Nice oven, I have just few things: First, it is better to make holes for gasses to escape in the bottom part of the inner container, because the gases help to heat the wood inside when they burn. Second, it is definitely better to quench the biochar with water rather than let it cool. The hot biochar still smoulders and consumes oxygen, which decreases yield (it burns away). Also, biochar can get hard to wet with water when its cool, but it soaks a lot of water easily when its hot. Water steam produced during quenching can also increase the surface area as it removes tar from the pores.
Now this I can do! I'm only on a suburban block so the big drum units are totally out of the question. I've got something for the outer vessel and probably the inner one as well. I'm thinking of using a bowl as a lid with the center cut out and steel venting as you use for the chimney. I'm doing my best to reduce inputs as much as I can to the garden (unless they are free) This is a great way of using up more branch cuttings and bigger woodchip to make something I would otherwise have to buy. I'll skip the holes in the center vessel to get the gases to pop out the bottom and feed the fire like others have said. Nice video.
Vey good. But what you made is charcoal. It becomes ‘biochar’ once inoculated with biotic life. And minerals. A good idea is to soak it in the leachate that you get from a worm farm or rot some nettles or comfrey in a bucket and soak the charcoal in that. For a few weeks Before applying to your soil at the ratio of 5% hope that’s useful
HEY O.Y.R. I NEVER MADE BIOCHAR BEFORE BUT WATCHING YOUR VIDEO TAUGHT ME HOW. I MODIFIED IT THOUGH BY FILLING AN OLD METAL TOOL BOX WITH A LATCH FULL OF WOOD CHIPS AND PLACING IT IN MY WOOD BURNING STOVE. I MADE BIOCHAR WHILE HEATING MY KITCHEN. IT WORKED GREAT. THANKS Q
***** Yes, I've seen at least one video in which a metal ammo case was used. Any oxygen limited metal container should do the trick as long as it isn't galvanized.
OK, a few suggestions. First put insulation around the outer chamber, it'll concentrate more heat into the inner one. Second, don't waste the hydrogen and methane gases produced by the pyrolysis, use them also in the burn. Seal those three holes in the inner chamber, then put a couple of pieces of straight wire in the bottom of the outer chamber, that way the waste gases escape out of the bottom and get redirected to the burn. Finally, you might want to look up how the Japanese make 'white charcoal', it's a quick cool down method that produces a type of char with some interesting properties.
Nice suggestions Sacwriter but a drawing would be v.helpful but not possible in this forum (:- - Not v.clear about how waste gases are being redirected to burn
This will be a great reference for my oven... you know someday, when I have time LOL. Your bio-char oven looks fantastic and is small enough to not cause a big stir in the neighborhood :)
That is really a cool biochar stove, would like to try that myself next season, when I can gather the supplies to make it. Thanks again Patrick, as usual your explanation is impeccable. All the best, Frank
Thanks Frank M ! Yeah, I'm glad I finally got around to to making it. I had been meaning to do so for years. I can't wait to see how it helps the garden. Best wishes Frank.
Great info., I've been looking for a way to create charcoal, in smaller burn chambers, for a couple of months. You, I believe you have given me the answer. Thank you! Joe
I have been wondering what to do about the hydrocarbon gasses from the pyrolysis process for a while. All the videos I have stumbled upon simply mention that they are there and don't explain anything about them. I have been wanting to learn more about this subject simply for carbon sequestration, and not so much for fertilization. Thank you so much for explaining and showing how you dealt with this.
in order to sequester carbon one has to feed the chimney back into the fire chamber so that the hydrocarbon gases completely burn up. In this positive feedback loop the hydrocarbon gases raise the temperature of the fire.
Thanks! I appreciate your feedback. Yeah, the scaled down oven works fairly well. If my outer chamber were just a little larger, I think it would work perfectly.
You're welcome Cindi Martineau ! Yeah, it does make a great winter project. I'm planning on making a batch most weekends during the winter. That should give me more than enough for 2014. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Where did you find your pots? One concern I had about making one was that the usual paint buckets or even 55 gallon drums only last through about 10 burns. But, I think your stainless steel pots will see you through far more. Maybe I'll start checking thrift stores. I do have one big pot like yours, but I use it all the time! :)
Cindi Martineau My wife used to make handmade soap, and she collected several of these stainless steel pots over the years to use in her soap making. I'm not sure where she got them. I think you're right - stainless steel will last longer than steel. Just make sure to avoid galvanized steel. I also was suspicious of paint cans, which sometimes have some kind of protective coating on them.
I haven't read every coming so forgive me if it's already been mentioned. What you have there is charcoal. If I'm not mistaken biochar is when you mix it with nutrients beneficial to plant growth and add it to your garden. It provides a long-term, steady release nutrients fertilizing whatever you put it on.
I wondered why they needed a new name for charcoal. But I read a website somewhere that said charcoal is produced by burning at under six hundred degrees and biochar is produced at burning at six hundred to one thousand degrees. I know nothing about it, I haven't seen anybody on youtube mention this. I see what he is calling biochar, my mother taught me to call cinders. She was wrong, I guess. It looks like the bing definition for what he is clinking at the beginning is charcoal.
Hi Patrick, how cool would it be doing a burn with snow around the Biochar Oven... You'd get some melted snow... Hey? Nice video. Still waiting for a music track bud? LoL... Love your theme music. Cheers David
Hi David. I've made a few batches out in the snow so far. It makes being out in the cold much more pleasant. Thanks for the complement about the music. I've got to get back to playing more often. Cheers!
