6984]

Just one break I will give Nathan is he probably paying for his childrens car insurance while they are in college. And he may have paid their college hence not having much in savings or investment anymore.

[@skeets6060]

OK so your making charcoal whats the big deal?

[@lybikos]

the Oxford University Press edition ........

[@glennmartin6492]

He needed to go through his spiel a few times with an audience to streamline it and increase clarity He also needs to learn how to pronounce "escape". He needs to refer to the charcoal as charcoal instead of carbon material. And a last particular irritant to me is that what you're producing is charcoal, not biochar. It's what you DO with the charcoal that makes it biochar.

[@WaMor]

do not retort.

[@skeets6060]

Dude I dont want to seem like Im downing you but this was just painful to watch and listen to