How to Make Biochar

Red Mountain Makers shows you how to make charcoal for biochar using a 55 gal drum and 30 gal drum retort as originally designed by Living Web Farms.
Makes 10 gallons of crushed biochar for composting. This video walks you through making the charcoal part, DO NOT put this straight into your garden, you must compost it first for at least 30 - 45 days.
www.redmountainmakers.org

[@befr33]

Absolutely nailed it! Well done.

[@mjtheexplorer9721]

Awesome

[@joepeeer4830]

Ty

[@shawnpearson8927]

My pleasure

[@jamillefrancisco564]

Those pine cones are so beautiful 😍

[@koltoncrane3099]

You’re right to use small pieces. I rolled up some cardboard and shoved into a 50 gallon drum. I threw it on a big fire and the next day found only a part was charcoal. The first time I stood the barrel up and left the one inch hole in the lid open in the coals. So I tried it again but rotated the barrel. The second time I laid the barrel on its side. I also rotated the barrel. I could tell as I rotated it flames around the barrel seal was still burning and finally stopped. I’m going to check it tomorrow. But ya if I do it again I’m going to rip cardboard up into smaller pieces instead of a big roll. I thought to try cardboard cause I got tons of it I can get from a flower shop. And the cardboard and wood chips I used once turned into carbon is super easy to crush. I’ve made charcoal in a trench method and works great for volume. I walked on it but it only broke into one inch or half inch chunks not very fine. I need to buy a leaf grinder or something if I do the trench method again.

[@abangnorpasirdusun674]

Thanks for sharing your great idea. I'm trying this, to make 'Bio-Cha' from coconut shell. You great man.

[@haroldwestrich3312]

Great design! Thank you for sharing. Looks like the most efficient design possible because you are using all of the gasses that would otherwise be blown into the sky or burnt off top without using the energy ! ! ! thank agin

[@MoorlandMoss]

This is a great idea. I'm going to try and copy this ASAP. Thank you for the inspiration.

[@abraham3901]

Man, good stuff. I've seen when's good (carbon) biochar it can lit an LED cell when you connect the two ends of the light. can't wait to do my first batch. Got me a cylinder and a square steel pipe. Trying to do the smokeless retort version. Thank you for sharing.

[@yanviana9553]

woww thats amazing !

[@citychicken]

Super thorough. Thanks!

[@CannabaeCG]

Looks great man. I'll be using this method going forward.

[@lucianoguerra9013]

Very nice work. Thank You Loader.

[@rinabinette]

Thank you for sharing such excellent information including the results from your garden! Just a warning for building fires on concrete. If the concrete is wet it can spall or explode. Just a suggestion. Thanks again.

[@markthompson5956]

Nicely done mate you did however forget to mention you need to activate the carbon prior to using it other wise it's just char not biological char

[@shawnpearson8927]

I didn't do a good job of mentioning that part at the end around minute 7:49 seconds. But yes you are correct, you have to 'charge' the crushed and classified charcoal for *at least* 30 days in your compost pile. Classified means, you run the crushed charcoal through a 1/4" metal screen to end up with charcoal dust and tiny chunks which you add to your compost. The pre-Spanish colonization South American natives would put the crushed charcoal into large clay pots and use them as urinals to 'charge' their charcoal. This is what made the original terra preta, which is some of the most fertile soil on the earth. They actually defecated into the pots too, BUT I would NOT recommend you do that! The urea in urine is enough to make the biochar work properly, but I would still throw that urine-ladened charcoal into the compost pile so that fungus, bacteria, and macro-organisms can find a new home inside the microscopic holes in the charcoal. The microorganisms are what do the heavy lifting in providing high-quality nutrients for the plants.

[@MrPedrobeca]

boa ideia, vou tentar fazer também

[@shawnpearson8586]

obrigado, avise-me se você tem alguma dúvida

[@justine8531]

Is the inner barrel flat against the bottom? I’m making Biochar but it doesn’t sound like glass like this.

[@shawnpearson8927]

Yes, the inner barrel is laying flat on the bottom. The pressure of the gasses inside will push under the bottom rim because the bottom of the outer barrel is not perfectly flat...especially when hot.

[@justine8531]

@@shawnpearson8927 Thank you how is the inner barrel cooked?

