Process for Charcoal Production

Category: Engineering and Physical Sciences

Reference Number: 00013

Description

The process employs a combination of temperature and pressure along with an electric or natural gas heat source to convert nearly all kinds of plant-derived biomass into high-quality charcoal at conversion yields of 40% to 60% and in time periods of of less than 30 minutes. Steam, combustible gases, and tars produced by the process can be recycled, processed into by-products, and/or flared-off with minimal environmental impact.

The process will convert biomass, such as wood logs, nut shells, agricultural wastes, and construction/demolition wastes, into clean burning charcoal which can used for cooking, heating, energy generation, and industrial use. Additional Information on this technology is also available at the website of the Renewable Resources Research Laboratory of the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute.

Applications

• Charcoal for the barbecue and cooking market.
• Charcoal for heating, energy production, mineral refining, and industrial use.
• Charcoal as a precursor to the production of carbon for industrial use and activated carbon.
• Charcoal for agricultural use.
• Creation of a renewable or sustainable source for producing charcoal and carbon.

Main Advantages

• Charcoal can be produced from nearly any kind of plant-derived biomass material.
• Charcoal can be produced in less than 30 minutes compared to days with conventional systems.
• Charcoal is produced with minimal energy input
• Biomass can be converted to charcoal with conversion yields of 40% to 60% compared to current yields of 25% to 35%.
• High conversion efficiencies mean less feedstock is required to produce the same amount of charcoal, or conversely more charcoal is produced from the same amount of feedstock.
• High quality charcoal with heating values of 13,000 BTU/lb are typical. Pilot tests conducted to date indicate the process has minimal environmental impact.

Inventor(s)

Michael J. Antal, Jr.
Hawai’i Natural Energy Institute

Contact Information

For licensing information, please contact Dick Cox at rcox@hawaii.edu

For all other inquiries, please write to:

Office of Technology Transfer & Economic Development
University of Hawai’i
2800 Woodlawn Drive, Suite 280
Honolulu, HI 96822