Oaks - Making charcoal and biochar : a comprehensive guide

M AKING

C HARCOAL AND

B IOCHAR

A C OMPREHENSIVE G UIDE

M AKING

C HARCOAL AND

B IOCHAR

A C OMPREHENSIVE G UIDE

Rebecca Oaks

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2018 by

The Crowood Press Ltd

Ramsbury, Marlborough

Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2018

Rebecca Oaks 2018

All rights reserved. This e-book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of thistext may be a direct infringement of the authors and publishers rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 78500 400 1

Disclaimer

The author and the publisher do not accept any responsibility in any manner whatsoever for any error or omission, or any loss, damage, injury, adverse outcome, or liability of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any of the information contained in this book, or reliance upon it.

Contents

Dedication

To Walter Lloyd,19242018: charcoal burner, musician, and enthusiast.

This book is also dedicated to my parents: Priscilla Penfold, a woman who had the courage to live he life on her own terms; she was an inspiration and a guide; Raymond Leach, who championed all the best causes with enthusiasm and charisma.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank all my colleagues, friends and family who have assisted me in many and varied ways in writing this book. In particular I would like to thank the following:

Don Kelley for support and advice, and for agreeing to contribute to the foreword.

Brian Crawley and my colleagues, particularly Duncan and Flo, who are involved in the Coppice Association North West for keeping alive the knowledge of Cumbrian earth-burn techniques and much more.

Special mention must be made of the European Charcoal Burners convention (EVK) delegation, Alan and Jo Waters (thanks for the loan of Soul of Fire), Peter Jameson, Alan Sage, Jane Ponton, Lynne and Pete Etheridge and Jame Hookway (thanks for the lift).

Also to Peter Quelch for giving me access to his charcoal archive.

The Coppice Co-op, especially Sam and James, for my endless badgering for pictures and help.

My NCFed colleagues, especially Martin Hale, Helen Waterfield, Carolyn and Hugh for photos.

All the many charcoal burners whose brains I have picked, including Jim Bettle, David Hutchinson, Matt Williams, Craig Sams, Matt Lewis, Mark Lloyd, Nick Harris, Darren Hopkins, Dan Sumners, Ian Taylor, Michael Wallwork, Twiggy and Paula Keary, Tony Callaghan, Stuart Gunner, David Hunter.

Also Iain Loasby for giving me a thorough insight into the Exeter retort.

Ruth Thompson for the Kon-tiki demo, and being a whizz at coming up with ideas for the tricky letters in .

John Allonby (son of Jack) who gave me access to old photos.

David Jones for access to his photo library.

Gillian Slater for the temporary loan of a very beautiful diamond ring.

Lesley Edkins for lending me her barbecue.

Andrea Pentecost for a beautiful charcoal drawing.

My sister-in-law Sophie Masson for help contacting the French caves for permission to use their photos.

Zephyrine Barbarachild for a phenomenal job editing.

Helen Shacklady and Lynne Alexander for proof reading.

My partner Amanda for major editorial input and endless support; Caroline for her recipe; and last but not least, Roxy the dog for getting me out of the house at regular intervals.

Foreword

This is a comprehensive and outstanding study of a material of the utmost importance to humankind; a material that brought to us the means to smelt and refine metals, was the beginning of the chemical industry, and provided us with the means to filter our drinking water and the heat for cooking our food as well as for production of the beakers, pots and containers we used.

It is not a book that could have been undertaken lightly. Reading it, one can appreciate the dedication needed to set down the long story, which began four thousand centuries ago when a group of hominids living in the Zhoukondian cave in northern China developed means of making fire at will. Large quantities of charred bones and deep ash layers testified to their industry and the length of their stay.

They had in fact developed controllable means of light and heat, and taken thereby the first fundamental step toward power generation and modern industry.

The span of this story is breathtaking and it is well told. Neither set up as a technical book nor pandering to popular views, it is of interest and instruction to the general reader as well as the forest worker striding into the woods with an axe or saw. The writer has demonstrated deep knowledge and affection for the industry and is therefore to be thanked and congratulated on a job very well done.

Donald W. Kelley

September 2017

D. W. Kelley was managing director Shirley Aldred and Company Ltd from 1969 to 1983. He was Secretary and Chair of the National Association of Charcoal Manufacturers and chaired the British Charcoal Group in the 1990s.

Chapter 1

Introduction

Making charcoal is like engaging in alchemy, from the first time you fill a kiln with wood and set fire to it, tend it lovingly till the smoke runs blue, then wait patiently until the kiln is cold, and at last tentatively approach to prise open the lid to see what you have created. A pile of ash, or a charred stack of logs? Or best of all, a heap of almost perfectly formed charcoal holding the shape and form of the wood, but none of its weight or strength: a brittle, tinkling, glistening treasure trove of charcoal. Magic.

CARBON THE BUILDING BLOCK OF LIFE

Engaging in charcoal making links us directly with our ancestors it is the one human activity that can be traced back through the millennia with very few changes in its most fundamental form. In todays world the most pressing preoccupation is with carbon: too much CO2 in the atmosphere, too much reliance on mining fossil fuels for energy. Can charcoal offer any answers?

Newly made lumpwood charcoal.

In this book we will examine this question. It is a practical book with many ideas for making your own charcoal, an aspirational book that reports on the passion of those who think charcoal can save the world and perhaps above all it is a fact-filled book with all the things you never knew you wanted to know about charcoal. So whether you are a barbecue or a biochar fanatic (or both), we hope you will find all the information you need within these pages.

In this chapter we set the scene with a look at what charcoal actually is, take a quick romp through the historical uses, and end with a broad-brush look at how charcoal is made.

Carbon