[@amateurimagineeronetsy7387]

@@justine8531 So basically the fire that is started on the top of the 30 gal drum (is covered by the 55 gallon drum top with the smoke stack), it burns its way down the sides by sucking in air through all those holes we drilled in the sides of the 55 gal drum. This heats up the inner 30 gal drum to close to combustion, but since there is limited oxygen inside that 30 gal drum that wood doesn't catch fire...in a sense it 'cooks' out the natural oils and trapped gases in the wood's cellulose fibers. Some of these gases are similar to natural gas and build up pressure in that inner drum. Since the 30 gal drum top is sealed, the pressure makes them push down to the bottom where the path of least resistance is through the only holes in that inner drum are where it can escape. In turn, as these gases push out from under the rim of the inner drum, they mix with oxygen and the already burning embers to ignite and increase the temperature inside the inner drum even more. This process helps speed the carbonization of the raw cellulose because the temperatures get so high, but there is no oxygen inside to sustain a fire within the inner 30 gal drum. This cycle is automatic with this configuration so it's pretty much a "set it, and forget it" process. That's why I felt it made it worth it to spend the money on this contraption.

[@kingjames4886]

what happened to the blocks of wood you had your burn barrel set on? did they burn?

[@shawnpearson8927]

Yes, they did get charred...but didn't catch fire.

[@FoodForesters]

Love the video

[@findingoutthehardway]

Great video! Unsure if you’re still checking these comments, but wondering if there would be an advantage to putting a lid on the inner chamber, to force more gas from the charcoal back into the fire? From what I gather it’s open at the top, so you could still lose quite a bit through the chimney?

[@shawnpearson8927]

Hey Dave, no...there is a lid on the inner barrel. You don't want to leave that open or else it will burn what's in the inner barrel. The lid makes the internal pressure push the gases out those 5 bottom holes. I know the video thumbnail makes it look like the wood is built up out of the inner barrel, but it is not. I put a lid on it then stacked more wood and sticks on top and then it burns on top and down around the barrel.

[@franciscomiramontes1671]

Sir where did you purchase the 30 gal drum and the top pipe? I cannot seem to find any where I live?

[@dalewagnerW1EW]

Hi Shawn, I see your still answering posts. I think you did a great job of explaining things and clarifying the LWF video. At this point almost 5 years later would you make any changes or add any info? the only question i would ask is about lifting the 55 off the ground. I thought LWF said to leave it flat on the ground for some reason. Thanks for sharing!

[@shawnpearson8927]

I only leave it off the ground to protect my concrete driveway. :-) Honestly, I wouldn't change a thing about it. It has worked well each time I have used it...I would add another two 3ft sections to the stack to burn off more of the smoke. The last time I used it, it made so much smoke someone called the fire dept on me. LOL! They thought it was a meat smoker which I didn't tell otherwise and they saw that I had a hose out there with me so, no questions were asked except if they could get some of the meat when it was done. To be clear, I wasn't using it to smoke meat. I want to build a larger one when I move to more land eventually. This works fine for a small HOA neighborhood situation.

[@crazysquirrel9425]

A little brown is not a bad thing. The brown part will just convert into soil eventually.

[@shanek6582]

About what % of biochar do you mix in your soil for tomatoes? 10% a good start or too much? Thanks.

[@PurplepeepsGmail]

I usually do 5%, smash it up pretty well...I use a 1/4 wire screen to filter it so that pieces 1/4 in diameter end up in my compost. I add a 16 oz cup every time I add new kitchen scraps + two 16 oz cups of compressed pine sawdust pellets (at Tractor Supply) horse bedding...

[@walkerdodson3335]

Great vid but I have a couple of questions: Can you use punky or rotten pieces in the inner retort to make the charcoal? And did you only fill your inner retort partially or did we not see you fill it the rest of the way? If you only filled it partially, why? Thanks!

[@shawnpearson8586]

Sure you could, just as long as you don't use processed or treated lumber. And yes, I filled the inner drum all the way up to the top, but made it so I could push the top all the way on. You don't want any air coming in from the top.

[@OldTimerGarden]

Sounds like you are mumbling when talking. Difficult to hear what you are saying at times.

[@Gryphon2689]

so im getting flames in my 30 gal drum, and idk how or why? i have the 30 gal drum sitting flat, and my lid is on tight, im useing wallnut, could that be a problem, because there seems to be alot of tar that is not draining anywhere, im using the same method as you and ive only had one successful batch, the rest have burned up i would say 5 trys all together, so any help would be apprecaited, im trying to get and consistent production of biochar going.

