Kelpie Wilson has been playing with the Japanese Cone Kiln for Biochar see the latest on her site: http://www.greenyourhead.com/
She's finding that the Cone Kiln is easier to use than the alternatives and it produces more char too.
in her words:
I love my Japanese Cone Kiln. ... It is basically just a cone-shaped fire ring - a truncated cone. All you do is start a small fire in the bottom, and once that is all burned to glowing coals, you add small stick wood or branches on in layers. Each time the wood gets black and starts to ash, you add another layer. The layers underneath continue to cook out tar and gas, but they don't burn because air is excluded. When the cone is full you quench it with water. If you like, you can throw a grill on it and cook your dinner before you put it out.
Traditional methods of making charcoal in the Philippines, can be inefficient, and the Village Coco Project would like to improve that, as well as creating a fair trade certified coconut char product, that they could sell to help improve life for the coconut farmers in Palawan.
The Village Coco Project has just built their First High Efficiency Kiln, and they look forward to testing the new kiln between now and the end of May. Nike shoes | Air Max
Hugh McLaughlin and I have been working on describing our retort over TLUD char maker, which Hugh has christened the Jolly Roger Oven or " J-RO". The current draft of our paper The “Jolly Roger Ovens” family of Biochar-making devices in pdf, and attached to this story
From the YouTube notes:
A 30 gallon retort heated by a 55 gallon TLUD is the basic idea. I've been a biochar enthusiast for 5 years now and riding the learning curve on how to make and use biochar at home. This device can run very cleanly. The cleanest I have seen for a simple batch device.
It is nice to see your interest in JR Ovens and particularly in getting them on the open source page. I think that they are destined to become the arch-typical biochar oven (Biochar ovens http://www.biochar-international.org/technology/production). And I think they are destined to play a big role in meeting biochar’s potential in climate change mitigation from thinly distributed feedstock (http://www.biochar-international.org/regional/ubi July update). I would hate to see any commercial impediments do to profiteering holding back implementation, though it would be nice to see some well made ‘back yard’ ovens on the market for urban/suburban yard trimmings.
Mr. Bogale has been working in Ethiopia, and has developed a carbonizer that would allow a small land-holder to make charcoal out of agricultural residues and then dry and package that charcoal either for their own use, or for sale.
Commercial production of charcoal from greenwaste using BigChar technology
Presentation by
James Joyce, Black is Green Pty Ltd, Australia, March 27, 2010
I recently did some trials with 2 x 55 gal drums inside my fabricated Portable Metal Kiln. I recently increased the kiln width from 1.1 to 1.4 metre diam to accept 3 x 55 gal drums and although more testing is required I am satisfied with the MO. I have created a Google Group to discuss issues around its construction and usage. http://vuthisa.com/biochar/
Cost: Under $800
Availability: DIY
PyroGen Power Generation
R&A Energy Solutions, LLC, May 31, 2009 Pyrogen Process
PyroGen appears to be a company in North Ridgeville, OH that combines a prototype skid mounted pyrolytic sludge reduction process with a genset, both from Indiana. Skid Mounted Pyrolyzer
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