RE: [Biochar] another Q for Hugh (or anyone else that has ideas on mass and volume measurements)

by (updated on )







Stephen,

 

I have modified your first sentence with the boldface inclusion:  

 

The biggest problem we found with flame caps [but excluding the RoCC kilns that we did not use] is the non uniform temperature and time profiles.

 

Please provide a summary of how your have determined “non-uniform temperature and time profiles” which certainly could be related to the user as well as to the kiln type and subject to biomass characteristics.

 

RoCC kilns greatly overcome the issues of temperature and time profiles if used as recommended.

 

I hope that you will conduct some trials with the RoCC kilns (use the 2-barrel size to match up is approx. size with the others you have used) because you have already done HALF of the comparisons with your experience with standard flame
cap units. 

 

Neither Kelpie nor I can do the comparisons because we are viewed as “biased” toward out own products.  

 

Paul  

 

Doc / Dr TLUD / Paul S. Anderson, PhD

         Email:  psanders@ilstu.edu       Skype:   paultlud

         Phone:  Office: 309-452-7072    Mobile & WhatsApp: 309-531-4434

Websites:    https://woodgas.com see Resources for 1) biochar white paper, 2) RoCC kilns, and 3) the Quick Picks for TLUD stove technology.  The full DrTLUD.com website
is moving to woodgas.com .

                      https://capitalism21.org for societal reforms and free digital  novella “A Capitalist Carol”  with pages 88 – 94 about solving the world
crisis for clean cookstoves.

 

From: main@Biochar.groups.io <main@Biochar.groups.io&gt;
On Behalf Of Stephen Joseph via groups.io

Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2022 10:29 PM

To: main@biochar.groups.io

Cc: Biocharinthewoods@biochar.groups.io

Subject: Re: [Biochar] another Q for Hugh (or anyone else that has ideas on mass and volume measurements)

 

 

Hi Kelpie

 

The biggest problem we found with flame caps is the non uniform temperature and time profiles.  We  put the damp biochar through a hammermill and then mixed in a cement mixer and then did a cone sampling method to minimise the change of
non uniform sample and then dried using Hughs recommendation before getting a C H and N and ash analysis.

 

Tedious but relatively accurate.

 

Regards

Stephen

 

On Wed, Nov 23, 2022 at 10:20 AM Kelpie Wilson <kelpiew@gmail.com> wrote:

We have been struggling with how to measure the dry mass and bulk density of place-based biochar for purposes of knowing the mass of biochar we produced in each batch.

 

The usual confounders are: 

1. water content, which is so difficult to accurately determine even with proper TGA

2. density –  simple volume measurements change with particle size, and especially when we are making biochar from a huge variety of woody debris, particle size is all over the map, from chunks to fines. 

 

Some of our Biochar in the Woods members (Tabor and Ken) came up with a method that seems brilliant to me, but let’s see what the cognoscenti here have to say about it. Here is the method:

 

Take a metal bucket of known volume. Just before quenching the flame cap kiln, shovel out hot coals into the bucket and weigh it. Do this three times to get a representative sample and average the weights. Subtract the bucket weight. Divide
biochar weight by volume and get your dry bulk density measurement. 

 

 

Since our Ring of Fire kilns are a simple cylinder of known diameter, then we just need to level the char in the kiln, measure the height of char in the kiln and calculate the volume of the char cylinder. 

 

Apply our figure for dry bulk density and we get the dry mass of char we made. From there we can go on to estimate the percent of recalcitrant (or fixed, or resident matter) C, and hopefully qualify for carbon removal credits. 

 

Please let me know your thoughts. 

-Kelpie (the recalcitrant charista with “fixed ideas”)

 

 

re·cal·ci·trant

/rəˈkalsətrənt/

adjective

  1. having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline.

“a class of recalcitrant fifteen-year-olds”

 

—

Ms.Kelpie Wilson

Wilson
Biochar Associates

Email: kelpiew@gmail.com

Mobile: 541-218-9890

Time zone: Pacific Time, USA

JOIN THE DISCUSSION: If you’d like to subscribe to the free
Biochar in the Woods Discussion Group, visit https://biochar.groups.io/g/Biocharinthewoods

 

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