[@PurplepeepsGmail]

Is the bottom of your 55 gallon drum warped? You could put a thin later of cement in the bottom to level it out so that the 30 gal drum sits completely flat. The pressure of the gases inside will push lift the 30 gal slightly to release the gases as it burns but won't let the flames get underneath.

[@wojomojo]

Where do you find 30 gal drums? I can't find them on craiglist and new drums are pretty expensive.

[@PurplepeepsGmail]

I got mine on amazon - yikes, they did go up in price ( I got mine for $80 originally in 2015) - It's because of those stupid steel tariffs right now...this is the one I bought 3 years ago www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006P5ROWQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00

[@kbfourseasons]

I'm looking for drums to do this myself. Should I be worried about drums that have previously stored petroleum? Does it matter since youll be burning it away?

[@PurplepeepsGmail]

Well, I don't think it will be that big of a deal if you power wash it out a few times with dish soap. I would not stand close to it on your first burn...it's hard to say if some of that petroleum seeped its way in to the bottom seam where the floor of the can meets the side. Plus you may not want to use your biochar first batch. I would not use a 30 gal drum that had petroleum in it previously...you don't want to contaminate your biochar. When you make biochar using this device, there is a black tar-ish hydrocarbon liquid that actually burns in the bottom of the outer can. It is what "melts" out of the wood during the carbonization process from inside the 30 gal drum. I've had it leak out of the bottom air hole in the 50 gal drum during a burn before. It stained the driveway...and smells close to kerosene. I had no idea that was what was burning in the bottom of the can after the outer wood burned down to ash. Apparently, this is what keeps the burn going up to the 4 hour mark after burning all that wood around the edge of the 50 gal drum for the first 1 hour and half. Hope this helps...sorry for the slow reply, I only check these comments every once in a while and no longer manage the Red Mountain Makers KZbin account...so I don't get the notifications.

[@LuisAlbanes]

Can you fill completlely the inner drum?

[@shawnpearson8927]

Yes, I filled the 30 gal inner drum to the top in this demonstration, but you didn't see it because clipped the video so you all wouldn't have to sit and watch me fill the whole thing. BUT, after you run the cooking process, the inner barrel contents will "shrink" by about 40% because a lot of that wood cellulose burns off into methane, and wood alcohols. Those alcohols and tar are what keeps the cooking process going after a lot of the wood outside of the 30gal drum has burned away...the cellulose that burns off inside the 30gal leaks out the holes at the bottom of the inner drum as that black tar'ish material at the bottom of the 55 gal drum.

[@Gryphon2689]

does the 30 gallon drum sit up on anything inside the 50 gallon drum, to create a space between the two drums on the bottom?

[@PurplepeepsGmail]

No, it sits flat on the bottom, the pressure created inside the 30 gallon drum causes it to expel the flammable gases in a small steady stream that keeps the kiln burning after the wood has burned down around the sides. TIP: You'll want the 55 gallon drum on a flat level surface or else the wood liquor (tar) will spill out the holes in bottom. A long stream of tar messed up my driveway the other day when it spilled out the vent holes, since my drive isn't level. This "tar" also burns at the bottom of the drum, under the 30 gallon drum.

[@krisyallowega5487]

@@PurplepeepsGmail I have viewed many videos on this subject. There should be zero liquid at the bottom of the drum. If there is tar accumulation, it tells me that the ideal temperatures have not been attained or sustained long enough. This "wood liquor" you call is actually a biproduct from making charcoal. Which is not what we are trying to accomplish. So it is one of 2 things. The retort is too large for the amount of fuel used to charge the system. Not enough fuel is maintained to keep the temperatures high. The addition of more kindling.

[@MichaelMantion]

Do you cativate the biochar with steam and KOH before putting it in the soil?

[@PurplepeepsGmail]

No, I did not...didn't know that was a thing. Not sure it really needs that, since we know that the South American tribes didn't do that. I did put it in the compost for at least 30 days to "charge" it with bacteria and fungus.

[@ag-bk5wf]

What do you mean compose it? Like set aside in closed container?