Craft procedures not necessarily translate to better ambientaly products. Yours is a serious document. Congratulations. The indirect distillation of the wood ensures that the process will generate much less ashes that would increase the pH of the soil. A good biochar, without doubt, helps to increase efficiency and sustainability of agriculture. The only problem I see is that its cost is high due to the scale of the oven and the system can not be scaled easily. With the help of some engineers your model could became a wonderful input to RATIONAL AGRICULTURE.
Get rid of the holes on the top of your inner retort. They need to be on the -bottom- and I am not sure they are really needed since you haven't -sealed- the chamber. They are only for letting the gases out and keep it from exploding. If you let the gases out at the bottom, it will add considerable heat to your system, and you will most likely not need to add extra fuel during your burn.
Thanks! I'm not sure how well the charcoal would work for drawing. I never progressed beyond stick figures, but you could probably do something amazing with it given your artistic ability.
just trying to grow some food Charcoal that is used for cooking is made a little differently (I believe it is cooked at a lower temperature) than biochar and may not be good for your soil. It typically contains more oils and tar than biochar. I just wanted to let you know this in the event you were thinking of adding some to your raised beds.
if you put the holes on the inside pot at the bottom the gasses will feed the outside fire and there may be no need to add extra fuel because its said to make the fire last longer, esentialy you will be using the inside gas to char the inside wood
spud gun I was thinking the same. Also for this and other designs it seems there is an opportunity for a slim chamber containing wood for creating biochar through the chimney which would heat up from the heat lifting up through the chimney.
Really great! Love how you inform without claiming to be an expert. Do you think the alcohol used to ignite the fuel would I able you from using the left over ash? Thanks.
Patrick, two questions. We loved this video and want to experiment with the idea. Got a old ridiculously heavy wood stove at the auction last week for 25 bucks but there doesn't seem to be a working damper. Do you think we could just put an inner retort chamber inside the stove and keep the door ajar and set up a chimney kind of like you did????? We have never worked with a wood stove before but the deal seemed to be there...its going to be for outside use one way or another, seems this would make a lot of sense. If you have any ideas on how to modify this please share. Question 2. The stainless steel pots...any chemical breakdown that would release dangerous fumes??? How about the pots melting down from high temps. The larger pot you are using looks like it started to melt a bit..or is that just denting from the drilling process. Thanks for your great videos. We look foward to them coming. Cool light setup too. But you definitely need to hit the thrift shops for lamp cords(with lamp attached) that are like a dollar :) Thanks, Paul and Suzanne
Hi Paul and Suzanne. Yes, I think you could put an inner retort in your wood stove as you've described. You'll want plenty of oxygen in the wood stove, but little in the inner retort. Stainless steel is safe for use in biochar ovens. You'll want to avoid galvanized steel however, which is coated with zinc. The temperatures don't get nearly hot enough to melt them. There are some dents in the pots, but no melting. You're right, I could have bought an extension cord for $1.19 instead of the expensive lamp cord. Next time I'll know better. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I was watching video that Dale shared and in it they showed how to make biochar about 400 years ago. Interesting viewing. BBC's Tales from the green valley episode 9 FULL
OneYardRevolution What a great tutorial! you are much kinder then my neighbours who enjoy burning pressure treated lumber in their fire pit. barring the ability to make your own Biochar where would one find that type of product?
Thanks Stephen! Burning a large pit of pressure treated wood? YIKES! My goal is to be inconspicuous enough that my neighbors aren't even aware I've got a fire going. I've never purchased biochar, so I don't have a favorite brand, but you can purchase it from www.wesionline.com or amazon.com.
Thanks for sharing this idea. i dropped the idea of making biochar till i came across this almost smokeless method which might work for me, here in Delhi, where there is a ban on burning any kind of plant material. One ques - If there are no holes on top of the inner chamber, how will you know when Biochar is ready? Seeing this video and reading through the comments is invigorating. I learnt a lot. So before starting to make this i might as well test the soil ph in my garden. Assuming it is acidic, do you think i should add Biochar to my garden as it is in a state of utter neglect and depletion because of a v.indifferent previous owner
Extremely inspiring... Thank you sir, for sharing your passion and putting great effort into this youtub channel... I just found this channel today and subscribed right away.. LOL.. Thank you again
An excellent video on the process of pyrolysis, and how to construct a low-tech, low-cost retort chamber. I can see some high school science teachers using your video in the classroom. I did just a small bit of research on terra preta soils and understand why many folks may want to add biochar to their gardens. But(if you don't mind me asking a philosophical question, Patrick) I'm wondering if you think it might be better(ecologically) to just spread the wood chips in the garden? Creating biochar releases hydrogen and methane into the atmosphere, which may affect global warming. Wouldn't it be easier and safer to just mulch? Was wondering what your opinion might be but understand if you'd prefer not to have these discussions on your channel. No harm, no foul.
Thanks, Brian! This was more of an experiment for me than anything else. Sometime after this video I decided to conduct a field trial of biochar before using it in my entire garden. After the first year of the trial, I'm not convinced that it's adding any value to my garden soil, which is rich in organic matter and nutrients. As you suggested, it may makes sense for most people to simply mulch their gardens with wood chips instead of make biochar.
Brian White hello Brain white, I understand your concern. I am working with Biochar in my lab. Apart from amending the soil and sequestering carbon, it can help in soil remediation. a soil that is contaminated with heavy metals can be reused with the application of the correct quantity of biochar. thank you.
Doesn't decomposing wood release those gases and more? I honestly would like to see the emissions measured. Since most of the hydrogen and methane is burnt in a well designed stove, it really may be cleaner than the gasses rotting wood releases. I use biochar in my compost because it helps filter some of the gasses that are released by the decomposing organic matter. Plus it really seems to speed up my compost. All that being said, of course I also use mulch.
