Kathmandu University

School of Engineering
Department of mechanical engineering

PROJECT REPORT ON

DESIGN, MODIFICATION AND FABRICATION OF CHARCOAL

RETORT KILN
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the
Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering

Avishek Paudel (21103)

Saurav Pokharel (21104)
Manoj Shrestha (21111)

March 2017
PROJECT EVALUATION

Design, Modification and Fabrication of Charcoal Retort Kiln

This is to certify that I have examined the above Project report and have found that
its satisfactory in all respects.

______________
Lecturer Ashok Acharya
Project Supervisor
Department of Mechanical Engineering

____________________
Lecturer Pratisthit Lal Shrestha
Project Coordinator
Department of Mechanical Engineering
ABSTRACT

This project by Saurav Pokharel, Avishek Paudel and Manoj Shrestha, second year
Bachelor in engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Kathmandu University. It is aimed
at increasing the efficiency of the existing charcoal retort kiln in Nepali market by
making it useful for cooking and channeling its wood gas for further pyrolysis.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Department of Mechanical

Engineering SOE of Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, Kavre for providing us an
opportunity to work on the project

We sincerely thank Mr. Ashok Acharya, Project Supervisor, Mr. Pratisthit Lal
Shrestha, and Project Coordinator for supervising, counselling and guiding us through
this project work.
We would also thank Mr. Ramesh Man Shrestha, CEEN and Mr. Sanokaji
Shrestha, Foundation of Sustainable Technology for their precious help and
demonstration of existing charring drum and Biochar/cooking stove.

TABLEOFCONTENT

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ABSTRACT.....................................................................................................................i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT..............................................................................................ii

TABLEOFCONTENTS..............................................................................................iii

LISTOFFIGURES........................................................................................................v

LISTOFTABLES.........................................................................................................vi

LISTOFABBREVIATIONS.......................................................................................vii

CHAPTER1 INTRODUCTION.................................................................................1

1.1 Introduction......................................................................................................1
1.2 Objectives.........................................................................................................2
1.2.1 PrimaryObjectives:..................................................................................2
1.2.2 SecondaryObjectives:..............................................................................2
1.3 Scope................................................................................................................2
1.4 Limitations.......................................................................................................2

CHAPTER2 METHODOLOGY................................................................................3

2.1 LiteratureReview.............................................................................................3
2.2 Coal..................................................................................................................3
2.2.1 TypesofCoal............................................................................................3
2.3 Charcoal...........................................................................................................4
2.4 CharcoalProductionProcess:.........................................................................5
2.4.1 TheBioMass/Rawmaterial:....................................................................5
2.4.2 TheProcess:..............................................................................................6
2.4.3 Chemicalreactionsandheat.....................................................................7
2.5 DifferentMethodsforPyrolysis.......................................................................8
2.5.1 Kilning:.....................................................................................................8

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 2.5.2 Retorting...................................................................................................8
2.6 PyrolysisVsgasification..................................................................................8
2.6.1 Gasification...............................................................................................8
2.6.2 Thedifference...........................................................................................9
2.7 CharcoalRetortsinNepal................................................................................9
2.7.1 StudytheexistingcharcoalretortkilninCEEN(figure2.2):..................9
2.7.2 StudyoftheexistingBiochar/cookingstove(figure2.3):.....................10
2.7.3 ModelingofaretortkilnforProject(figure3).......................................10
2.8 MaterialSelection..........................................................................................11

CHAPTER3 GanttChart..........................................................................................13

CHAPTER4 Conclusion...........................................................................................14

References.....................................................................................................................15

Appendix.......................................................................................................................16

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure1.1flowchartforbriquettemanufacturing..........................................................2
Figure2.1Anthracite......................................................................................................3
Figure2.2Typesofcoal.................................................................................................4
Figure2.3Setofreactionsinthedecompositionofcellulose........................................7
Figure2.4Classificationofdifferentprocessofcarbonizingwood...............................8
Figure2.5ProcessesinGasification...............................................................................8
Figure2.6ThecharcoalretortinCEEN.........................................................................9
Figure2.7Thebiochar/cookingstoveinFOST............................................................10
Figure2.8modelofourproject....................................................................................10
Figure4.1Drawingofthemodel...................................................................................16
Figure4.2MScylinderpresetinKU.............................................................................16

