Do-it-yourself charcoal oven. Furnaces charcoal for production of charcoal. Do-it-yourself charcoal kiln
Charcoal is one of the oldest types of fuel. It is used not only for cooking and heating the house. It is used in the chemical and metallurgical industries, in animal husbandry and construction, medicine and pharmacology. Today, most of it is made in small factories. The production of charcoal and its sale is a profitable business in areas where forests grow, and you can organize it even in your own suburban area.
charcoal process
As wood raw materials, not only firewood of various types of wood is used, but also waste woodworking or furniture production: knots, hemp, sawdust. Peat is used in swampy areas.
Wood in the process of charring goes through three stages: pre-drying, thermal decomposition and cooling.
The initial drying and heating of the raw materials in the chamber occurs due to the heat supplied from the outside. Its own heat release process (chemical exothermic reaction) starts when the wood temperature reaches 280°C. Further heat supply is no longer needed.
The finished coal after burning is cooled to a temperature at which spontaneous combustion of coal is impossible, that is, below 40 ° C.
During the first day, there is still a lot of water vapor in the mixture of flue gases and charring products, which are released during the drying process. Then the mixture becomes drier and can be used as additional fuel in the same furnace or, more efficiently, in a nearby one.
Coal burning equipment
For the production of charcoal, charcoal kilns of various capacities are used. It turns out such coal in the process of pyrolysis, that is, wood is burned without oxygen.
Charcoal kilns for the production of charcoal are produced stationary and mobile.
Stationary equipment is used by fairly large manufacturers for the continuous process of pyrolysis of large volumes of wood.
Large furnaces are much more productive than mobile ones, they can use several types of fuel, but they are subject to high requirements for environmental safety.
Mobile kilns are low-capacity, small in size and are used either in places where raw materials are available, such as logging sites, or where the final product is needed, such as construction sites.
In mobile stoves, the same wood waste from which coal is produced serves as fuel.
If the kiln runs on waste, the benefit is twofold, and coal is produced without additional fuel costs, and waste is processed, which would still have to be disposed of, spending money and time on it. This type of charcoal production is the cheapest.
Continuous charcoal burning equipment
A separate group is charcoal kilns, in which flue gases from burning fuel enter the chamber, pass through the wood, attach vapors and gases, which are products of drying and charring of wood raw materials, and go outside. In them, the pyrolysis process takes place most evenly, since the wood is in direct contact with the coolant supplied from below. But pyrogases contain a high concentration of chemical compounds, which are products of wood decomposition, so you need to install for beneficial use or incineration of pyrolysis by-products.
This is how continuously operating vertical retorts work, in the chamber of which wood is dried at the top, pyrolysis takes place in the middle layer, calcination of coal and its cooling - at the very bottom.
Charcoal kilns with replaceable containers or retorts also operate continuously. The principle of operation of such installations is that each subsequent batch of raw materials is heated to the required temperature due to an exothermic reaction in the previous one.
At the same time, the process of coal formation occurs in each retort independently of the others, and the furnace, into the furnace of which pyrolysis gases are discharged, is located separately from the changeable chambers.
Retorts and chambers for pyrolysis are made of metal with thermal insulation.
Charcoal burning equipment of periodic cycle
The simplest design of a charcoal kiln is an ordinary two-hundred-liter metal barrel in which wood is placed and set on fire. Additional heat is not supplied, and steam gases are removed through a special small hole. The production of low-quality coal, with a yield of less than fifteen percent, is dirty, but practically cost-free.
Today there are designs of charcoal kilns in which the walls of the chamber are heated by a coolant, from which heat is transferred to the firewood in it. This is usually charcoal kilns periodic cycle, where at certain intervals the whole process of burning coal takes place: firewood is loaded, re-charred, finished coal is unloaded, firewood is loaded again, and so on.
In mixed-action devices, wood is periodically loaded and finished coal is unloaded, but some part of the wood is always in the process of pyrolysis.
Furnaces can also be made of metal or brick.