OneYardRevolution This is great, I thank you for making this video and I have saved it for future reference! Since we are living a little too close to people right now, I think we will wait to make our own once we get our property. Something to look forward to. =)
Hello brother, thank you very much for sharing us this video. It is really helpful, and I got too much from this publication. you also explained well, and if there are negative comments given to you, don't give it a shit. many people are negative, and jeleaous.
Hey Patrick, keep revisiting this video. We are trying to make biochar for emergency fuel purposes and are trying not to buy our way through lowes to get there. So, we have a weber coal starter that looks something like your chimney, do you think it would be possible to hook that into a system like yours. Have the pots, just the flue is the hold back. Thanks for any help.
Great effort - nice product. Here's a link to part one of a very instructional series from Living Web Farms. This is a 5 part workshop that takes a lot of time to watch, but really worth while, at least for this novice. Biochar Workshop Part 1, How to Make Biochar Ideally, I don't think you need the little holes in the top of the inner retort chamber. The idea is to force the gases down and out around the bottom lip. Based on what I saw, I don't think you packed the cavity between the two chambers with chips (smart that you dried them first). Have a look at how tightly the guys in the video jamb the small cavity. My first successful efforts to create this black gold have been to build a roaring hot fire in my shop wood stove, then as soon as it is down to a bed of large coals, I scoop them out into a steel pail and cover them with sand to quench the fire. That is one hot pail of coals. Don't get a lot at a time, but so far I have about a bushel, and my shop is heated in the process.
Thanks Garth Wunsch ! Yes, the Living Web Farms biochar workshop videos are very helpful. I watched them some time ago when I was researching biochar. You're right the little holes in the inner retort aren't needed. Now if I can just talk my wife into letting me have another one of her pots! Thanks for watching and commenting.
;-) I can see it now. Can I have two of your pots I want to cook some wood. Next time I go to recycle I will have my eyes open for somthing to work with. I tend to come back with more than I take lol. Dave
hi, the video is 4 years old and im wondering if your biochar oven is still working and if you have made any modifications since? i am about to make one based on this one since the size and level of production fits my needs. Thanks for the videos, very inspiring.
OneYardRevolution Great video Patrick! One question, maybe I missed it but how do you know when you have burned it long enough for all of the gasses to escape the inner chamber and you actually have bio char left? Awesome idea on the scaled down version... :-)
Thanks Wayne! In my case, I can tell when all the gases have been released from the inner chamber by watching the little holes in the inner chamber. When I don't see any flame coming from them, I know all the gases have been released. You can see these flames in the video at 6:30. If the outer chamber were large enough to hold sufficient fuel, I wouldn't have to babysit it as much, and I'd know I had biochar after all the fuel in the outer chamber was extinguished.
Interesting question! It's great to think of ways to put all that heat to good use. To distill salt water, do you only need to bring it to a rolling boil? I'm not sure how hot the gases get, but they could definitely boil water.
Just watched your video. Very interesting. I have done a lot of reading on making biochar. I have read that adding to much biochar can raise the ph, Can you tell me how much would be too much? Also I have read where earth worms will not stay around where there is biochar.
Hi Clifford! The only way to know if biochar might be cause pH problems is to have your soil pH tested by a professional lab. If you live in the US, soil tests are inexpensive through your agriculture extension. I wouldn't use biochar unless the soil was acidic. Many of the same benefits can be derived simply by adding organic matter via compost and organic mulch.
Thanks Mark. Yes, then I could use the charcloth instead of the alcohol to start the oven! I think my next batch will include dried kitchen scraps like banana peels, orange peels, egg shells, etc.
OneYardRevolution Have you discovered, during your research if you can use leaves to make Biochar? And if so, how effective they may or may not be. I`m thinking that because leaves have not much substance then they might not be effective as Biochar. On the other hand, because they don`t have much substance they would take very little time to char and therefore you could make more far more quickly. I have chared leaves myself but do not know enough to know if they are effective.
Mark Gardiner Yes, you can make biochar out of leaves, though I'm not sure how the resulting biochar would compare to biochar made from wood. I think you're right that they would char fairly quickly. I think you'd also have to have a very low level of oxygen in the retort to prevent them from burning. I'll add some leaves to my next batch to see what happens.
what a good video, and You are very good at explaining things! That escapes me, I wish I could do that. I really am interested in trying this but have no time to make it yet. Has Anybody tried it in a Aquaponics system? Thanks for the great video!
Thanks Tip Krimont ! I have seen online that some people have experimented with biochar as a growing medium in aquaponics systems. Here's and example: permaculturegreenhouse.com/2013/07/09/bioshelter-aquaponics-biochar/
OneYardRevolution Hi Thank You for the link. Very interesting that someone is using as a growing medium. That is neat I am going to check out the link.Thanks
Nice oven. I've been looking for a while but in my location everything usable is plastic. My wife isn't going to be very happy with me if I start drilling holes in her pots and pans.
Help. We're doing this research about biochar and we're planning to mix it in a compost. How much biochar is needed for a compost? And what else could be the components of biochar aside from fruit peelings and woodpile? thanks!
Hi Jane. You can make biochar from all kinds of organic matter - even dried manure. I'd add no more that 5 to 10% by volume to a compost pile. I hope this helps!
Mix it with some pee and add it to your garden. Been used to feed and improve garden beds for centuries, even millennia. They can find evidence of its use in South American rain forests so far back. You can use this activated biochar exclusively in your garden with adding next to nothing else and get amazing results.