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LIST OF TABLES
Table2.1Compositionofcharcoal.................................................................................4
Table2.2Energydensitiesofdifferentfuels..................................................................5
Table2.3Compositionofdifferentbiomasstypes.........................................................5
Table3.1GanttChart....................................................................................................12

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

KU Kathmandu University
SOE School of Engineering
TTC Technical Training Center
CSA Cross Sectional Area
3D 3 Dimension
CEEN Center for Energy and Environment Nepal
FOST Foundation for Sustainable Technology

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CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction
Charcoal is a lightweight, black residue, consisting of carbon and any remaining
ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and
vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis- the heating
of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen.
One of the main necessities of making charcoal by retorting originated in 19 th
century for the condensable by products of the gas which had importance in
chemistry.
The original systems used a cast iron vessel which could be sealed with a bolted
lid, set in a wood or coal fired heating furnace. Cast iron worked well as it resisted
the corrosive fumes of the acetic acid produced during distillation. It was soon
found that the non-condensable wood gas given off towards the end of the cycle
could be burned for heating the retorts. This improved overall fuel efficiency and
lowered the cost of recovering the chemical raw materials.
Moreover, the demand for charcoal in industrial countries for making activated
charcoal, as a chemical reduction agent and in metallurgy continued and this kept
up a demand for charcoal. It became worthwhile to produce charcoal from scrap
and waste wood for the chemical industry even though the recovery of the by-
products was of declining importance as an opportunity for new capital investment.
Another new use was farming and barbeque which demanded charcoal.
However, in the context of developing countries like Nepal, the main demand for
charcoal arises for household cooking and small scale heating. Raw wood is mostly
used in rural areas Even though higher energy density and seemingly no smoke the
briquettes have been getting lucrative interests in research and rural developing.
The main reason behind this anomaly is the easiness of collecting dry wood and
burning it directly in the stove. Briquettes seem to be somehow tedious compared
to wood.

1
Nevertheless, simple tweak in the cooking stove which cooks using the wood while
making charcoal can easily help in making charcoal/bio briquettes the major fuel in
Nepal.

Biomass briquettes are a biofuel substitute to coal and wood. The mostly used
process of making briquette is drying the water content, pyrolyzing and then
pressing the feed. The flowchart alongside represents the process.

Figure1.1flowchartforbriquettemanufacturing

1.2 Objectives

1.2.1 Primary Objectives:

TomodifytheexistingcharcoalretortkilninNepalandfabricateamore
efficientone.

1.2.2 Secondary Objectives:

To establish a new technique in the household/farm cooking tradition.

1.3 Scope

This kiln produces charcoal for briquette making

This is also an stove for cooking.

1.4 Limitations

It produces CO2 which helps in greenhouse effect.

2
CHAPTER 2 METHODOLOGY

2.1 Literature Review

Differentopensourcearticleswereavailableininternetforustostudytheprocess,
product and economics of charcoal production by pyrolysis. The Guidelines for
the Development and Testing of Pyrolysis Plants to Produce Biochar by Jane
Lynch, Technology Extension Director, International Biochar Initiative Stephen
Joseph, Technical Director, International Biochar Initiative provides detail about
various design and environmental specifications to produce bio-char. Another
article Small Scale BioChar Production, by David Domermuth Ph.D. Appalachian
State University deals on producing bio-char for small scale use.
We also read internet articles on gasification, charcoal making processes, coal, to
learn about different dimensions of our project.

2.2 Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock with a high
amount of carbon and hydrocarbons. Coal is classified as a nonrenewable energy
source because it takes millions of years to form. Coal contains the energy stored
by plants that lived hundreds of millions of years ago, in swampy forests.

