Martijn Macaopino

Use a TLUD gasifier but instead of quenching allow things tk burn down to ashes, I've seen what I suspect to be potassium salts (greenish and pink) when I did this using carob pods as feedstock.

Justin Vink wrote:Very interesting. What is the length of time on the burn?

Burn time varies between 2h20m and 2h45m dependjng on atmospheric conditions

Fuel consistency is a key factor in success with TLUDs. My personal favourite is stove pellets due to their high energy density.

I use my TLUD stoves, which all have forced air, to cook on and as the heat source for my retorts.

Loads of studies into biochar also include industrial fertilizers.

Biochar is a great addition to cob, yes it slows down the drying process but the increased humidity regulation and higher insulation value make it a worthwhile addition.

Ideally you want a dubbel walled container so the secondary air gets preheated.

Single walled does work but doesn't burn as clean which means the heat output is lower as well.

In this video you can see two of my biochar methods that I use, a 20liter TLUD gasifier that is gasifying stove pellets and its heat is used to heat up a 60 liter retort which sits inside an insulated 200 liter drum.

The smoke is passed through a cyclone filter followed by a condensation system to extract wood vinegar.

The copper pipe from the condensation system was soldered using one of my smaller TLUD gasifiers.

https://youtu.be/8CxsGjyCsz0

Can be used for soldering as well 🔥🙂

Margaux Knox wrote:
In slow-draining clay soil, would biochar hold on to water in a bad way, making it drain even worse?
Additionally, do you turn the soil to work the biochar in? What about wood ash? I usually am timid with tilling lol. I prefer to chop-and-drop, mulch with compost, and not dig up too much if I can avoid it

Biochar is really amazing at breaking up heavy clay soil and it increases it's drainage enormously.

I don't have experience with using biochar in clay soil in a no-till setting but my advice in that case would be to use very fine biochar particles which can be watered into the soil.
If your biochar particles are bigger then you'll have to work it into the soil for it to have the most benefit.

As a feed supplement it improves the digestion and overall health of your livestock.

Multiple studies on this matter can be found, a common application rate is 1% of their feed by dry weight.

These links give some information about biochar as a building material

https://www.biochar-journal.org/en/ct/3

https://www.biochar-journal.org/en/ct/30