Making Biochar and Charcoal with the Brick Chimney Kiln 

You'll have good BBQ charcoal with the oak. Have fun. O.J.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-JIrgNosdRFE.html

Excellent!

Agreed

Who doesn't love a great Forest Gump quote, 😀

Jenny,!! Jenny!?!

Where can you find a used chimney stack like that

@@BalazarsBrain Craigslist is your best bet.

Thank you...that is one of the main purposes of our doing the video...you get it. O.J..

Who's old? You must be talking about Gregory, but I am cool. lol Thanks, O.J..

@@meredithromo6353 0092345 2458622

use compostable bags?

Thanks John. We were trying to design a safer, affordable method for the everyday gardener/bbqer that didn't smoke out the neighborhood. Find what works best for you.

Thank you...don't do what I did. Do what I say...sounds like my Dad. Thanks, O.J..

Incorrect. Charcoal burns, bio char doesn’t.

Talking about "inoculated" biochar.

There are 3 different things: charcoal, "char" and biochar. Self explaining names.

you lean "lazytown" not crazytown

Thank you, my niece did the video, but I get all the credit. Hirst and Kelpie Wilson are giants in the biochar world...me and Gregory are just pluggers. O.J..

Ronan Lyons as someone who had tried both, I find myself gravitating to the 'kon tiki' style burns because there is much less wasted effort in preparing the fuel source. With any container, you have to not only process the wood initially to get it small enough to fit in the chamber, to get consistent results the whole lot needs to be uniform in thickness. After trying several methods, I've found just digging a trench in the ground works wonderfully. No bricks, no containers, no chippers, no internal combustion engines needed. Just a sufficiently sized and shaped hole in the ground close to where the fuel originates (to minimize transport effort) for tons of charcoal. I'm making it on the order of cubic yards not gallons.

@@maxdecphoenix Do you have any videos of your operation. It would be interesting to see how you do it and how you use your charcoal.

@@kirkjohnson9353 no video. And I wouldn't call it an 'operation'. I was just toying around trying things. It's literally as I said, just a hole in the ground. Mine is probably about a shovel long, half a shovel in width and a blade or two deep. Basically I just stockpile all my wood in the vicinity of the hole and when i'm ready to do a burn, I pile a bunch of wood in the hole and set it light. once that burns down some, but still has flames, I throw on some more, and I do that til all the brush is gone. Sometimes it can take 3-4 hours. But it really depends. Then just let if burn away til there's no more flames (meaning the wood has completely off-gassed) then either quench it with water or dirt. Usually the next day I would rake it out and set it all on a giant, black tarp and spread it out as even to dry (if you used water). After it's dried I put it through a big sifter I made with roll of 1/4" hardware mesh. Whatever falls through I throw in the compost to eventally make it out to the garden. Whatever won't pass a 1/4" I stockpiled in three 55 gallon drums for grilling. I've done it two or three times, but just the first time set me up with a lifetime supply of charcoal. I don't even really do it anymore because I have more than i'll ever need using it at the rate I use it. I've also kinda stopped using charcoal to fuel my grill, and just use the wood itself. I really have no clue what i'm going to do with all the charcoal I have. I may just spread it all out on the garden. To be honest, you really don't even need the hole, that just helps retain heat and restrict oxygen. But you'd still get a MASS of charcoal if you just piled the wood up like any old burn pile, set it alight and let it burn til right when it stops producing visible flames. Then just quench it with the hose. Spread it out the next day to dry for several days, and then store it in some vented container. It really is that easy to make.

@@maxdecphoenix Thanks for the detailed explanation. I too use just wood for my bargeque. I like the simplicity of that and the flavor from the wood. The reason I'm looking to make charcoal is to use it in my garden- which is big. It sounds like it can make a great garden- if done properly with innoculation. Cheers.

Whatever works for you. Sharp pointy objects + O.J.= danger. Thanks for the comment.

@@meredithromo6353 you miss the point i make completly. i never suggested using a sharp pointy object. i said use a screwdriver which is not sharp. so i suggest you reread my suggestion and at least try it. it is actually how the can makers suggest you open this sort of can.

@@traktorworks3200 I apologize, didn't mean to offend. Bad attempt at wit on my part. I'm 70. Of course I've used a screwdriver to open a 5 gallon can. When they are new it's the only tool you can use. Once the tabs have been pried open I've found the tabs easily opened and closed with a claw hammer. Thanks again, O.J..

+Steve Truelove Thanks Steve. After over 200 burns, I think the fire brick will last indefinitely. For those using biochar to correct for the acidity in Northwest soils, we have found the ph of our douglas fir biochar to consistently fall in the 9.2-9.4 range. This will help balance the ph of the soil for up to 3 years, after which the rains leach out the biochar and you need to reapply. Bummer! ...we were hoping for better longevity. O.J.

wonder if compostable bags would work?