2.2.1 Types of Coal

Coal is classified into four main types, or ranks: anthracite, bituminous,

subbituminous, and lignite. The ranking depends on the types and amounts
of carbon the coal contains and on the amount of heat energy the coal can
produce. The rank of a coal deposit is determined by the amount of
pressure and heat that acted on the plants over time.

Anthracite contains 86%97% carbon, and

generally has the highest heating value of all ranks
of coal. Anthracite is mainly used by the metals
industry.

Figure2.2Anthracite

3
 Bituminous coal contains 45%
86% carbon. Bituminous coal is
between 100 and 300 million
years old. Bituminous coal is the
Figure2.3Typesofcoal
most abundant rank of coal.
Bituminous coal is used to generate electricity, and it is an important fuel
and raw material for making iron and steel.

Subbituminous coal typically contains 35%45% carbon, and it has a

lower heating value than bituminous coal. Most subbituminous coal in the
United States is at least 100 million years old.

Lignite contains 25%35% carbon and has the lowest energy content of all
coal ranks. Lignite coal deposits tend to be relatively young and were not
subjected to extreme heat or pressure. Lignite is crumbly and has high
moisture content, which contributes to its low heating value.

2.3 Charcoal
Charcoal is, simply, artificial coal. Being prepared in controlled condition, it
containsmorepercentageofcarbonandlowmoisture.Theaveragecompositionof
charcoalis:
Table2.1Compositionofcharcoal

Components Fresh(%) Dry

Carbon 97 85
Water 0.0 12
Ash 3.0 3

Charcoalhasdifferentsignificantproperties.
It is hygroscopic in nature, i.e. it absorbs water from surrounding to
increaseitsweight.
Itadsorbslargeonitssurface,owingtohighsurfacearea,theyareusedfor
airpurification.
Itreactswithhydrogentoformmethane.
Charcoalisabadconductorofheatandelectricity.

4
 Thebulkdensityofcharcoaldoesnotonlydependontheapparentdensity
butalsoonthesizedistribution,andisintherangeof180220kg/m3.
Theabsorbingpowerofmostkindsofcharcoalincreasesasthespecific
gravityincreases.

Table2.2Energydensitiesofdifferentfuels.

Feed Bulk density Heating value dry Energy density

Kg/M3) basis (GJ/T) (GJ/M3)

straw 100 20 2

woodchips 400 20 8

pyro-oil 1200 25 30

charcoal 300 30 9

char-water slurry 1000 15 15

(50/50)

char-oil slurry 1150 23 26

(20/80)

2.4 Charcoal Production- Process:

2.4.1 The Bio-Mass/Raw material:

Thepyrolysisofwoodresultsintheproductionofgas,tarandchar(solid).Of
course,theyieldoftheseproductsisdirectlyrelatedtothecompositionofthe
biomass.
Biomassconsistsofthreemajorcomponents:cellulose,hemicelluloseandlignin.
Cellulose is a straight and stiff molecule with a polymerization degree of
approximately10.000glucoseunite(C6sugar)Hemicellulosearepolymersbuilt

5
C5, C6 sugars with a polymerization degree of about 200 sugar units. Both
cellulose and hemicellulose can be vapored with negligible char formation at
temperatures above 500 "C. Lignin is a threedimensional branched polymer
composedphenolicunits.Duetothearomaticcontentoflignin,itdegradesslowly
onheatingandcontributestoamajorfractionofthecharformation.Inadditionto
themajorcellwallcompositionlikecellulose,hemicelluloseandlignin,biomass
oftencontainsvaryingamountsofspeciescalled"extractives".Theseextractives,
whicharesolubleinpolarornopolarsolvents,consistsofterpenes,fattyacids,
aromatic compounds and volatile oil. The composition of various biomass
materialsispresentinTable2.3.
Table2.3Compositionofdifferentbiomasstypes

