Biochar attempt number 3

Sigh.  Failed.

To save time, I'm just going to make the following photo link to the photo album that I have on Google Photos.  To those photos, I've added the comments that I would have put here.  I'm just too tired to pull everything in here.  Failure is demoralizing.  

After this failure, I re-watched https://youtu.be/RXMUmby8PpU.

Then I found this one, which answered a LOT of my questions, including how to pack the fuel, and the maximum the diameter/size of the fuel.

Jesus, what did people do before YouTube?  For all the things I want/need to learn, I would've had to use trial and error myself and take more than my lifetime, or find multiple mentors to apprentice under.

My understanding is growing, and that's good.  I want to eventually build a brick outer "barrel", around which I can leave space for wood that needs drying out.  Then I can use 55 gal barrel retorts inside of it.

Finally got serious about biochar

Biochar is so important.  Look at the difference between corn grown without biochar and with biochar.

Three weeks ago, I attended a webinar with Peter Hirst that got me fired up.  Then I watched his video.

I had already built a biochar retort kiln like his in a 55 gallon drum, and tried a burn, but it failed miserably.  That was months ago.  The results were demoralizing.  I think the wood was wet in the retort, and I didn't get the fire outside the retort going for long enough.

After the webinar, I decided I needed to babystep it.  I watched this video.

Then I made 2 of these little TLUDS on April 30th, one using the same can sizes as in the video, and one using a gallon can and a quart can.

I did burns in each, using this supply of firewood.

The burn was fun, but it was a lot of wood to get through.  I kept feeding it in.  The flames always got as high as the top chimney can, even when I had 3 soup cans on top.

But look at the results.  So very little.  It was iridescent, but didn't sound like glass when dropped on each other.  Plus there was too much ash.

I later posted on the Biochar group on Facebook and got some good tips.  Making biochar is a batch process--you don't keep feeding wood, even in a little TLUD.  Plus, the starting fire has to be below the holes on the outer can.  

I'm gonna try again.  I'm also going to try a bigger burn using my retort kiln, but using a 16 gallon retort instead of the 30 gallon,  Maybe.