Do you think your biochar project is worthwhile?? I saw Mr. Stephen's experiment on its ineffectiveness in crop yield in the already compost enriched beds. So me and the "Work with nature" guy was having an argument on the same. Hence I'd like to know if you still makes them or just stick with your ritual of "mulch & compost" ;)
Stephen and I coordinated the biochar field trial together and came to the same conclusion. I've also not seen larger yields from my biochar test group. I'm monitoring the yields again this year and at the moment the biochar amended bed has a lower yield than the control.
OneYardRevolution | Frugal & Sustainable Organic Gardening Seems like you almost waited two years and still no significant improvement right. That means why bother biochar at all?Even If the product takes few years to work, that's also not a good sign. My excitement for the biochar ends here :-/ !!
suDz This is the third season for the trial. As I've said in other videos, though, research has shown that biochar is effective at improving poor soil. It just doesn't make much of a difference when you already have soil that is rich in organic matter, soil life, and nutrients and holds water well.
Did you add pee to your biochar? I watched one of the videos you are talking about, but I don't remember if you do. I remember that I found a few issues with the way you isolated variables to create independent results. I am going to modify your technique for making the biochar, I was going to a much more pain in the but and neighbor aggravating manner. I have a metal garbage can I was using to burn stuff in and would be great to repurpose for this.
Could the upper chamber heat be used to piggyback a separate waste plastic pyrolysis to produce pyrolysis fuel from plastics? It's a shame to waste all that heat to just escape and produce 1 pound of bio char or charcoal fuel where I'm from... charcoal fuel (briquette) sells for $3 per 3.3 pounds online.. That way you will have two products from the original machine; 1 pound of biochar and at least one liter or more of fuel from the waste plastic pyrolysis... and you get rid of some plastic waste.. this could even be a business...
Hi Sean. I produced a small enough amount of ash that I used all of it on my garden. You have to be very careful, though, because wood ash raises soil pH. So, if you already have alkaline soil, I'd avoid adding wood ash. Also, if your soil pH is just slightly acidic, add only small amounts at a time and do a pH test if in doubt. I hope this helps.
My 50/30 gal drum system doesn't make as much smoke than my Webber grill does and I've not had any problems with neighbors. The set up isn't visible to neighbors and I grill outside all times of the year, so no one is any wiser.
I'd love to make the 55 gal/ 30 gal oven, but I'm certain the neighbors would object. I agree - the oven wouldn't produce much smoke, but the flames shooting out of the chimney would make them nervous, and I have no way to hide a unit that size. It's too bad. I'd really like to have one.
I know that the bio char is important, it just seems like you waste a huge amount of wood in the process. You could have cooked, heated, even forged metal on the amount of energy it took and in the end you would have even more bio char by using the fuel you used to cook the original batch of wood. I just do not get this process.
bio- char is high heat with low Oxygen ie. the centers of forest fires and fire tornadoes... is what u want . where as the charcoal is "baked" wood in a oxygen free container with lower heat.
Nice oven, I have just few things:
First, it is better to make holes for gasses to escape in the bottom part of the inner container, because the gases help to heat the wood inside when they burn.
Second, it is definitely better to quench the biochar with water rather than let it cool. The hot biochar still smoulders and consumes oxygen, which decreases yield (it burns away). Also, biochar can get hard to wet with water when its cool, but it soaks a lot of water easily when its hot. Water steam produced during quenching can also increase the surface area as it removes tar from the pores.
Now this I can do! I'm only on a suburban block so the big drum units are totally out of the question.
I've got something for the outer vessel and probably the inner one as well.
I'm thinking of using a bowl as a lid with the center cut out and steel venting as you use for the chimney.
I'm doing my best to reduce inputs as much as I can to the garden (unless they are free)
This is a great way of using up more branch cuttings and bigger woodchip to make something I would otherwise have to buy.
I'll skip the holes in the center vessel to get the gases to pop out the bottom and feed the fire like others have said.
Nice video.
Vey good. But what you made is charcoal. It becomes ‘biochar’ once inoculated with biotic life. And minerals. A good idea is to soak it in the leachate that you get from a worm farm or rot some nettles or comfrey in a bucket and soak the charcoal in that. For a few weeks Before applying to your soil at the ratio of 5% hope that’s useful
Details about drying and sorting the feedstock is invaluable. Haven’t seen it in other videos. Thanks. 😎👨🌾🔥
HEY O.Y.R.
I NEVER MADE BIOCHAR BEFORE BUT WATCHING YOUR VIDEO TAUGHT ME HOW. I MODIFIED IT THOUGH BY FILLING AN OLD METAL TOOL BOX WITH A LATCH FULL OF WOOD CHIPS AND PLACING IT IN MY WOOD BURNING STOVE. I MADE BIOCHAR WHILE HEATING MY KITCHEN. IT WORKED GREAT.
THANKS
Q
That's fantastic! I wish I had a wood burning stove or fireplace so I could do the same. Thanks for letting me know!
***** Yes, I've seen at least one video in which a metal ammo case was used. Any oxygen limited metal container should do the trick as long as it isn't galvanized.
OK, a few suggestions. First put insulation around the outer chamber, it'll concentrate more heat into the inner one. Second, don't waste the hydrogen and methane gases produced by the pyrolysis, use them also in the burn. Seal those three holes in the inner chamber, then put a couple of pieces of straight wire in the bottom of the outer chamber, that way the waste gases escape out of the bottom and get redirected to the burn. Finally, you might want to look up how the Japanese make 'white charcoal', it's a quick cool down method that produces a type of char with some interesting properties.