Three-chamber charcoal kiln
The vapor-gas mixture, which is discharged from the pyrolysis chamber, condenses upon cooling. Pyrolysis liquid (liquid) and non-condensable gases, since they are not yet widely used, are used as additional fuel in the combustion chamber. The output of by-products for afterburning is provided for by the design of the furnace. The effect of this design is not only in saving fuel, but also in protecting the environment.
Three-chamber charcoal kilns provide a continuous cycle of coal production. In each chamber, one of the stages of the cycle takes place separately, and the initial drying of the raw material occurs due to the heat that is obtained during the combustion of pyrolysis gases. In addition to saving fuel, such furnaces have many other advantages. Since the loading of wood and the unloading of finished coal occur at different times, the operating personnel are loaded more evenly. The cost of a three-chamber furnace is lower than that of a single-chamber furnace of the same volume, and the efficiency and service life are higher due to the distribution of the load.
Such equipment is designed for long-term operation in large-scale industries, and if it is equipped with a gas-generating boiler, then sawdust and shavings can be used as fuel.
Single chamber charcoal kiln
Charcoal in small quantities (up to 8 tons per month) can be produced in a single-chamber kiln. The full production cycle depends on the model of the device and can take 1-3 days.
Such an oven can be used in private households, in enterprises Catering, in order to dispose of production waste and substandard products at small
The principle of production in them and large industrial furnaces is no different. Single-chamber furnaces are usually smaller in size, raw materials are also loaded into them less, but they also take up less space, they are easy to transport if necessary.
Abroad, there has long been a production of charcoal kilns for home use. Grilled or barbecued dishes are prepared on environmentally friendly charcoal.
Characteristics and design of the charcoal kiln
Manufacturers of charcoal kilns, both foreign and domestic, indicate the working volume of one chamber and the total number of chambers in the kiln as the first characteristic. Then, the volume of firewood with a given size and moisture content, which can be loaded into the oven at a time, is usually indicated. This indicator is important for compliance with the next parameter - the duration in hours of the main work cycle.
To determine the efficiency of a particular model, two parameters are set for wood of the same species - the estimated amount of firewood loaded into the pyrolysis chamber and the output of coal from them.
The last are the overall dimensions of the furnace and its mass. If the device is not going to be transported, these data may not play a special role, but during transportation they can become decisive.
As a rule, a household single-chamber stove is a metal barrel laid with a slight slope or mounted on supports with a firebox built into the lower part.
The firebox itself, the furnace body, the pipe box and the hatch door are made of steel with a thickness of at least 3 mm, and the outer skin is 1 mm.
Double-sided welded seams, which connect the body shells, are reinforced with bandages, which are made of a rectangular pipe, giving rigidity to the structure and additional strength if pressure suddenly increases in the tank.
To reduce heat loss, thermal insulation material is laid between the chamber body and the outer skin. This measure increases the efficiency of the furnace. The walls of the furnace from the inside are laid out with refractory bricks.
Devices for afterburning charring products can be supplied separately.
Do-it-yourself charcoal kiln
A barrel on a stand is the simplest design, but for greater efficiency and fire safety, the barrel must be installed on a non-combustible base or buried in a hole.
You can make your own charcoal kilns from brick or metal. The drawing can be found on the Internet, as, however, enough detailed descriptions. However, it must be understood that the quality homemade oven and the final product is much lower, and there will be no large volumes of coal.
On the suburban area you can make a coal pit, or you can build a charcoal furnace from barrels. To do this, you need to dig a hole of such a diameter that a barrel can fit in it, which must also be lined with bricks, cut a hole in the bottom of the barrel with a diameter of approximately 100 mm and put it in the hole with the hole down.
Then you need to overlay the barrel with bricks, close the cracks at the top with some kind of fireproof material, insulate the upper bottom with mineral wool. That's all, you can get your own coal for the fireplace and barbecue.
The double barrel design is more efficient and reliable. The container, which is two times smaller in volume, is placed in a large one, filled with firewood and tightly closed with a lid, and fine-grained wood waste is poured into the space between the walls and set on fire, then the large barrel is also closed with a lid into which the pipe is inserted. But both of these ovens are only suitable for outdoor use and far enough away from them.