Luke, 1. What little ash that is left in the bottom of the brick kiln is pulled out through the bottom holes with a square point shovel. This only needs to be done about every 3rd burn. 2. You can burn out a can first before using if you like, especially if making BBQ charcoal. I've gone to using an old 7 gallon milk can with 4 half inch holes drilled an inch from the bottom of the can for out gassing. Much longer longevity. The most efficient system I've seen used is 'Charcoal Charlie' on youtube. The best features of our kiln are that it's easy to build and once lit, you walk away. Down side…it doesn't make a lot at a time. In relation to store bought lump charcoal, ours lights easier and burns more even. Thanks, O.J.

In an earlier comment meredithromo said: " The bucket goes in upside down so when it outgasses the flames go up the side of the bucket further heating its contents...just more efficient that shooting off the top if put in right side up. The contents of the bucket are what you are turning into char."

Due to the size of the brick structure with the chimney in the middle there isn't much surface area to put a big pot and the largest portion of the pot would be over brick resulting in an uneven heating surface. Couple that with a burn lasting about an hour and a half your swill may be half done. Regretfully, I can't honestly recommend it. O.J..

Thank you. You can see some of the negative comments about the 'plastic bag'. I understand their concern, but we're no purists, just guys trying to do things simply. I'll accept your rationale. Have a good day, O.J..

15:59 "things are gonna explode" chicken takes off running

Dennis, As a rule of thumb, expect to retain about a third of both weight and volume of your original wood using a retort method. Open burns such as pits and 'flame cap kilns' are in the 25% or less range plus give quite a bit of ash. I recommend looking up Justin Jenning's 'Charcoal Charlie' kiln on RU-vid. Simple design that can be made cheaply and expanded to meet your needs. Only improvement I would make on his design is to insulate the retort and keep the outgassing pipe inside the retort and directly feed into the firebox. Best of luck, O.J..

Gardening is a very personal endeavor. I personally feel the best way to learn is just do it. There are many approaches; Till/no till, organic, pest/herbicide, wood chips, composting, cover crops...its endless. They all have their virtues. There are enough videos on the subject. There are garden clubs all over and most colleges have 'Master Gardener' programs for next to nothing that cover your specific growing area. Thanks for watching our video. O.J..

+Soma_Trip The chips I get from the dump have occasional pieces of plastic bags. Rather than return them to the dump I would rather use them as starter ignition. I rationalize it's the better of two evils. Thanks.

Didn't mean to come off as trollish or anything, not saying you reacted that way, merely a clarification. I'm as guilty of more than my share of burnt toxins, plastics, and overall degradation. Still major kudos on the setup and video. So far, I've just been using the cone pit technique, which I realize is less efficient than a retort system, but is also way less resource intensive. Now I just need to rig up a contraption so I can brew with it! Cheers!

Just wanted to say thank you. I've watched several video's about making lump charcoal, mostly using 55 gallon barrels. Just didn't want to look at a rusty mess at the end of the yard. Now I have a kiln that doesn't upset any of my neighbors. I have the incentive to keep the yard picked up of branches blown out of my old growth trees and I get charcoal for the effort. I brought your idea to the east coast.

Soma_Trip relax. The're from the generation befor this type of conciousness

I realize this comment is 2 years old, but I still want to clear up a misconception. Plastic bags are made out of polyethylene, which is a pure hydrocarbon and, in the right conditions, burns cleanly into carbon dioxide and water. Of course conditions are never perfect and you might have other burn products, such as soot and carbon monoxide, which is undesireable but no different to wood and still harmless compared to the burn products of other plastics (dioxins). You will note that it smells just like paraffin wax when burning, which is also a hydrocarbon. The problem is people apparently can't be trusted to distinguish polyethylene and polypropylene from other plastics, so burning of _all_ plastics is now frowned upon. Meanwhile our oceans are covered in plastic waste which we should really burn for energy, since it is chemically the same as oil, and everyone would be better off including the environment.

Allah ( god ) bless

I've been using an old 7 gallon milk can of late. Drilled 4 half inch holes an inch from the bottom for outgassing. Thicker metal. Holding up well so far. Thanks, O.J.

I'll take that as meaning we've made it so simple a Kindergartener can do it. Thanks, O.J..

@@meredithromo6353 I meant, this information is pertinent to the existence of humanity.

🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙

There are better cans than regular 5 gallon buckets, but we were looking for cheap. If your dried compost material is mostly woody, slow to compost, it might be a good biochar candidate. Otherwise it has more value as compost. O.J..