Thanks for the ideas, Sacwriter !
i concur, having a burn camber in the chimney fed by the small holes is a waste of heat
Nice suggestions Sacwriter but a drawing would be v.helpful but not possible in this forum (:- - Not v.clear about how waste gases are being redirected to burn
Really great! Love how you inform without claiming to be an expert.
This will be a great reference for my oven... you know someday, when I have time LOL. Your bio-char oven looks fantastic and is small enough to not cause a big stir in the neighborhood :)
Thanks Blake Kirby ! It's something I can do that is garden related during the cold months.
That is really a cool biochar stove, would like to try that myself next season, when I can gather the supplies to make it. Thanks again Patrick, as usual your explanation is impeccable. All the best,
Frank
Thanks Frank M ! Yeah, I'm glad I finally got around to to making it. I had been meaning to do so for years. I can't wait to see how it helps the garden. Best wishes Frank.
Great info., I've been looking for a way to create charcoal, in smaller burn chambers, for a couple of months. You, I believe you have given me the answer. Thank you! Joe
Thanks, Joe!
I have been wondering what to do about the hydrocarbon gasses from the pyrolysis process for a while. All the videos I have stumbled upon simply mention that they are there and don't explain anything about them. I have been wanting to learn more about this subject simply for carbon sequestration, and not so much for fertilization. Thank you so much for explaining and showing how you dealt with this.
+EPhantom125 You're welcome!
in order to sequester carbon one has to feed the chimney back into the fire chamber so that the hydrocarbon gases completely burn up. In this positive feedback loop the hydrocarbon gases raise the temperature of the fire.
great video, yet again. very informative. I'm a novice who likes to try different things, I like the idea of scaling down the retort and chamber.
Thanks! I appreciate your feedback. Yeah, the scaled down oven works fairly well. If my outer chamber were just a little larger, I think it would work perfectly.
Great instruction and very clear video i love to watching it and also very helpful for farmer's like me, Thanks so much and have a good day.
Very ingenious Patrick!
Thanks Elyse!
Luckily my hubby is handy one and will show him this video to make me that oven!
Thanks for sharing!
You're very welcome. Best wishes with your new biochar oven!
I really want to do this as a winter project! Thanks for posting.
You're welcome Cindi Martineau ! Yeah, it does make a great winter project. I'm planning on making a batch most weekends during the winter. That should give me more than enough for 2014. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Where did you find your pots? One concern I had about making one was that the usual paint buckets or even 55 gallon drums only last through about 10 burns. But, I think your stainless steel pots will see you through far more. Maybe I'll start checking thrift stores. I do have one big pot like yours, but I use it all the time! :)
Cindi Martineau My wife used to make handmade soap, and she collected several of these stainless steel pots over the years to use in her soap making. I'm not sure where she got them. I think you're right - stainless steel will last longer than steel. Just make sure to avoid galvanized steel. I also was suspicious of paint cans, which sometimes have some kind of protective coating on them.
Wow. Biochar sounds so beautiful!
I haven't read every coming so forgive me if it's already been mentioned. What you have there is charcoal. If I'm not mistaken biochar is when you mix it with nutrients beneficial to plant growth and add it to your garden. It provides a long-term, steady release nutrients fertilizing whatever you put it on.
I wondered why they needed a new name for charcoal. But I read a website somewhere that said charcoal is produced by burning at under six hundred degrees and biochar is produced at burning at six hundred to one thousand degrees. I know nothing about it, I haven't seen anybody on youtube mention this. I see what he is calling biochar, my mother taught me to call cinders. She was wrong, I guess. It looks like the bing definition for what he is clinking at the beginning is charcoal.
Great video presented with many details!!! I enjoyed it very much!!!
Thanks Kiki! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Patrick, how cool would it be doing a burn with snow around the Biochar Oven... You'd get some melted snow... Hey?
Nice video. Still waiting for a music track bud? LoL... Love your theme music.
Cheers David
Hi David. I've made a few batches out in the snow so far. It makes being out in the cold much more pleasant.
Thanks for the complement about the music. I've got to get back to playing more often.
Cheers!
Craft procedures not necessarily translate to better ambientaly products.
Yours is a serious document. Congratulations.
The indirect distillation of the wood ensures that the process will generate much less ashes that would increase the pH of the soil.
A good biochar, without doubt, helps to increase efficiency and sustainability of agriculture.
The only problem I see is that its cost is high due to the scale of the oven and the system can not be scaled easily. With the help of some engineers your model could became a wonderful input to RATIONAL AGRICULTURE.
Get rid of the holes on the top of your inner retort. They need to be on the -bottom- and I am not sure they are really needed since you haven't -sealed- the chamber. They are only for letting the gases out and keep it from exploding. If you let the gases out at the bottom, it will add considerable heat to your system, and you will most likely not need to add extra fuel during your burn.
You're right - the holes in the top of the inner retort aren't needed.
fascinating! I guess the charcoal would be great for drawing also.
Thanks! I'm not sure how well the charcoal would work for drawing. I never progressed beyond stick figures, but you could probably do something amazing with it given your artistic ability.
A layer of rock wool insulation around the large pot will mean higher temperatures and speed up the effect.
old people have been making that for years in the Caribbean we use it to cook with back in the old days. never knew i could put it in a garden
just trying to grow some food Charcoal that is used for cooking is made a little differently (I believe it is cooked at a lower temperature) than biochar and may not be good for your soil. It typically contains more oils and tar than biochar. I just wanted to let you know this in the event you were thinking of adding some to your raised beds.
thanks thats just what i was going to do
if you put the holes on the inside pot at the bottom the gasses will feed the outside fire and there may be no need to add extra fuel because its said to make the fire last longer, esentialy you will be using the inside gas to char the inside wood
spud gun I was thinking the same. Also for this and other designs it seems there is an opportunity for a slim chamber containing wood for creating biochar through the chimney which would heat up from the heat lifting up through the chimney.