In this article, we'll take a closer look at how to get charcoal at home. This will allow you to significantly save on the purchase of ready-made smokeless fuel.
How to make charcoal at home
Main advantages
Charcoal is obtained by pyrolysis, the raw material for which is wood. In the process of pyrolysis, wood in an oxygen-free environment is heated to high temperatures. The finished product is delivered to enterprises and store shelves for mass consumption. It is sold in packaged form and is used in everyday life to replace firewood when cooking on the grill or as fuel for a biofireplace.
We buy ready-made charcoal in the store
Product benefits include:
- the absence of harmful substances (sulfur, phosphorus) in its composition;
- almost complete absence of emissions into the atmosphere: that is why it is possible to use fuel in decorative fireplaces without a chimney;
- complete combustion: no large amount of ash is formed;
- high calorific value;
- renewability: plant raw materials are renewable in nature.
Scope of application
Charcoal is used in industry for the following purposes:
- for use in filters;
- for melting crystalline silicon;
- for use in metallurgy (saturation of steel with carbon, obtaining pure alloys);
- for the production of glass, some types of plastics, paints;
- for the manufacture of natural dye for Food Industry;
- for the manufacture of activated carbon;
- for use in agriculture;
- for use as a convenient domestic fuel for stoves, fireplaces, barbecues.
When burned in stoves and fireplaces, this type of fuel burns almost without flames, providing an even and intense heat. The most highly valued product is brand A, which is made from hardwood.
Important! If charcoal is used indoors (for heating or cooking), then it is recommended to kindle it without the use of chemicals for kindling. This will avoid the appearance of an unpleasant odor and falling into the food of harmful substances. The ignition of coals in this case is carried out using paper and dry splinter.
Production technology
The widespread use of charcoal in industry requires its preparation in large volumes. The raw material for this is large waste woodworking production. That is why coal burning stoves are installed on the territory of woodworking enterprises or in their immediate vicinity.
Organization of coal production near woodworking enterprises
The charcoal technology makes it possible to obtain a product with the highest possible carbon content from raw wood. To this end, by means of pyrolysis, all other substances of organic and inorganic origin are removed from the raw materials.
Pyrolysis is the process of thermal decomposition of a material under conditions of oxygen deficiency.
The production of coal from wood includes the following steps:
- Preliminary preparation of wood raw materials.
- Drying wood. Pyrolysis requires a minimum moisture content in the raw material and mandatory wood drying at a temperature not exceeding 150°C.
- pyrolysis process. The wood semi-finished product is heated up to 150-350°C, while limiting the flow of oxygen into the chamber. As a result of the thermal decomposition of wood, the process of coal formation begins with the release of pyrolysis (combustible) gases.
- The calcination process. To isolate gaseous residues of excess substances (primarily resins) from coal, the heating is increased to 500-550°C.
- Recovery process. Produce cooling of the resulting coal.
Observing all technological requirements, high quality charcoal with 90% carbon content can be obtained on an industrial scale.
The industrial charcoal furnace consists of:
- cylindrical or rectangular body,
- combustion chamber.
How is charcoal made in an industrial oven?
Manufacturing process:
- install two retorts (closed-type containers) on top of the chamber;
- fill retorts with raw materials;
- heat the wood from the outside;
- the walls of the containers will transfer heat to the contents, in addition, during the pyrolysis process, the heat released by the wood during the thermal reaction is used.
Making coal from wood in an industrial furnace:
- in one of the retorts of an industrial furnace, the pyrolysis process takes place;
- in the second retort, the raw material is dried;
- combustible gases released during pyrolysis are burned;
- dedicated thermal energy spent on drying raw wood;
- the finished product is calcined;
- unloading and preparation for packaging is carried out: for this, large pieces are crushed to the required fraction;
- coal is poured into bags or packages;
- if necessary, the product is briquetted.
