Having my new toy and bragging with it, also comes with an obligation…
Here i will post my findings/observations/opinions/results from what i put in the oven, why, and ofcourse the outcome…
The oven is meant to be a tool to “upgrade” the charcoal and to test the quality’s
Sometimes i will have to refrain myself from revealing to much 
but that comes with living the phantasy…
Testing moister content in the oven:
Input material 2 kg
oven temperature 120 °C
Dwell time: 4 hours
Charcoal from different “brandings” laying around in opened containers or generally exposed to ambient air:
Input: 2000 grams
Output: 1888 grams
Evaporated: 112 grams
Equals: 5,6% water content
Testing bamboo charcoal from retort charcoaling system
Input material pre burned on minimum 650°C
4 different samples
each sample 2 times 500 grs
ramp up time to 1000°C : 3 hours
soaking time at 1000°C : 3 hours
Protection gas: Argon
average weight loss, inclusive moister: 14%
Testing Bamboo charcoal from Japanese Kiln system
Same species as used in the retort system
Input material said to be burned at >900°C
4 different samples
each sample 2 times 500 grs
ramp up time to 1000°C : 3 hours
soaking time at 1000°C : 3 hours
Protection gas: Argon
average weight loss, inclusive moister: 35%
ASTM for volatiles testing would be; in a preheated vessel, 900°C, dwell time 7 minutes only…
The guy , making the charcoal japanese style, was clearly not knowing his job…
That kiln only produced about 250 kg in 15 days… (not per day, but in one batch only)
So, for making it myself easy:
I call input minus output result: all volatiles minus the measured moister (this to compare future wise all other materials)
Next batch testing will be up to 1200°C , to make it challenging…
Question to the readers of this:
Why there is so little loss ? Why not all charcoal turned into gas ?
This is the reason for testing this, for the purpose and the build of good gasifiers…
From the test series with 14% loss, 15 samples are sent to a pharmaceutical lab for analysis
edit: forgot the first serie of tests:
Input material pre burned on minimum 650°C
4 different samples
each sample 2 times 500 grs
ramp up time to 1000°C : 3 hours
soaking time at 1000°C : 1 hour
Protection gas: Argon
average weight loss, inclusive moister: also only 14%
So, why no difference in loss between dwell time 1 hour or 3 hours ?
Interasting information!
Do you assume the japanese style charcoal is bad becouse of high volitile content? If so, l think this might not be the case. Japanese charcoal is the closest thing to activated charcoal, meaning it culd a magnet air present volitiles, moisture mostly.
Thanks for this great info. Professor Qi Hua Fan was recently in the news for developing a new method of activating charcoal with plasma for use in super capacitors. I have noticed that some pieces of charcoal from my retort are electrically conductive. I wrote to Professor Fan asking if low resistance/ high conductivity was indication of activation. He wrote to me yesterday saying that he believes that is the case. He has offered to test my samples.
Hi Kristijan,
no, i meant that:
I know the Kiln, its ours, i know the Guy, its a "i know better guy’
I know what good charcoal is but what he makes is … s**t
and,… i make activated charcoal… ( that is what i mean with upgrading )
Hi Bruce,
Conductivity is “an” indicator, but there is more to that…
Pore size, wall thickness between the pores, density by weight, adsorption capability,
Now imagine ferrite… compressed carbon ?
Imagine diamond…
Now, during the charcoaling process, the normal carbon pores gets fauled with carbon soot from the process… decreasing the adsorption capacity…
You can clean the pores by means of acid (chemicals) or thermal process
To “burn” the pores clean you need heat + oxydising material
If, you use a carefull controlled system for making the charcoal, then your carbon pores are getting less fauling, hence less cleaning to do…
So , oxydising agent comes from ?
(hint: anything that have an O in its chemical components)
Heat + C + CO2 = 2CO for example…
or Heat + C2+ H2O = CO +H2
but, i try to keep it real life…
using Argon now to do full testing…
Going to do the same tests with CO2 in the next levels
Compare that with existing data and analyse the results
also on the list: testing the charcoal after shutdown and refill ( moister and reactivity )
Activated charcoal makes a great gas filter to protect the engine…
High on the list: knowing what charcoal is and then start a full wood gasifier…
Only if i full understand and if i am able to control the charcoal bed, then i go next level…
If dolomite works as a catalyst for cracking tars in wood gasification, could it be used to improve pyrolysis and or activation process?
I see the biger picture now. If l remember right, Japanese charcoal is made the way you describe makeing activated charcoal. First slowly baked for s few days for the gases not to expand the wood while it bakes, then a few hours at white hot slightly oxidative enviroment to cleam the pores. Resault is hard, dense, conductive charcoal. If l remember right they allso coat it with white clay powder when finished, not sure why that is for.
this is how it should be done…
They put the charcoal out with the clay by smothering it , no water is applied, it would ruin it’s qualities.
Bob
the charcoal before upgrading ( the stuf with 35%)
and after the upgrading process
cooled down in absence of oxygen for 24 hours
Do l see brown color in one of the peaces?
in the before or the after ?
Before. It looks like the stuff l throw in the next bach when l inspect my charcloal.
it was not brown, but even by the looks yes, badly made charcoal.
but i was able to upgrade it in the oven…
Hi Koen, Great video. Not a lick of yellow flame in that charcoal indicating it is well cooked and suitable for engine grade charcoal. I’d be curious to see how “cowboy” charcoal used for grilling would stand up to your testing. I get a lot of questions about using store bought charcoal for fueling an engine. Basically tell them that stuff has a lot of condensed tars in the pores and will not work unless heated up to drive them away.
Good work!
Gary in PA