I wish my neighbors were all like you!
Thanks Anthony Rizzo ! That's very nice of you to say.
Very impressive! Well done. Thanks for sharing!
Really great! Love how you inform without claiming to be an expert. Do you think the alcohol used to ignite the fuel would I able you from using the left over ash? Thanks.
Thanks mylittlespectacle ! I think you could use the wood ash. I do. I'm pretty sure it burns off. Maybe we should ask a chemist? :D
Patrick, two questions. We loved this video and want to experiment with the idea. Got a old ridiculously heavy wood stove at the auction last week for 25 bucks but there doesn't seem to be a working damper. Do you think we could just put an inner retort chamber inside the stove and keep the door ajar and set up a chimney kind of like you did????? We have never worked with a wood stove before but the deal seemed to be there...its going to be for outside use one way or another, seems this would make a lot of sense. If you have any ideas on how to modify this please share. Question 2. The stainless steel pots...any chemical breakdown that would release dangerous fumes??? How about the pots melting down from high temps. The larger pot you are using looks like it started to melt a bit..or is that just denting from the drilling process. Thanks for your great videos. We look foward to them coming. Cool light setup too. But you definitely need to hit the thrift shops for lamp cords(with lamp attached) that are like a dollar :) Thanks, Paul and Suzanne
Hi Paul and Suzanne.
Yes, I think you could put an inner retort in your wood stove as you've described. You'll want plenty of oxygen in the wood stove, but little in the inner retort.
Stainless steel is safe for use in biochar ovens. You'll want to avoid galvanized steel however, which is coated with zinc. The temperatures don't get nearly hot enough to melt them. There are some dents in the pots, but no melting.
You're right, I could have bought an extension cord for $1.19 instead of the expensive lamp cord. Next time I'll know better.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
I was watching video that Dale shared and in it they showed how to make biochar about 400 years ago. Interesting viewing.
BBC's Tales from the green valley episode 9 FULL
Thanks for sharing the video OldGardenerGuy ! I'll check it out.
Really well put together and informative. I think I will try it with my teenaged sons as an experiment.
Dalton Quigley Thanks! Let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
OneYardRevolution What a great tutorial! you are much kinder then my neighbours who enjoy burning pressure treated lumber in their fire pit. barring the ability to make your own Biochar where would one find that type of product?
Thanks Stephen! Burning a large pit of pressure treated wood? YIKES! My goal is to be inconspicuous enough that my neighbors aren't even aware I've got a fire going. I've never purchased biochar, so I don't have a favorite brand, but you can purchase it from www.wesionline.com or amazon.com.
Thanks OneYardRevolution And yes I have interesting neighbours. I fight back with quiet and a well kept yard ;)
Thanks for sharing this idea. i dropped the idea of making biochar till i came across this almost smokeless method which
might work for me, here in Delhi, where there is a ban on burning any kind of plant material.
One ques - If there are no holes on top of the inner chamber, how will you know when Biochar is ready?
Seeing this video and reading through the comments is invigorating. I learnt a lot. So before starting to make this i might as well test the soil ph in my garden. Assuming it is acidic, do you think i should add Biochar to my garden as it is in a state of utter neglect and depletion because of a v.indifferent previous owner
Extremely inspiring... Thank you sir, for sharing your passion and putting great effort into this youtub channel... I just found this channel today and subscribed right away.. LOL.. Thank you again
Thanks Tim! I'm glad you liked the video. Thanks for watching and for your kind words.
You could pack wooden shims around the out of the inner chamber, they would be small enough to either be broken up or put in whole
Thank you so much for this fantastic video!
this is brilliant
An excellent video on the process of pyrolysis, and how to construct a low-tech, low-cost retort chamber. I can see some high school science teachers using your video in the classroom. I did just a small bit of research on terra preta soils and understand why many folks may want to add biochar to their gardens. But(if you don't mind me asking a philosophical question, Patrick) I'm wondering if you think it might be better(ecologically) to just spread the wood chips in the garden? Creating biochar releases hydrogen and methane into the atmosphere, which may affect global warming. Wouldn't it be easier and safer to just mulch? Was wondering what your opinion might be but understand if you'd prefer not to have these discussions on your channel. No harm, no foul.
Thanks, Brian! This was more of an experiment for me than anything else. Sometime after this video I decided to conduct a field trial of biochar before using it in my entire garden. After the first year of the trial, I'm not convinced that it's adding any value to my garden soil, which is rich in organic matter and nutrients. As you suggested, it may makes sense for most people to simply mulch their gardens with wood chips instead of make biochar.
Brian White hello Brain white, I understand your concern. I am working with Biochar in my lab. Apart from amending the soil and sequestering carbon, it can help in soil remediation. a soil that is contaminated with heavy metals can be reused with the application of the correct quantity of biochar. thank you.
Doesn't decomposing wood release those gases and more? I honestly would like to see the emissions measured. Since most of the hydrogen and methane is burnt in a well designed stove, it really may be cleaner than the gasses rotting wood releases. I use biochar in my compost because it helps filter some of the gasses that are released by the decomposing organic matter. Plus it really seems to speed up my compost. All that being said, of course I also use mulch.
Jamie Vega That's a great question, Jamie! I'd be interested to know the answer as well.
OneYardRevolution This is great, I thank you for making this video and I have saved it for future reference! Since we are living a little too close to people right now, I think we will wait to make our own once we get our property. Something to look forward to. =)
Thanks Debi Lee !