In addition to the industrial one, there is also a continuous furnace. In this case, all operations for the transformation of wood raw materials into fuel take place in one tank at the same time. In height, this container is divided from top to bottom into different temperature zones: drying, pyrolysis, calcination, reduction.
Making your own charcoal
If you have the right raw materials and want to save on the purchase of this expensive fuel, then you will be interested in information on how to make charcoal with your own hands.
As wood raw material, it is better to use the material that is available in larger quantities or which is easier to get.
The quality of the resulting fuel depends on the characteristics of the wood:
- grade A - from hardwood (birch, elm, oak, hornbeam);
- grade B - softwood (fir, pine, spruce) + wood from list A;
- grade B - soft wood (willow, alder, linden, poplar, etc.).
The most accessible and widespread raw material is birch firewood. The fuel obtained from them by pyrolysis technology is characterized by high calorific value and even heat. Such coal is ideal for barbecue.
To make charcoal at home resort to one of two methods.:
- using a homemade charcoal furnace, which is made from a metal barrel;
- by burning in a pit (classic technology).
Production in a furnace from a metal barrel
A metal barrel with thick walls is used, the volume of which is selected in accordance with the amount of processed raw materials. Usually a 200 liter container is used. If gasoline or other petroleum products were stored in the barrel, it is preliminarily burned out.
Important! Under no circumstances should chemical containers be used, as the pyrolysis process may be disturbed. In addition, there is a high risk of penetration into the fuel or the formation of compounds hazardous to health during combustion.
Self-made charcoal in a barrel
Manufacturing method No. 1:
- Install six refractory or ordinary solid bricks on the edge of a barrel with a volume of 100-200 liters on the edge.
- Make a fire between them using paper, wood chips or splinter.
- Carefully add pieces of wood so that as they burn, the coals fill the gaps between them.
- Put a metal grate on the bricks.
- Put on the grate to the very top in dense layers, row after row of firewood.
- Fill the barrel and wait for the flames to appear on the surface.
- Close the barrel with a piece of sheet iron, leaving a small gap at the edge for a minimum air flow. The fact that the process is nearing completion can be recognized by the color of the smoke: when the firewood burns out, their color will change to gray.
- Move the lid of the barrel so that the container is hermetically sealed.
- After the closed barrel has completely cooled down, the finished biofuel can be unloaded.
Note! Forced air supply to a pre-made hole in the bottom of the container will help speed up the process of burning wood. For pressurization, use a garden vacuum cleaner-blower or a conventional household unit, turned on “to exhale”.
Manufacturing method No. 2:
- Prepare a platform isolated from the ground. The platform is made of bricks laid on a piece of sheet iron.
- Lay firewood between the bricks and make a fire to heat the barrel.
- Place the barrel on the platform.
- Fill the barrel with tightly packed pieces of wood and close it almost hermetically with a metal lid. Small slots or openings are needed to allow gases to escape.
- When the temperature inside the barrel rises to 350 degrees, thermal decomposition of firewood from birch or other wood will begin. In this case, gas will come out of the barrel. The cessation of the release of gases means the completion of the oxidation process.
- Leave the barrel on the fire for some more time.
- Remove from heat and plug the vent holes in the lid.
- Leave the container to cool completely.
- Open the lid and check the quality of your own charcoal.
Manufacture using reburning in a pit
This method has been around for several centuries.
Making charcoal in a pit
Preparation method:
- A cylindrical hole with vertical walls is made in the ground. With a pit depth of 50 cm and a diameter of about 80 cm, you can get a couple of bags of coal.
- Tamp the bottom tightly to avoid soil getting into the finished fuel.
- Make a fire in the pit from wood chips and branches.
- Place the prepared wood in dense layers in a well-flamed fire all over the bottom. Firewood is added as it burns out until the entire pit is filled with coals (this takes about 3-4 hours).
- Cover the hole with green leaves and grass.
- Cover with a layer of earth and tamp.
- After two days, the pit can be opened, removed, the finished fuel sieved, and then packaged in bags.
