Thanks, Daniel.  Here is a summary of the rock bed project.  Rock beds are free, simple and cut firewood usage by a third.  Millions of African families are using rock beds in their three stone cookstoves.

We've also designed a $2 TLUD called the Agwa.  It burns agricultural waste and makes biochar.

Kevin

On Wed, Oct 21, 2020 at 9:34 PM Daniel Pidgeon <daniel.pidgeon@...> wrote:

Hi Nicolas,

Gustavo Pena has posted on this group regarding his plancha. It looks good!

https://biochar.groups.io/g/main/search?q=gustavo

Regarding the minimal take-up of the stoves in your field trials, I like Kevin McLean's work with simply and cheaply tweaking existing used methods, using a bed of pebbles and a basic clay grate to get more air into the middle of the fire, making things more efficient and cleaner, at almost no cost. I looked for his posts on the group site, and the old site, but could not find them. This is a picture I found in an email of a set up that was created for demonstration, but that shows the simplicity of it. This is for a basic open fire, a three stone fire, but the concept of a grate to get more oxygen into the burn zone can be used on most, older style, wood fired cooking devices. With minimal changes to the user. One to keep in mind for the community at large, who are generally resistant to change...

Daniel

---

From: main@Biochar.groups.io <main@Biochar.groups.io> on behalf of detiffe nicolas via groups.io <detiffe_n=yahoo.fr@groups.io>
Sent: Tuesday, 20 October 2020 12:43 PM
To: main@biochar.groups.io <main@biochar.groups.io>; main@Biochar.groups.io <main@Biochar.groups.io>
Subject: Re: [Biochar] Forest biochar rocket stove

 

Hello Daniel !

Thank you very much for the information. I met Gustavo Peña 2 years ago in Peru and he shared his plans on the "TLUD plancha"
I had not heard of the FAB model .. is it possible to have more information ?

I will continue to research and test a forest biochar rocket!

We'll keep in touch

Saludos 

Nicolas 

Le dimanche 18 octobre 2020 à 22:55:13 UTC−5, Daniel Pidgeon <bigbird886@...> a écrit :

Hi Nicolas,

First, apologies for calling you by your surname previously.

Also, for suggesting your stove looked similar to an “Anita” stove. Auto-correct didn’t know the word Anila, and changed it on me!

Stoves like Edward Revill’s pipe TLUD and Paul Anderson’s FAB Stove in Africa(I can’t remember which country) both have the adjustable fan unit and pot stand separate to the fuel chamber/primary combustion unit. These units can be made with two fuel chambers, so you can empty and refill one, while using the other, thus making the recharge a little smoother.

If you need multiple stoves, I recall watching somewhere a YouTube video on TLUD planchas. Or a two pot system.

Maybe you could also have the rocket stove there for the larger, longer cooking pot?

Thinking on the run...

Daniel 

On 19 Oct 2020, at 1:08 pm, detiffe nicolas via groups.io <detiffe_n@...> wrote:

Thank you very much for all your responses!

It is true that TLUD is the best way to produce biochar. 3 years ago

we contacted Art Donnelly and made a FINCA type TLUD running on cow dung: 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6b6fL7TISBs&ab_channel=NicolasDetiffe

20170518 120101

However, when we tested in the field, we had several criticisms: that traditional houses need 3 burners at the same time and that the kitchen has the capacity to operate several hours in particular for large stock pot kitchens.

They also told us that it was quite "complex" to turn on the TLUD and that it could not be recharged while it was working.

Since then I stopped working on this issue and I became interested in bioclimatic construction in adobe.

The pandemic was an impulsive factor and a month ago, I  bought with several friends of mine a piece of land in the Sacred Valley in Cusco PERU and we are building bioclimatic houses in adobe.

I started to build a rocket stove with clay and tiles to cook our meals: 

web.facebook.com/660381030/videos/10158810286301031/

Several neighbors saw this rocket and were very interested in building it. Then I remembered Edward Revill and his videos on his biochar rocket stove. The use of biochar has a lot of potential because the soils in the area are very compact and poor (very clayey and rocky). In the valley there was a lot of deforestation and they planted many eucalyptus.

I did some more research and found that video from which I was inspired to make the plans I sent you: 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OihWp49IPw&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=AdielShnior

ביו-צ'אר רוקט סטוב.avi

It is true that in the video it looks like a cut and I suspect that it was not as easy as it seems. Surely an isolation would help a lot. I planned to make it with mud and straw to save costs.