Hello brother, thank you very much for sharing us this video. It is really helpful, and I got too much from this publication. you also explained well, and if there are negative comments given to you, don't give it a shit. many people are negative, and jeleaous.
Thanks!
Hey Patrick, keep revisiting this video. We are trying to make biochar for emergency fuel purposes and are trying not to buy our way through lowes to get there. So, we have a weber coal starter that looks something like your chimney, do you think it would be possible to hook that into a system like yours. Have the pots, just the flue is the hold back. Thanks for any help.
Hi Suzanne Ramoundos . Yes, I think a Weber Coal Starter should work as a chimney.
Thank you for this video
+MrBill0523 You're very welcome!
Great effort - nice product. Here's a link to part one of a very instructional series from Living Web Farms. This is a 5 part workshop that takes a lot of time to watch, but really worth while, at least for this novice.
Biochar Workshop Part 1, How to Make Biochar
Ideally, I don't think you need the little holes in the top of the inner retort chamber. The idea is to force the gases down and out around the bottom lip. Based on what I saw, I don't think you packed the cavity between the two chambers with chips (smart that you dried them first). Have a look at how tightly the guys in the video jamb the small cavity.
My first successful efforts to create this black gold have been to build a roaring hot fire in my shop wood stove, then as soon as it is down to a bed of large coals, I scoop them out into a steel pail and cover them with sand to quench the fire. That is one hot pail of coals. Don't get a lot at a time, but so far I have about a bushel, and my shop is heated in the process.
Thanks Garth Wunsch ! Yes, the Living Web Farms biochar workshop videos are very helpful. I watched them some time ago when I was researching biochar. You're right the little holes in the inner retort aren't needed. Now if I can just talk my wife into letting me have another one of her pots! Thanks for watching and commenting.
Save your marriage... hit the yard sales... lots of pots there :-)))
You make a good point Garth Wunsch!
very good video thanks
Thanks!
The wood ash left over from the burn is also good for the garden, don't throw it away..
Great job on the video! You are hired! 😎
Good video nice batch of char.
Thanks mr...
2:21 well thought modification. 👌🏻👌🏻
Concrete can explode when heated (trapped moisture flashes to steam), best to do it on another spot.
Thats good stuff but my wife going to be mad as can be when I borrow her jam pans ;-) )I will say you made me do it. Dave
Thanks Southpaw Davey ! I know what you mean; I was surprised my wife let me use these 2 pots!
;-) I can see it now. Can I have two of your pots I want to cook some wood. Next time I go to recycle I will have my eyes open for somthing to work with. I tend to come back with more than I take lol. Dave
Southpaw Davey Yeah, that's pretty much how it played out! Good luck at the recycle center. I hope you find something you can use.
hi, the video is 4 years old and im wondering if your biochar oven is still working and if you have made any modifications since? i am about to make one based on this one since the size and level of production fits my needs. Thanks for the videos, very inspiring.
You're welcome! I'm no longer using it. My best guess is that it would last 3 or 4 years with fairly regular use.
great, ty
OneYardRevolution Great video Patrick! One question, maybe I missed it but how do you know when you have burned it long enough for all of the gasses to escape the inner chamber and you actually have bio char left? Awesome idea on the scaled down version... :-)
Thanks Wayne! In my case, I can tell when all the gases have been released from the inner chamber by watching the little holes in the inner chamber. When I don't see any flame coming from them, I know all the gases have been released. You can see these flames in the video at 6:30.
If the outer chamber were large enough to hold sufficient fuel, I wouldn't have to babysit it as much, and I'd know I had biochar after all the fuel in the outer chamber was extinguished.
Thank you, I understand. I thought that's what you would say, but I wanted to make sure! :-)
Very informative. Have you checked the temp of the gases coming out of the chimney? I wonder if there is enough heat to distill salt water.
Interesting question! It's great to think of ways to put all that heat to good use. To distill salt water, do you only need to bring it to a rolling boil? I'm not sure how hot the gases get, but they could definitely boil water.
Just watched your video. Very interesting. I have done a lot of reading on making biochar. I have read that adding to much biochar can raise the ph, Can you tell me how much would be too much? Also I have read where earth worms will not stay around where there is biochar.
Hi Clifford! The only way to know if biochar might be cause pH problems is to have your soil pH tested by a professional lab. If you live in the US, soil tests are inexpensive through your agriculture extension. I wouldn't use biochar unless the soil was acidic. Many of the same benefits can be derived simply by adding organic matter via compost and organic mulch.
Thank you for answering my question. I appreciate that.
thank you sir
Fantastic video as ever. That`s a great oven. You could make a lot of Charcloth for me with it. lol.
Thanks Mark. Yes, then I could use the charcloth instead of the alcohol to start the oven! I think my next batch will include dried kitchen scraps like banana peels, orange peels, egg shells, etc.
OneYardRevolution Have you discovered, during your research if you can use leaves to make Biochar? And if so, how effective they may or may not be. I`m thinking that because leaves have not much substance then they might not be effective as Biochar. On the other hand, because they don`t have much substance they would take very little time to char and therefore you could make more far more quickly. I have chared leaves myself but do not know enough to know if they are effective.
Mark Gardiner Yes, you can make biochar out of leaves, though I'm not sure how the resulting biochar would compare to biochar made from wood. I think you're right that they would char fairly quickly. I think you'd also have to have a very low level of oxygen in the retort to prevent them from burning. I'll add some leaves to my next batch to see what happens.
I was hoping the comments would include people saying - this is unnecessary, just use ordinary burned wood - but nobody did. :(
Here I am again. Thanks for the info on how to know biochar at the beginning. I have been looking for that.
what a good video, and You are very good at explaining things! That escapes me, I wish I could do that. I really am interested in trying this but have no time to make it yet. Has Anybody tried it in a Aquaponics system? Thanks for the great video!