Ready-made charcoal packaged in bags
Attention! To obtain good quality charcoal, you need to use firewood without bark. This will significantly reduce the amount of smoke in the process. Keep in mind that pieces of wood longer than 30 cm are inconvenient to use and take longer to burn through.
Conclusion on the topic
Having an idea of how to make lump charcoal yourself, you can prepare high-quality biofuels and save a lot of money. The raw material for this can be trees cut down during clearing the site or purchased firewood. With some experience and skill, you can get good quality charcoal without underburning or overburning.
Charcoal is a biofuel that is used in various fields. Many of us like to relax in the country, charcoal is an indispensable fuel for barbecue or fireplace. Where to get the required amount of charcoal? - the question we ask. A charcoal kiln can help us with this, it is capable of producing wood pyrolysis. Consider what performance characteristics a charcoal kiln has, how the charcoal production process takes place. In addition, we will consider how to make a do-it-yourself oven for charcoal burning in your backyard.
Device and design
Now on our market there are a large number of charcoal kilns, with different characteristics and design features.
The main purpose of the charcoal kiln is , in other words, the production of charcoal . Mobile kilns are used in logging forests and construction sites.
Data furnace installations allow to apply different kinds fuel (wood waste).
It is possible to use tires, by pyrolysis they are converted into liquid fuel. This type of furnace is widely used, as it is an excellent tool in the recycling and recycling process.
Principle of operation
The principle of operation of structures that are currently common is that there is no contact between wood and combustion gas, as a result of which the hydrolysis process is implemented. Principle of operation: all wood is placed in a separate chamber, where there are special holes through which the heat produced coolant. Due to the effect of heat, wood, heating up, after a while, turns into charcoal..
There is another option for pyrolysis - the process occurs due to vertically operating retorts. The burning process is much faster than in the previous design, and the emission of harmful substances is much higher. When using such a unit in production, care should be taken to install condensing equipment.
The material from which charcoal furnaces are made is very diverse, up to. To prevent heat loss in metal furnaces thermal insulation should be carried out using special materials. Retorts are made of heat-resistant metals.
Charcoal kiln UVP-5A
Let's look at the drawing of a charcoal kiln, it consists of:
- charcoal chamber;
- flow direction for heated flow gases;
- gas tunnel;
- firebox;
- grate;
- the door blew;
- metal frame;
- thermometer;
- exhaust pipe and damper;
- loading hatch for fuel;
- safety valve;
- control tube;
- stairs.
This oven model mounted on a metal frame, which is installed on skids, due to which it becomes mobile and is fixed in place with the help of stretch marks. Furnace design for charcoal burning of a cylindrical shape with an external firebox and a pipe. combustion process- repetitive, the wood is heated by flue gases (closed). Camera: with double walls with a volume of 11 m 3. Cylinder inside the chamber is made of 5 mm steel, and the outer one is made of 3 mm steel sheets. Rigidity frame is installed between two cylinders made of angle steel. A firebox frame is attached to the rear of the chamber at the bottom. Firebox lined with refractory bricks. The design of the furnace is not so complicated, but it is rather problematic to assemble it with your own hands. We will consider simpler models.
Charcoal kiln by yourself
Most summer residents use coal pits, but to obtain high-quality charcoal, it is more correct to build a charcoal furnace. To do this, we need two barrels with a capacity of 200 liters.
Where to begin:
- dig a hole for the barrel. The barrel is placed inside, between the walls of the barrel and the pit there should be a distance of one brick;
- drill a hole with a diameter of 10 cm at the drain hole of the barrel;
- place the barrel in the pit with the hole down, lay the distance from the wall of the pit to the barrel with bricks, and cover the upper part with fire-resistant material;
- insulate the upper part with mineral wool.
The design and installation of a do-it-yourself charcoal kiln on the street is a fairly simple process.
The basic rule is to follow fire safety when installing.
The efficiency of the charcoal stove is far from the production model, but it can supply charcoal for barbecue and fireplace.