Thanks for the question. The break down of bricks is related to the materials they are made of and their porosity, aka ability to hold water. Fire brick are made from aluminum silicates and are mostly water resistant. Clay will absorb and hold moisture and depending on the heat and moisture content in the brick are subject to cracking. My experience its about 50% cracking of clay brick after 10-20 burns, 2-4% with firebrick. The kiln will still work with cracked brick and very seldom have I found a clay brick that broke more than once...usually in the middle. Concrete block is very porous, holds water well and literally crumbles with sustained heat. I don't recommend it for long term use. There are many methods of making charcoal/biochar. Find the best suited for your needs. Thanks, O.J.

@@meredithromo6353 Good to know about concrete bricks. I'll try clay bricks as a start. Very helpful. Thanks, O.J.!

Good good

Hi Heather, You can use any type of wood for biochar...even bones..basically any organic material! Just stay away from any treated wood like plywood, OSB, railroad ties, pressure treated wood and the like. They are loaded with toxins. For cooking charcoal, stay with hardwoods (oak, ash, hickory...) and fruit and nut wood. Making it is the same process except the hardwoods take a little longer...I usually put 2-4 logs at the bottom of the brickwork to extend the burn another half hour or so to make sure the cooking charcoal inside the retort (5 gallon can) is done. The only problem with bricks with 6-8 holes is instead of breaking in half they break in multiple places and the structure won't last as long. It still may hold up for 20-40 burns. With whole bricks I've gone around 100 burns with some TLC. Fire bricks are obviously best. Thanks for the questions, O.J..

@@meredithromo6353 Thanks very much for this information it's very helpful.

As the fire burns down the brick chimney and the fuel wood around the retort turns to ash and falls down the chimney, more oxygen is fed to the outgassing of the retort. This coupled with the wood still burning under the retort....that's when max temp is reached...equaling that of the stack. If you're asking which burns hotter, the wood or the outgasses...they're the same. The difference is in the air (oxygen) flow that raises or lowers temp. Thanks, O.J.

Thanks for the comment. Personally I haven't found any difference between 'retort' or 'open burn/quenched' biochar. The key seems to be integrating it into a live, cooking compost pile, apparently the best way of activating the char. In defense of your claim, I do have friends who say 'open burn/quenched' biochar has an expanded, cracked, slippery quality leading to it more readily breaking down in the composting/activating process. Of course, they all are 'open burners', so.... O.J.

Hi EC, Absolutely yes! There are definite advantages to using a retort. They are more efficient, you get a consistent product because you can better control the process and there is little ash. I'm going to steer you toward 4 RU-vid videos. Search: 1. Hookway charcoal 2. Justin Jennings charcoal 3. Pressvess mobile charcoal 4. Exeter charcoal Hookway came up with the most efficient way of making charcoal, basically using a rocket stove to heat the process until the outgassing took over. Downside is rocket stoves burn so hot they literally eat through metal and affect the longevity of the stove. Also his design is difficult to unload. Jennings has the simplest retort kiln I've seen. Efficient, relatively clean burning and easy to load & unload. I like it all around and the only improvement I would make {other than the ones he mentions in his second video) is to insulate the retort to shorten the burn time. The Pressvess is similar to Jennings except it is portable. I don't believe they use the outgasses, but could easily be adapted to. The Exeter is a large scale, portable retort. I can't comment too much on it. I would like to know how long it takes and how it is fired up, how much manpower is needed and the longevity of the system. They always show these things new. I want to see it after it's been used a dozen times. For a small business on the side you are starting right if you can get your 'waste' free. You could even start using a 5-6 foot cone shaped pit (no cost). It's an open burn but you can make a decent amount for free. Work your way up to something like Jennings'. If you can use your waste to fire your kiln as well as your product to char...that's optimal. Best of luck. If I can help further, contact me. O.J..

@@meredithromo6353 thank you for your valuable advice. Looking forward....

Bucovina, similar to a Great Pyrenees. Terrific guard dog, independent. O.J.

@@meredithromo6353 Many thanks for that: I've been calling her a Collie Borzoi cross, as those were the images on line that appeared to match her the best, but, seeing as she comes from Romania, Bucovina makes total sense :)

Yes, but they will burn out too.

Stovepipe temperature from a digital laser thermometer was measured at over 400 degrees C. You can measure the temperature reached by taking the ph of the biochar as well. There is a definite correlation between temperature and ph. My biochar is consistently in the 9.0 to 9.4 range...indicating approximate internal temps of 500 C. Thanks, O.J.