Thanks Tip Krimont ! I have seen online that some people have experimented with biochar as a growing medium in aquaponics systems. Here's and example: permaculturegreenhouse.com/2013/07/09/bioshelter-aquaponics-biochar/
OneYardRevolution Hi Thank You for the link. Very interesting that someone is using as a growing medium. That is neat I am going to check out the link.Thanks
Tip Krimont You're very welcome!
Brilliant
Nice oven. I've been looking for a while but in my location everything usable is plastic. My wife isn't going to be very happy with me if I start drilling holes in her pots and pans.
Thanks ***** ! I know - I really lucked out when my wife gave me permission to use them. Good luck finding something!
Hit a garage sale for old pots.
Help. We're doing this research about biochar and we're planning to mix it in a compost. How much biochar is needed for a compost? And what else could be the components of biochar aside from fruit peelings and woodpile? thanks!
Hi Jane. You can make biochar from all kinds of organic matter - even dried manure. I'd add no more that 5 to 10% by volume to a compost pile. I hope this helps!
Thanks, it's a great help 😁
Wow! fantastic
thank you for the video!
Jesus bless you!
You're welcome!
great video!
Thanks Luke!
Mix it with some pee and add it to your garden. Been used to feed and improve garden beds for centuries, even millennia. They can find evidence of its use in South American rain forests so far back. You can use this activated biochar exclusively in your garden with adding next to nothing else and get amazing results.
Do you think your biochar project is worthwhile?? I saw Mr. Stephen's experiment on its ineffectiveness in crop yield in the already compost enriched beds. So me and the "Work with nature" guy was having an argument on the same.
Hence I'd like to know if you still makes them or just stick with your ritual of "mulch & compost" ;)
Stephen and I coordinated the biochar field trial together and came to the same conclusion. I've also not seen larger yields from my biochar test group. I'm monitoring the yields again this year and at the moment the biochar amended bed has a lower yield than the control.
OneYardRevolution | Frugal & Sustainable Organic Gardening Seems like you almost waited two years and still no significant improvement right. That means why bother biochar at all?Even If the product takes few years to work, that's also not a good sign.
My excitement for the biochar ends here :-/ !!
suDz This is the third season for the trial. As I've said in other videos, though, research has shown that biochar is effective at improving poor soil. It just doesn't make much of a difference when you already have soil that is rich in organic matter, soil life, and nutrients and holds water well.
Did you add pee to your biochar? I watched one of the videos you are talking about, but I don't remember if you do. I remember that I found a few issues with the way you isolated variables to create independent results. I am going to modify your technique for making the biochar, I was going to a much more pain in the but and neighbor aggravating manner. I have a metal garbage can I was using to burn stuff in and would be great to repurpose for this.
Can you cook directly on top of the chimney?
+louis garza You could definitely design a biochar oven to use for cooking. This one isn't particularly well suited for it.
Could the upper chamber heat be used to piggyback a separate waste plastic pyrolysis to produce pyrolysis fuel from plastics?
It's a shame to waste all that heat to just escape and produce 1 pound of bio char or charcoal fuel where I'm from... charcoal fuel (briquette) sells for $3 per 3.3 pounds online..
That way you will have two products from the original machine; 1 pound of biochar and at least one liter or more of fuel from the waste plastic pyrolysis...
and you get rid of some plastic waste.. this could even be a business...
What can be done with the ash that was produced? How does it affect soil pH?
Hi Sean. I produced a small enough amount of ash that I used all of it on my garden. You have to be very careful, though, because wood ash raises soil pH. So, if you already have alkaline soil, I'd avoid adding wood ash. Also, if your soil pH is just slightly acidic, add only small amounts at a time and do a pH test if in doubt. I hope this helps.
what is the camera your shooting with
I use a Samsung HMX-W300. It's a very inexpensive refurbished camera. I hope to upgrade eventually - probably in 2014.
My 50/30 gal drum system doesn't make as much smoke than my Webber grill does and I've not had any problems with neighbors. The set up isn't visible to neighbors and I grill outside all times of the year, so no one is any wiser.
make that 55gal / 30 gal
I'd love to make the 55 gal/ 30 gal oven, but I'm certain the neighbors would object. I agree - the oven wouldn't produce much smoke, but the flames shooting out of the chimney would make them nervous, and I have no way to hide a unit that size. It's too bad. I'd really like to have one.
Throw some burgers on it and tell them you're having a cook out. LOL
I know that the bio char is important, it just seems like you waste a huge amount of wood in the process. You could have cooked, heated, even forged metal on the amount of energy it took and in the end you would have even more bio char by using the fuel you used to cook the original batch of wood. I just do not get this process.
You're absolutely right - it's much better to harness the energy and put it to good use. I plan to use the heat to do some cooking in the future.
Cool
cost of running dehumidifier > value of biochar
Could you .are a slightly bigger version and sell it to me?
why do not you use wood gas as fuel
what is the difference between charcoal and biochar?...can any one mention pls..
bio- char is high heat with low Oxygen ie. the centers of forest fires and fire tornadoes... is what u want . where as the charcoal is "baked" wood in a oxygen free container with lower heat.
Well you,ve made charcoal. It's not biochar until it's been added to soil.
Oops...I meant inable
It's charcoal, not biochar. Add that to your garden and things will go backwards for your garden at first.
The secret of the amazon biochar was they threw massive amounts of dead cockroaches into the oven. Just kidding.
ditch this thing for a Rocket mass heater