It is possible to refine the design: install a barrel with a capacity of 100 liters inside a barrel with a volume of 200 liters. In terms of ecology, of course, this is better, but it will require considerable effort to improve the design, but productivity will also become greater and charcoal will be of better quality. A smaller barrel is filled with firewood and covered with a lid, and the gap between the walls of the barrels is filled with sawdust, wood chips and other combustible materials and set on fire . A pipe is inserted into a large barrel and closed with a lid. Such a design should put on a thermal insulation material - a platform - or cover it with earth. After the combustion process is completed and the barrel cools, you can get coals.
An easy way to make your own charcoal
If you have a wood-burning stove at home, you will not need any additional devices. It is necessary to select burnt red coals and transfer them to a ceramic vessel with a lid. You need to wait until it cools down completely. and your coals are ready.
Charcoal- almost one hundred percent carbon, which is formed during the dry distillation (pyrolysis) of wood without air at a temperature of 450-500 °. In parallel, various resins, acetic acid, methanol and acetone are isolated. There are 3 main types of this product: black (made from lime, aspen, alder, willow firewood), red (from conifers) and white (from oak, elm, hornbeam, birch firewood).
Applications
The demand for this product is quite large, since, in addition to heating private houses, it can be used:
- in the production of electrodes, various paints, glass and crystal;
- for the production of silicon for semiconductors, boron, aluminum;
- in metallurgy - as a reducing agent;
- as a fertilizer;
- as an additive to pet food;
- when grinding and polishing parts used in printing;
- as an insulating material in construction;
- as a replacement for graphite in the plastics industry;
- in the production of smoke powder;
- in the production of brushes, resistances, contacts that are installed in electrical and electrovacuum equipment;
- in the production of activated carbon - as a raw material.
From the resin released during the production process, acetic acid for the food industry, methyl alcohol, solvents, rosin, and turpentine are produced.
Manufacturing technology
In production, stationary and mobile charcoal kilns are used, which consist of combustion chambers and dryers. The wood is placed in the combustion chamber. In the process, steam gases are released, which also burn, releasing heat. After the coal has formed and dried, it is unloaded, the next batch of raw wood is placed in the chamber. After cooling, the coal is packed in bags or briquetted.
The best raw material for this production is firewood. When using them, the highest quality product is obtained. But you can also use the waste that is generated during the harvesting and processing of wood: stumps, boughs, waste from furniture production. Modern equipment makes it possible to produce charcoal even from sawdust and peat.
Charcoal production as a business
The main advantages of this field of activity are the absence of the need for large financial investments, special knowledge and higher education. In addition, the initial investment pays off very quickly.
The location of the furnace requires open space, so a suburban area of \u200b\u200b200 m2 is best suited. In addition to equipment, you will need an accountant, 2 or 3 workers and a watchman.
The business plan must include:
- costs for equipment for the production of charcoal:
- a furnace for the production of charcoal (pyrolysis plant) - 17-200 thousand rubles;
- a device for chopping firewood - 100 thousand rubles;
- cleavers, axes, hacksaws - 10 thousand rubles;
- chainsaw - 38 thousand rubles;
- weight dispenser (for product packaging) - 137,000 rubles;
- bag sewing machine - from 16 thousand rubles.
- if coal briquetting is planned, then a mill, mixer, press and dryer will be required;
- registration of a business - about 10 thousand rubles;
- rent - 20 thousand rubles;
- salary for 5 people - 75-100 thousand rubles. (every month);
- advertising, transport and other expenses;
- purchase of raw materials (firewood, waste from logging, bags for packaging) - 30-50 thousand rubles.
To start this business, you need at least 500 thousand rubles (without briquetting).
Payback
A kilogram of charcoal costs 17-20 rubles. When using one oven 25 days a month, you can sell products for 70 thousand rubles. (every month).
The initial investment will pay off within a year.
DIY charcoal making
Charcoal can also be made at home. The best raw material is birch firewood. They need to be cleaned of bark and sawn into briquettes so that there is less waste. You can put them in a barrel of 20-30 liters or even a bucket. It is important that the container can be tightly closed and vents for gases and resin (small holes) can be made.