[@PurplepeepsGmail]

I was saying you need to compost it, meaning you need to crush it up into small pieces and place in a pile of leaf/grass clippings + food scraps + water for about a month or two...this allows bacteria and fungus to get into the tiny carbon pores. There are tiny holes in the biochar carbon that allow the bacteria, fungus, and water to hide/hangout protected until needed. When your plants roots send down their sugars into the soil for the bacteria/fungus the micro-organisms feed on the soil covered in the simple sugars that the roots emit. Each specific sugar the plant emits attracts a certain type of micro-organism which eats the soil and "poops" out the proper vitamin, mineral or enzyme that the plant needs to absorb in order to be healthy, grow, and produce fruit, stems/leaves, or roots you eat. This is why biochar is important for your soil. Once you have composted it to a certain point and added the composted biochar to the soil...if given enough time the biochar absorbed the proper micro-organisms then you don't have to amend your soil with new organic fertilizer constantly. The micro-organisms do all the work of making the right minerals the plants need to make protective chemicals for repelling insects, make photosynthesis efficient, and grow fruit. It also helps keep water in the soil even during drought.

[@charlescoker7752]

How did the tomatoes turn out. Did you have any fungus, or blight?

[@PurplepeepsGmail]

They turned out great, I got at least 40lbs of tomatoes off of that plant.

[@naturelover7040]

kindly would u like to tell me ? is there any paper has been published just let me references

[@beccal7950]

Johannes Lehmann from Cornell has written many scientific papers that are helpful, and if you search his citations, you can do a lit review to find other researchers’ work, as well.

[@Epiphalactic]

I can never find a reclosable 30 gal barrel. Just the sealed top

[@shawnpearson8927]

They're not as cheap as they used to be, maybe the US will drop the steel and aluminum tariffs soon - www.amazon.com/Air-Sea-Containers-Gallon-Rated/dp/B00PREIL2I/ref=sr_1_4 I got mine from Amazon for about half of this price way back when.

[@Kinjo2008]

*I might have missed something... the large barrel is 30 gal but what size barrel is the inside unit?*

[@shawnpearson8927]

No sorry...it may not have been too clear, outer barrel is 55gal and inner is 30gal.

[@Kinjo2008]

@@shawnpearson8927 Understood. Thanks for replying and that info. Have a good week my friend. 👍

[@CumiCumiAsamUrat]

it can be combined with incinerator?

[@shawnpearson8586]

Not sure what you are asking here...are you asking can you put a 30 gallon retort barrel inside of an incinerator? Maybe?? Basically that is what this is...you incinerate pretty much any material around the outside of the internal 30 gallon drum...to "cook" the raw wood (organic/cellulose) type material inside to gasify all non-carbon material leaving a carbon "skeleton" of the original material. You have to make sure no flames can get into the inner retort barrel, but it must have just enough seal so that the gases inside the retort can escape without causing an explosion. It works in this configuration because the gas pressure inside the inner barrel builds up pressure and makes its way down to the small holes in the bottom of the barrel. This is why you use several different types of cellulose materials, I add several pine cones because it leaves enough air space to allow the gases to make it out the holes in the bottom. You won't get a good burn if you use all wood chips or sawdust because there are not enough air spaces to allow the gases to permeate to the bottom escape holes and properly keep the burn going long enough. This is a very genius design by the guys at Living Web Farms and simple to build.

[@ernestolopez2044]

How did you made those triangular holes?

[@shawnpearson8927]

I used a Rotozip cutter with metal cutting blades. I cut two top edges of the triangle, then used a vice grip wrench to bend the metal outwards and roll it over so it wouldn't cut someone.

[@microbiogrow]

About how big are they? 2” or more like 1”?

[@amateurimagineeronetsy7387]

@@microbiogrow Sorry I missed this - they are about 3" wide at the base of the triangle.

[@Matrix2458]

realized the pipe i bought for the chimney was only 4 inches in diameter, do you think that would be enough?

[@shawnpearson8927]

Possibly? make it tall like 6ft, that will cause more of an updraft and burn more of the smoke before it comes out. I think I used 8 in A/C duct

[@Matrix2458]

@@shawnpearson8927 got 6 ft with an extra 2 ft left over and it seems to be working. Haven't gotten it hot enough to burn the gas, but I'm gonna try doing what codys lab did, and start a fire under the 30 gallon, and when the fire burns down and the 30 gallon sinks into the 55 gallon, you put the lid on. That way it gets hotter easier. Gonna try doing the pit method too since it seems superior anyways

[@shawnpearson8927]

@@Matrix2458 do you have enough holes? Mine are every 30 degrees around the 55 gal drum so there are 8 sets of holes around the top and another set around the bottom (which include the larger triangle holes). You may just need a little extra air flow. I basically copied the Living Web Farms design...the only part I was not sure on was were the holes in the bottom of the 30 gal drum...just guessed based on their dialog in their video, got it right the first time. I made this video to make that part more clear.