Personally, I am going to build a new TLUD like the "finca" model I think and I will incorporate a water heater (see annex) We did a test  3 years ago and it works quite well.

In summary:

- I am interested in the development of a stove that allows cooking and producing biochar (that can be recharged and ideally has 2 burners)

- Produce biochar on a medium scale with house construction waste (mainly eucalyptus)

Thank you very much again for your precious comments!

PS: Could you email: ndetiffe@... instead of detiffe_n@... and ndetiffe@...?

Le dimanche 18 octobre 2020 à 08:32:11 UTC−5, Paul S Anderson <psanders@...> a écrit :

Detiffe,

I thank Trevor and Kirk and Daniel for pointing out what I missed at first glance.

The stove is an    Anila stove.  Check it our with a Internet search.  Some of what you will fined is copied here, but the search will give you photos, etc.

&&&&&&
Anila stove
The stove was designed by Professor RV Ravikumar, of the University of Mysore in India, and it can produce biochar on a household level. It is a TLUD with a double chamber design, which produces biochar and does not allow the biochar to be fully combusted in the unit.

07c. The Anila Stove | Biochar Innovation
biocharinnovation.wordpress.com › 07-stove-designs 
Feedback

Anila Biomass Gasifier Stove | Improved Biomass Cooking ...
stoves.bioenergylists.org › anila
Jul 17, 2010 — Anila Biomass Gasifier Stove. Anila Biomass Gasifier Stove Designed and built by Professor U.N. Ravikumar (Eng) Mysore University, India In ...
Videos
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

In my opinion, forget about the Anila stove for serious  making of biochar.  It is an inside out retort with lots of external surface area to prevent the adequate heating to pyrolysis temperatures of the biomass that is too far from the heat source in the center.  And it is not a particularly good cookstove.    Maybe it is a learning tool to see what is important for making char and how not to do it.

Paul

Doc / Dr TLUD / Paul S. Anderson, PhD --- Website:  www.drtlud.com
        Email:  psanders@...      Skype:  paultlud
        Phone:  Office: 309-452-7072    Mobile & WhatsApp: 309-531-4434
Exec. Dir. of Juntos Energy Solutions NFP    Go to: www.JuntosNFP.org 
Inventor of RoCC kilns for biochar and energy:  See  www.woodgas.com
Author of “A Capitalist Carol” (free digital copies at www.capitalism21.org)
        with pages 88 – 94 about solving the world crisis for clean cookstoves.

>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: main@Biochar.groups.io <main@Biochar.groups.io> On Behalf Of
>>> Daniel Pidgeon via groups.io
>>> Sent: Sunday, October 18, 2020 7:39 AM
>>> To: main@biochar.groups.io
>>> Subject: Re: [Biochar] Forest biochar rocket stove
>>>
>>> [This message came from an external source. If suspicious, report to
>>> abuse@...<mailto:abuse@...>]
>>>
>>> Detiffe,
>>>
>>> Your plans seem to have a removable base. If I understand correctly, this is
>>> more of a retort, filled with wood or chip, then heated by a rocket stove
>>> through the middle, with the gases being fed into the firebox through the
>>> holes in the bottom, correct?
>>>
>>> If so, Ed Reville in England posted videos on YouTube circa 2010, regarding a
>>> rocket hybrid, like this. Worth a watch. But for what it’s worth, he now
>>> works with TLUDs, what he calls a pipe TLUD. Again, worth a look.
>>>
>>> I built something similar, but larger, and found it needed to keep being fed,
>>> the gases weren’t enough to take over the burn completely. Mine was
>>> larger, so more difficult to unload charred sawdust, it tended to cake up,
>>> and not shake out easily. Further insulation is also a must.
>>>
>>> The Anita stove is a bit like a TLUD in the centre of a retort.
>>>
>>> But I have leaned toward building a pipe TLUD for one of my current
>>> projects.
>>>
>>> Daniel
>>> > On 18 Oct 2020, at 5:30 pm, Kirk Harris <gkharris316@...>
>>> wrote:
>>> >
>>> > Detiffe
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>

<finca con espiral calentador de agua.jpeg>

I am applying for a grant to construct filters for stormwater management in environmentally sensitive locations. 

According to published studies, effective water filters can be made with biochar and various elements. For example, certain biochars have been demonstrated to filter phosphorous effectively (for one example) using a lanthanum zeolite compound in connections with specific feedstock, pyrolysis temperature, etc. - 

Is there a business (or research facility?) already in existence that can make filtration compounds to match the specifications of a scientific study and produce them at a reasonable price, in a real-world volume?  