To make it easier to install the barrel on a fire, you should make a stand of concrete or brick. The barrel should heat up to 350 ° C and be on the fire for about 2.5 hours. Then it is removed from the fire, but the lid does not open until the product has completely cooled.
It is even easier to make a hole covered with a sheet of iron and a furnace pit. You need to put cubes of birch firewood into the pit and close it, light a fire in the pit. The process lasts 2-2.5 hours. Thus, it is possible to procure coal not only for oneself, but also for sale. From a cubic meter of birch firewood (approximate cost of 800 rubles), you can get 300 kg of the finished product. If you sell it for 20 rubles. per kilogram, it will turn out 6,000 rubles. This can be a good start for a business if you don't have the funds to buy equipment.
Charcoal is a natural biofuel that can be used in a variety of industries. What are the benefits of charcoal?
- does not contain phosphorus and sulfur;
- does not provide negative impact to the atmosphere;
- has a large ;
- burns out completely;
- is a renewable resource.
Those who have already faced the need to purchase charcoal know that this type of fuel is very expensive. Therefore, in order to minimize costs, you can make charcoal with your own hands. In the manufacture of charcoal, both hardwoods (beech, oak, birch, etc.) and softwoods (aspen, alder, poplar, etc.) can be used. The quality of the fuel also depends on the feedstock: I get grade A coal from hard grades, grade B coal from soft grades.
How to make charcoal in a pit
This method was used by our ancestors. So it will be easy to make coal yourself. First you need to dig a small hole. The pit is made in the form of a cylinder, following the verticality of the walls. With a diameter of 75-80 cm and a depth of 50 cm, approximately two bags of coal are obtained.
The bottom of the pit must be tamped (you can use your feet) so that the soil does not mix with finished product. Then a fire is made in the pit (use small branches, dry birch bark, etc., but no "chemistry"). Gradually add dry thin branches or firewood to the fire, it is necessary that the entire bottom is covered with burning firewood. When the fire flares up well, we proceed directly to the burning of charcoal: we add prepared firewood.
Important! Firewood for charcoal must be without bark. It smokes a lot, and the coal from it is of poor quality. To make it more convenient to use fuel, you can cut the firewood into “portioned” pieces. Choose the sizes yourself, but it is undesirable to use more than 30 cm.
Gradually, as some firewood burns out, we lay fresh ones on top, periodically moving them with a long pole - the firewood should lie tightly. And so on until the hole is filled to the top. How long the burning lasts depends on the size of the firewood, and on their density (hardwood burns out longer, but coal is of better quality), and on the humidity of the air. It takes at least 3 hours to fill a hole of the specified size.
The filled pit should be covered with green grass or leaves, sprinkled with a layer of earth on top and tamped well. Under these conditions, the manufactured charcoal will cool for about two days, after which it must be sieved and packaged. After all these procedures, the coal is completely ready for use.
This video clearly demonstrates this technology, which we inherited from our ancestors, but big chunks are being burned here. It takes more time. Firewood smokes strongly due to the fact that the bark is not cleaned. Try repeating the process, but without the bark, and compare.
How to make charcoal in a barrel
Another way self-manufacturing charcoal. You will need a thick-walled metal barrel. Choose the size depending on the amount of coal you want to make in one go (if the barrel is large, it will take a long time to fill it). Under no circumstances can containers from under chemistry be used, if oil products were stored in the container, it must be burned out and only clean ones should be used.
There are two ways to make charcoal in a barrel. In the first, a fire is made inside it and then the process itself is no different from getting coal in a pit. Only if you use a large container (100-200 liters) so that the firewood laid on top does not “crush” the fire, put six bricks (preferably refractory) standing on the bottom. Between them, make a fire, carefully load the firewood until the coals almost cover the bricks. Then put a grate on the bricks and lay the next batches of logs on it. This wood is laid in rows tightly. After filling the barrel to the top, wait until flames appear on the surface, then cover with a sheet of iron, leaving a small gap. To speed up the process, air can be supplied to the hole made in the lower part, for example, from a vacuum cleaner, but it is quite possible to do without it. Firewood is burning, and you watch the color of the smoke. As soon as it turns gray, the barrel must be closed tightly and left in this state until it cools completely. Then remove the lid and take out the finished coals.