[@Matrix2458]

@@shawnpearson8927 yeah, we did the holes the same and all the wood on the outside burned all the way down. We didn't have the nice wood pieces though, just a lot of sticks

[@shawnpearson8927]

@@Matrix2458 Hmmm...that should have carbonized if it was simply sticks. You do want to make sure there is a lot of air space between the stuff you want to carbonize inside your 30 gal retort. People try to do small "particulate-like" stuff like sawdust or small woodchips and it doesn't very work well because basically that kind of stuff insulates, plus it doesn't allow the gas at top of the barrel to easily flow down to the bottom. It will push out the top around the rim and ruins the set-it-and-forget-it ability. This is why I use pinecones intermixed because it allows enough room for the airflow to go downward. You could also put some small steel bolts under the 30 gal to lift it slightly, you don't want to lift it too much where flames can get inside...that will mess up your "cooking" process.

[@terryrecord3436]

I was wondering how big the holes in the retort was ??

[@PurplepeepsGmail]

I used a 1/2" drill bit for all the holes

[@edgarzamora7553]

How do you charge the biochar

[@shawnpearson8927]

Hey Edgar, sorry for the super slow response. I charge it by crushing up the chared pieces between two stones and classifying the smaller pieces through 1/4 inch hardware cloth (metal screen). Then I take the small pieces and black dust adding it to the compost pile where I leave it there for at least a month. I'll add coffee grounds, urine, dried molasses, oats, a handful of horse pellet bedding and food scraps (no meats or dairy). Much of that I add to build up fungal hyphae...the sugars from the molasses and cellulose from food scraps bring in the bacteria.

[@MasterKenfucius]

This design is a little different than what I've seen. I have yet to see someone do a simple design of putting a very restricted amount of airflow into a steel drum and just setting fire to the inside. Have you tried that? That's how they make charcoal in 3rd world countries. They cover a whole pile of wood or even coconut shells with clay and let it burn real slow with a low amount of airflow. What's wrong with doing that? No wood is wasted in that method and you get full carbonization.

[@shawnpearson8586]

I did this video to show how Living Web Farms makes theirs. I felt that their original video didn't do a great job of showing how the holes were drilled, especially in the inner drum. If you want to spend your time covering the pile of wood with clay and then clean that up when you're done (e.g. separating the carbon from the clay), I say go for it. There are lots of ways to do this, I just found this LWF way to be easy clean up and a set-it and forget-it setup. Although with the current prices on steel drums (because of the steel tariffs), your method might be a better way to do it for now. I paid half the price back in 2015, compared to what they are going for right now.

[@MasterKenfucius]

@@shawnpearson8586 I mentioned the clay piles as an example so you can see how the low airflow method works. Nobody is saying to go find clay for that purpose. Anyone can create a restricted air-flow containment unit of any kind made of several different types of material. Heck, I've set fire to a bunch of paper in a metal trashcan one time and put the lid back on. To my surprise, I went to dump the ashes on the garden the next day and the fire was still going because the airflow was so low. I honestly think people are overcomplicating this! I've been burning small amounts of paper in that steel trash can for about 6 years now and it's just rusted, but it help up fairly well. I might use it to try to make biochar one of these days just to see what happens. The lid on it is perfect for a very low amount of ventilation to get in. No need to drill anything.

[@mmercier0921]

My last batch of charcoal came out as ash. Something obviously went wrong.

[@shawnpearson8927]

yikes, the fire must have gotten inside somehow. Was the bottom of the inner drum flat on the bottom of the 55 gallon drum? The only other thing I can think of is the flames came in from the top rim if the 30 gal cover was warped.

[@juliancortes9935]

Thanks for the video! Did you activate the biochar before putting it in the soil?

[@shawnpearson8927]

Yes, I put it in my compost for about a month and half - added dried molasses to compost to increase bacterial colonies

[@kicknadeadcat]

No air in the drum for pyrolysis. Just holes at the top for gas to escape. I have drum with large holes at the top. Turn the barrel upside down add some dirt around the edges and start a fire around it. When the gas’s at the top subside it’s ready.

[@charleslease6328]

That wood you used looks compressed and covered in man-made toxic chemicals. You should have stuck with just the pinecones and branches.