If not, might this represent a good business opportunity?

Hi Nicolas,

Gustavo Pena has posted on this group regarding his plancha. It looks good!

https://biochar.groups.io/g/main/search?q=gustavo

Regarding the minimal take-up of the stoves in your field trials, I like Kevin McLean's work with simply and cheaply tweaking existing used methods, using a bed of pebbles and a basic clay grate to get more air into the middle of the fire, making things more efficient and cleaner, at almost no cost. I looked for his posts on the group site, and the old site, but could not find them. This is a picture I found in an email of a set up that was created for demonstration, but that shows the simplicity of it. This is for a basic open fire, a three stone fire, but the concept of a grate to get more oxygen into the burn zone can be used on most, older style, wood fired cooking devices. With minimal changes to the user. One to keep in mind for the community at large, who are generally resistant to change...

Daniel

---

From: main@Biochar.groups.io <main@Biochar.groups.io> on behalf of detiffe nicolas via groups.io <detiffe_n=yahoo.fr@groups.io>
Sent: Tuesday, 20 October 2020 12:43 PM
To: main@biochar.groups.io <main@biochar.groups.io>; main@Biochar.groups.io <main@Biochar.groups.io>
Subject: Re: [Biochar] Forest biochar rocket stove

 

Hello Daniel !

Thank you very much for the information. I met Gustavo Peña 2 years ago in Peru and he shared his plans on the "TLUD plancha"
I had not heard of the FAB model .. is it possible to have more information ?

I will continue to research and test a forest biochar rocket!

We'll keep in touch

Saludos 

Nicolas 

Le dimanche 18 octobre 2020 à 22:55:13 UTC−5, Daniel Pidgeon <bigbird886@...> a écrit :

Hi Nicolas,

First, apologies for calling you by your surname previously.

Also, for suggesting your stove looked similar to an “Anita” stove. Auto-correct didn’t know the word Anila, and changed it on me!

Stoves like Edward Revill’s pipe TLUD and Paul Anderson’s FAB Stove in Africa(I can’t remember which country) both have the adjustable fan unit and pot stand separate to the fuel chamber/primary combustion unit. These units can be made with two fuel chambers, so you can empty and refill one, while using the other, thus making the recharge a little smoother.

If you need multiple stoves, I recall watching somewhere a YouTube video on TLUD planchas. Or a two pot system.

Maybe you could also have the rocket stove there for the larger, longer cooking pot?

Thinking on the run...

Daniel 

On 19 Oct 2020, at 1:08 pm, detiffe nicolas via groups.io <detiffe_n@...> wrote:

Thank you very much for all your responses!

It is true that TLUD is the best way to produce biochar. 3 years ago

we contacted Art Donnelly and made a FINCA type TLUD running on cow dung: 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6b6fL7TISBs&ab_channel=NicolasDetiffe

20170518 120101

However, when we tested in the field, we had several criticisms: that traditional houses need 3 burners at the same time and that the kitchen has the capacity to operate several hours in particular for large stock pot kitchens.

They also told us that it was quite "complex" to turn on the TLUD and that it could not be recharged while it was working.

Since then I stopped working on this issue and I became interested in bioclimatic construction in adobe.

The pandemic was an impulsive factor and a month ago, I  bought with several friends of mine a piece of land in the Sacred Valley in Cusco PERU and we are building bioclimatic houses in adobe.

I started to build a rocket stove with clay and tiles to cook our meals: 

web.facebook.com/660381030/videos/10158810286301031/

Several neighbors saw this rocket and were very interested in building it. Then I remembered Edward Revill and his videos on his biochar rocket stove. The use of biochar has a lot of potential because the soils in the area are very compact and poor (very clayey and rocky). In the valley there was a lot of deforestation and they planted many eucalyptus.

I did some more research and found that video from which I was inspired to make the plans I sent you: 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OihWp49IPw&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=AdielShnior

ביו-צ'אר רוקט סטוב.avi

It is true that in the video it looks like a cut and I suspect that it was not as easy as it seems. Surely an isolation would help a lot. I planned to make it with mud and straw to save costs.

Personally, I am going to build a new TLUD like the "finca" model I think and I will incorporate a water heater (see annex) We did a test  3 years ago and it works quite well.

In summary:

- I am interested in the development of a stove that allows cooking and producing biochar (that can be recharged and ideally has 2 burners)

- Produce biochar on a medium scale with house construction waste (mainly eucalyptus)

Thank you very much again for your precious comments!

PS: Could you email: ndetiffe@... instead of detiffe_n@... and ndetiffe@...?