In the second version, a barrel filled to the top with densely packed wood is covered with a non-combustible lid. Close almost tightly. The holes should be (for the release of gases), but small, since the temperature inside must be brought up to 350 ° C. We put the barrel on a platform isolated from the ground. In the simplest version, these are several bricks laid on a sheet of metal. Between these bricks we make a fire, on which we “warm” the barrel. After some time, the process of wood oxidation (combustion) begins and gas begins to come out. After the release of gases has stopped, leave the container on the fire for some more time (so that you can navigate, let's say that it may take 2-2.5 hours to burn a 20-liter container with firewood into coal). Then we remove the barrel from the fire and close up the holes in the lid. Leave until completely cool. Having opened the barrel, we have some charcoal that you made with your own hands. Nicely…
These techniques are not the only ways to make charcoal at home, but they are inexpensive. Their disadvantage is the difficulty of tracking the process: if in an open pit or barrel it is still possible to somehow navigate by the type of firewood, then such “means” of control are not available in a closed barrel. Relying on experience. After several self-made batches, you will learn how to burn coal with high quality, avoiding underburning or, conversely, burning out of raw materials (at first, almost everyone has it).
An easy way to make your own charcoal
If you have a wood-burning stove, you don’t need any special devices: firstly, you can choose burned-out, but not collapsed red coals and lower them into a container with a well-fitting lid. It is desirable that it be a large ceramic tub, but you can also fit a bucket or a small barrel. Just remember that when using metal containers, you must not forget about fire safety, and you can get burned. The lid must be closed until the coal has cooled completely. After everything has cooled down, you already have coal.
In order to have more coal, after the laying of firewood flares up well, close the doors and blower, close the dampers, allow 15 minutes to burn out, and then scoop out the coals into an airtight container. The result is more significant, but the method is more risky.
Charcoal production as a business
If you consider the production of charcoal as a business, then you won’t be able to manage with a pit and a barrel: the volumes are not the same, it takes a lot of time. We will have to purchase equipment for the production of charcoal. You will need:
- coal burning furnace;
- scales, charcoal bags and filling equipment;
- source or generator of electricity;
- means for chopping firewood (chainsaws, devices for chopping firewood, etc.).
A lot of expenses, but you can save on premises: production is located in an open area. At the start, you can get by with one furnace, but to reach serious capacities, you need to consider a chain of furnaces, since the process is quite lengthy: first loading wood and drying it, then firing, cooling and unloading products. A more serious installation contains separate containers - retorts, into which raw materials are loaded. There can be several retorts: while wood is drying in one, coal is burned out in another, the third cools down, the next one is unloaded and loaded (). Such a chain provides round-the-clock operation.
Self-manufacturing of a coal burning furnace looks problematic: even the simplest designs are far from elementary, you will have to work with thick-walled metal, welding must be of high quality. For example, here is a drawing of a charcoal stove called UVP-5B, developed by TsNIIME.
This development of TsNIIME looks simpler. Their portable charcoal kiln is laconic and has good performance, but it requires compliance with all proportions.
In general, as a business, charcoal production is not the easiest option, but quite promising and proper organization profitable: demand is growing steadily, prices for good fuel are high. Moreover, even waste and non-standard products (crumb and fine coal) can be processed into fuel briquettes.
Conclusions. The simplest ways to make charcoal at home are generally available: mostly dry wood (even thin branches and dead wood will do), a small plot of land and / or a metal barrel with a lid. If we consider the production of charcoal as a business, then there will be considerable costs. But charcoal can be made from any type of wood, even from waste from the woodworking industry: scraps and substandard residues. You can even use sawdust, having previously formed pellets. Some of the products coming out of the kiln do not meet the standards, but screenings of charcoal can also be turned into good fuel using. In general, despite the difficulties, this is a fairly promising type of activity.