[@PurplepeepsGmail]

Charles, since you are the second person who has brought this up, I think there is some confusion because around 2:30, you may be seeing the 2x4's that I cut down the center as well as on the bias. The grain stripes look like plywood, but they are not. In order to make sure the quality of the biochar was carbonized all the way through, I ripped the solid pine 2x4s down center also. I did burn manufactured wood on the outside of the 30 gal retort can, which you can do...just as long as you don't try to carbonize it (inside the 30 gal drum). Is burning the manufactured wood good for the atmosphere, probably not that great, but it does not affect what is inside the retort can inside. But the burn temp is 700+ degrees so much of the toxic stuff is incinerated to less toxic compounds.

[@MikeyMuse52]

Vocal fry cringe. Thanks for the info.

[@mdhaynie]

Mikey MIV sounds like he’s been hovering around the smoke too long.

[@OldEarthWisdom]

no volume

[@MrSister127]

why can't you have manufactured wood in there? the whole point of this type of retort is that it burns off everything but the carbon

[@PurplepeepsGmail]

You can use manufactured wood as your burning agent around 30 gal drum...but I wouldn't recommend using manufactured wood as your biochar, since you might not know what anti-rot metallic preservatives that don't sublimate into a gaseous form are added...you risk adding human toxic copper and arsenic compounds to your soil. Technically, the carbon should keep these chemicals locked in, but I'm more for being on the safe side.

[@paul9813]

fire and concrete are not friends, always avoid it if you can, it can explode

[@shawnpearson8586]

It does leave a mark, so I lifted it on brick around the edge in other burns.

[@numbereight886]

3.17 Make sure the wood is not manufactured.... err... I see plywood and chip board.. how do you think they glue them together... sheeze.

[@Dyshof]

I agree, manutactured woof stuff is not perfect.... nevertheless we reach here quite high temperatures where most glues decompose to harmless substances

[@shawnpearson8586]

You don't use plywood/manufactured wood inside the retort barrel (30 gal drum) - which makes the actual biochar...however, you can use it to burn around the outside in the 55 gal drum. If you noticed I only put hardwood and natural sticks/pine cones inside the 30 gal of drum.

[@MrBeautz]

The glue used is urea formaldehyde resin, which is actually used in agriculture as a nitrogen source. It's going to break down at those temperatures though.

[@hammasali9339]

Whats the point of burning the wood and send combustible gases to the environment and then uses burned char for growing plants?

[@shawnpearson8927]

So 60% of the carbon in the wood ends up not in the air. You're not fully burning the wood into carbon dioxide and returning that carbon back into the soil for the microbes. And technically, my setup is not optimal. To do it better I would add another 6 feet of stack, as this would help pretty much all the gases burn off leaving mostly heat.

[@johnwoods6751]

Red mountain makers. Woo hoo

[@alimohammond9315]

can't u just dig a hole in the ground and burned it down there like a camp fire, why does it seem u have to do it in a certain way!

[@Fundamental_Islam.]

Ali Mohammond you don’t want this to be exposed to air

[@PurplepeepsGmail]

I have seen them do that in Hawaii, where they dig a conical hole, then cover it with banana leaves to make a low oxygen environment at bottom of pit. Then they light a big bon fire on top to generate the high heat. That is okay if you live in an unpopulated area. However, this method is self contained, automatic and relatively safe for a residential area. If the firemen stop by, you can just say you're smoking meat in your homemade smoker...like I had to do one time. :-) The point of this is not to burn (ignite) the wood inside the second barrel, basically you're carbonizing the cellulose fibers by "baking" the wood at super-high temperatures 800+F (without ignition) to vaporize all the water, lignans, starches, sugars, and oils out of the wood...leaving only the pure carbon lattice behind. That's why what's left as char looks like it has shrunk to 60% of the original volume.

[@stevedonaldson.8579]

Please learn how to use your Microphone! I had my volume on highest setting and still had great difficulty in hearing and following your commentary

[@PurplepeepsGmail]

Thank you for the feedback...sorry, this was super low budget. It was only recorded on an iphone 5, next time I'll look into using a shotgun mic on an SLR. Unfortunately, most of those cameras have a 13min recording time limit for video and need to be on a tripod or steady cam. The most important point of the video was to show how to drill the holes (especially in the 30 gal interior barrel)...since I felt that, that was the part that was missing from the Living Web Farms video. That video from those guys has better sound.

[@bnm1652]

it seems great if i could just hear you! stop whispering