Le dimanche 18 octobre 2020 à 08:32:11 UTC−5, Paul S Anderson <psanders@...> a écrit :

Detiffe,

I thank Trevor and Kirk and Daniel for pointing out what I missed at first glance.

The stove is an    Anila stove.  Check it our with a Internet search.  Some of what you will fined is copied here, but the search will give you photos, etc.

&&&&&&
Anila stove
The stove was designed by Professor RV Ravikumar, of the University of Mysore in India, and it can produce biochar on a household level. It is a TLUD with a double chamber design, which produces biochar and does not allow the biochar to be fully combusted in the unit.

07c. The Anila Stove | Biochar Innovation
biocharinnovation.wordpress.com › 07-stove-designs 
Feedback

Anila Biomass Gasifier Stove | Improved Biomass Cooking ...
stoves.bioenergylists.org › anila
Jul 17, 2010 — Anila Biomass Gasifier Stove. Anila Biomass Gasifier Stove Designed and built by Professor U.N. Ravikumar (Eng) Mysore University, India In ...
Videos
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

In my opinion, forget about the Anila stove for serious  making of biochar.  It is an inside out retort with lots of external surface area to prevent the adequate heating to pyrolysis temperatures of the biomass that is too far from the heat source in the center.  And it is not a particularly good cookstove.    Maybe it is a learning tool to see what is important for making char and how not to do it.

Paul

Doc / Dr TLUD / Paul S. Anderson, PhD --- Website:  www.drtlud.com
        Email:  psanders@...      Skype:  paultlud
        Phone:  Office: 309-452-7072    Mobile & WhatsApp: 309-531-4434
Exec. Dir. of Juntos Energy Solutions NFP    Go to: www.JuntosNFP.org 
Inventor of RoCC kilns for biochar and energy:  See  www.woodgas.com
Author of “A Capitalist Carol” (free digital copies at www.capitalism21.org)
        with pages 88 – 94 about solving the world crisis for clean cookstoves.

>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: main@Biochar.groups.io <main@Biochar.groups.io> On Behalf Of
>>> Daniel Pidgeon via groups.io
>>> Sent: Sunday, October 18, 2020 7:39 AM
>>> To: main@biochar.groups.io
>>> Subject: Re: [Biochar] Forest biochar rocket stove
>>>
>>> [This message came from an external source. If suspicious, report to
>>> abuse@...<mailto:abuse@...>]
>>>
>>> Detiffe,
>>>
>>> Your plans seem to have a removable base. If I understand correctly, this is
>>> more of a retort, filled with wood or chip, then heated by a rocket stove
>>> through the middle, with the gases being fed into the firebox through the
>>> holes in the bottom, correct?
>>>
>>> If so, Ed Reville in England posted videos on YouTube circa 2010, regarding a
>>> rocket hybrid, like this. Worth a watch. But for what it’s worth, he now
>>> works with TLUDs, what he calls a pipe TLUD. Again, worth a look.
>>>
>>> I built something similar, but larger, and found it needed to keep being fed,
>>> the gases weren’t enough to take over the burn completely. Mine was
>>> larger, so more difficult to unload charred sawdust, it tended to cake up,
>>> and not shake out easily. Further insulation is also a must.
>>>
>>> The Anita stove is a bit like a TLUD in the centre of a retort.
>>>
>>> But I have leaned toward building a pipe TLUD for one of my current
>>> projects.
>>>
>>> Daniel
>>> > On 18 Oct 2020, at 5:30 pm, Kirk Harris <gkharris316@...>
>>> wrote:
>>> >
>>> > Detiffe
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>

<finca con espiral calentador de agua.jpeg>

Hello Robert,

I think there is nothing applying this idea to the industry. Filteration of phosphorous through biochar is new to me. This will be a very nice start up idea. I attached an article about the topic. Also, you can see the link - https://www.soilfixer.co.uk/Biochar-for-Water-and-Gas-Filtration

Thanking you,

Paul

On Thu, Oct 22, 2020 at 5:44 PM Robert Lehmert via groups.io <roblehmert=mac.com@groups.io> wrote:

I am applying for a grant to construct filters for stormwater management in environmentally sensitive locations. 

According to published studies, effective water filters can be made with biochar and various elements. For example, certain biochars have been demonstrated to filter phosphorous effectively (for one example) using a lanthanum zeolite compound in connections with specific feedstock, pyrolysis temperature, etc. - 

Is there a business (or research facility?) already in existence that can make filtration compounds to match the specifications of a scientific study and produce them at a reasonable price, in a real-world volume?  