Meredith Romo hi, could you please give some info about if biochar could be made by just high temperature (no fire) inside an electric oven ?

@@nabeelibrahim4316 This is a new one for me. I've never seen it done, I would imagine because of the expense (electricity). Baking a 2 inch board would probably take 2-3 hours at 400-500 degrees C. Ventilation would be key...the outgassing of volatiles from the wood needs to be safely away from any heat source. The gathering of gasses in an enclosed area, such as an oven, could develop into a bomb. I don't see why it couldn't be done with appropriate precautions.

Hi Greg, The burn is rather even and slow, coupled with the walls of the chimney being only a couple of inches away, the cans tend to fall straight down. I've never, in hundreds of burns, had a can turn on it's side...even when I do two at a time. Thanks for the question. O.J.

Just a hobby farm outside the small town of Elkton.

I have a friend who does this...works well. There are trade offs in different methods. The method we present here does a small amount, but is more efficient, very little ash, a bit safer and once lit you can walk away from. It's designed more for someone in the city. The trench is excellent for your feed stock. Thanks for sharing. O.J.

Yes you put wood in the can. That material in it becomes the product. I use 55 gallon drums however.

Possible but probably not worth the effort...you would need to create an oven either around the stovepipe or a brick add on to the existing bricks. Temp control would be impossible giving you mixed results. Sorry...O.J..

Magnabee97 I agree. Burned plastics release carcinogens like dioxins.

Hi, this seems to be a sore spot for a lot of folks. The only wood that becomes biochar is that in the 5 gallon and it isn't exposed to the plastic. We only suggested this because at times, especially if your wood is at all damp, a TLUD can be hard starting. Personally I rationalize burning a small plastic bag is better than taking it to the dump and is cheaper than your flame weeder or using a liquid propellant. They are all petroleum derivatives. Most of the time I just start with a sheet of newspaper. Thanks for the input, O.J..

Meredith Romo I didn’t buy the flame weeder just to make biochar. I actually burn weeds with it. It’s just that it’s great for lighting any thing on fire, and fun too! Sure beats using toxic crap like Round up.

Dear WW, I don't mean to be condescending...but I think at my age I know when to wear gloves. Notice I still have all my fingers! Secondly this method was developed by Mr. Flick to be lit and walked away from. Note at no point do his hands touch the kiln until hours after the baking process is over and cooled. I thank you for your concern of my hands and will think of you whenever I use a wooden spoon in the kitchen. O.J..

@@meredithromo6353 What? I have my fingers too...but few splinters found way to them. And burns...glovers are necessery! Always...

It's a small world after all...O.J.

Thanks Max. I've had red bricks sitting in the sun all summer long and they still crack. They just aren't capable of holding the heat. The redbrick kiln will still work for 50 to 100 burns, usually enough to make sufficient biochar for your garden. Fire brick last indefinitely...even exposed to rain. Thanks for the input, O.J..

In the sun? lol... the sun doesn't get them hot enough to drive out all the moisture. You have to build your kiln, and then light a *small* fire in there, and keep it going for a while . . . patience is key . . . you have to have the bricks above boiling temp for hours . . . and then, they will be bone dry, and you can light up for real . . .

I give up...I'm not well versed in red clay brick drying. I'll accept your advice & pass it on with the recommendation of keeping an umbrella over the kiln when not in use. Thanks, O.J.

Meredith Romo Well, this is for any furnace. Even the ones made of firebrick have to be properly dried. My dad works in the glass industry, and one of the things he does is help to "burn in" new furnaces. (HUGE furnaces - a float glass plant is a river of molten glass floating on a pool of molten tin hundreds of meters long) They are made of proper firebrick, and It takes them a full week of very slowly bringing up the temp while workers are 24/7 readjusting the scaffolding to compensate for thermal expansion. You rush a job like that, and you'll ruin millions of dollars worth of firebrick. Maybe for a small backyard furnace it's not so important . . . the brick won't build up as much internal stress at smaller size . . . but it is still best to keep them out of the rain. I mean, heck, on those big melters . . . just having them cooled off for any period of time exposes them to the humidity in the air, and means you have to dry them out all over again. It won't take a week like the first time . . . but you still have to be careful.

@@Roonasaur Very interesting. Thanks

Ashraf, This is beyond my expertise. I have seen a video of a guy using a rocket stove to cleanly burn old tires which was interesting. The steel belts in tires is a problem. The toxic gases formed when burning them is problematic and I have no knowledge of their carbon content. Good luck. O.J.

please don't - you will be releasing huge amounts of toxics into the air. It should only be done by a very expensive industrial plant that can remove these toxins fully - it is not DIY!

I'll pass that on to Gregory. O.J..