If not, might this represent a good business opportunity?

All,
Beef production using feedlots is growing fastest in developing countries.  Research in the US is ongoing on how to fix the CH4 and N2O emissions.  Sounds like an opportunity for biochar.
Kim

From The New York Times:

Belching Cows and Endless Feedlots: Fixing Cattle’s Climate Issues

The United States is home to 95 million cattle, and changing what they eat could have a significant effect on emissions of greenhouse gases like methane that are warming the world.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/21/climate/beef-cattle-methane.html?smid=em-share

I am applying for a grant to construct filters for stormwater management in environmentally sensitive locations. 

According to published studies, effective water filters can be made with biochar and various elements. For example, certain biochars have been demonstrated to filter phosphorous effectively (for one example) using a lanthanum zeolite compound in connections with specific feedstock, pyrolysis temperature, etc. - 

Is there a business (or research facility?) already in existence that can make filtration compounds to match the specifications of a scientific study and produce them at a reasonable price, in a real-world volume?  

If not, might this represent a good business opportunity?

Based on some other research, biochar really can’t compete with clay for WHC.  So minimal impact.  However, I agree with biochar depending on particle sizes used to act as more of an aggregate (course sand to gravel) in the clay to increase macropore development. The biggest down side is you need a lot of biochar to begin to change the soil structure in a primarily clay soil.  Could consider a blending of course sand and biochar.  Soils in the top half of the pyramid are classified as Hydrologic Soil Group  (HSG) D which are often found along streams, rivers, floodplains, and wetlands so from an environmental standpoint shouldn’t be impacted anyway. 

 

From: main@Biochar.groups.io <main@Biochar.groups.io> On Behalf Of CHANDRA SEKHAR PAUL
Sent: Wednesday, October 21, 2020 11:22 AM
To: main@biochar.groups.io
Subject: Re: [Biochar] New paper on water saving benefits of biochsr

 

Dear Ron,

As you know clay soil generally retains a high amount of water in comparison to sandy soil. The addition of biochar to the clay soil increases the pores in soil particles. In my point of view, the biochar addition will increase water retention more in clay soil but definitely, it will depend on the biochar feedstocks and pyrolysis temperature. You can go through a research article (attached).

 

Thanking you,

Paul

 

On Wed, Oct 21, 2020 at 1:21 AM Ron Larson <rongretlarson@...> wrote:

List:  cc the two corresponding authors in case they have more to add.   (And thanks to the  person supplying this lead, preferring to stay anonymous)

 

This is a valuable new non-fee biochar paper re water savings:  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcbb.12765

(With considerable good data in the Supplemental - reachable from here also. - no separate ID)

 

        There is a plug for it also at:    https://phys.org/news/2020-10-biochar-money.html

One sentence there (emphasis added) indicates the paper’s  importance:    "The study co-led by Rice biogeochemist Caroline Masiello and economist Kenneth Medlock provides formulas to help farmers estimate irrigation cost savings from increased water-holding capacity (WHC) with biochar amendment.

[RWL:  The formulas are easy enough)

 

Maybe others on this list can add to the number of papers they could use - now mostly in the sandy corner of their soil triangle.  They couldn’t use some other potentially useful water saving papers because those didn’t provide all the possibly important explanatory variables.

 

Below is one view of the data set they used (lots more numbers in the Supplemental).   Anyone able to add points in the clay area?   The authors state that biochar is known to work well there also - but no data yet.   

 

Ron

 

List:  cc the two corresponding authors in case they have more to add.   (And thanks to the  person supplying this lead, preferring to stay anonymous)

This is a valuable new non-fee biochar paper re water savings:  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcbb.12765

(With considerable good data in the Supplemental - reachable from here also. - no separate ID)

        There is a plug for it also at:    https://phys.org/news/2020-10-biochar-money.html

One sentence there (emphasis added) indicates the paper’s  importance:    "The study co-led by Rice biogeochemist Caroline Masiello and economist Kenneth Medlock provides formulas to help farmers estimate irrigation cost savings from increased water-holding capacity (WHC) with biochar amendment.

[RWL:  The formulas are easy enough)

Maybe others on this list can add to the number of papers they could use - now mostly in the sandy corner of their soil triangle.  They couldn’t use some other potentially useful water saving papers because those didn’t provide all the possibly important explanatory variables.

Below is one view of the data set they used (lots more numbers in the Supplemental).   Anyone able to add points in the clay area?   The authors state that biochar is known to work well there also - but no data yet.   

Ron