Type Cellulos Hemi Ligni Extra As

e cellulose n . h

Soft wood 41 24 28 2 0.4

Hard wood 39 35 20 3 0.3

Pine bark 34 16 34 14 2

Straw 40 28 17 11 7
(wheat)

Rice husks 30 25 12 18 16

Peat 10 32 44 11 6

2.4.2 The Process:

Theessenceofcharcoalproductionisheatingthecarboncontainingmaterialupto
thephasewhenallthevaporandothervolatilecontentsareremoved.Theresultis

6
almostpureamorphouscarbon.Hardwoodgivesmoreyieldthansoftwood.On
averagetheproductafterremovalofvolatilesandwateris3040%initialmass.
Charcoalproductionoccursintwosteps:DryingandPyrolysis.
Theformationofcharcoalunderlaboratoryconditionshasbeenstudiedandthe
followingstagesintheconversionprocesshavebeenrecognized.
at20to110C
Thewoodabsorbsheatasitisdriedgivingoffitsmoistureaswatervapor(steam).
Thetemperatureremainsatorslightlyabove100Cuntilthewoodisbonedry.
at110to270C
Finaltracesofwateraregivenoffandthewoodstartstodecomposegivingoff
some carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, acetic acid and methanol. Heat is
absorbed.
at270to290C
Thisisthepointatwhichexothermicdecompositionofthewoodstarts.Heatis
evolvedandbreakdowncontinuesspontaneouslyprovidingthewoodisnotcooled
below this decomposition temperature. Mixed gases and vapors continue to be
givenofftogetherwithsometar.
at290to400C
Asbreakdownofthewoodstructurecontinues,thevaporsgivenoffcomprisethe
combustiblegasescarbonmonoxide,hydrogenandmethanetogetherwithcarbon
dioxidegasandthecondensablevapors:water,aceticacid,methanol,acetone,etc.
andtarswhichbegintopredominateasthetemperaturerises.
at400to500C
At400Cthetransformationofthewoodtocharcoalispracticallycomplete.The
charcoalatthistemperaturestillcontainsappreciableamountsoftar,perhaps30%
byweighttrappedinthestructure.Thissoftburnedcharcoalneedsfurtherheating
todriveoffmoreofthetarandthusraisethefixedcarboncontentofthecharcoal
toabout75%whichisnormalforgoodqualitycommercialcharcoal.
To drive off this tar the charcoal is subject to further heat inputs to raise its
temperaturetoabout500C,thuscompletingthecarbonizationstage

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2.4.3 Chemical reactions and heat
Reportedvaluesofheatofpyrolysisofwoodrangefrom613kJ/kg to1680
kJ/kg. This range denotes various chains of chemical reactions with different
enthalpies.Thepriorendothermicreactionisfollowedbytheexothermicreaction
asdiscussedintheprevioussection.Thepossiblewaysforoneofthecomponents,
celluloseisgivenintheflowchart.

Figure2.4Setofreactionsinthedecompositionofcellulose

Amoredetaileddescriptionaboutpyrolysiscanbestudiedinreference4.

2.5 Different Methods for Pyrolysis

2.5.1 Kilning:
Use of internal source of heat
i.e.burningthefeed.
Pits:fixedtype
BrickKiln:fixed
MetalKiln:Portable

2.5.2 Retorting
Useofexternalsourceofheat,
i.e.wood,oil,coal,etc.
Usingthecombustiblegasfrom
wood to further carryout the
process(optional)
Generally, consists of two
concentric cylinders, one with
combustion and other for
pyrolysis. Figure2.5Classificationofdifferentprocessof
carbonizingwood
Moreefficientthankilning.

8
2.6 Pyrolysis Vs gasification

2.6.1 Gasification
Gasification is the process of
converting organic matter into
carbon char, and syngas, through
heating the matter to high
temperatures in an oxygen reduced
environment. It is achieved in a
gasifier where oxygen is reduced to
a level that combustion will not
occur. This results in the matter
breaking down and releasing a
Figure2.6ProcessesinGasification
volatile gas called syngas. The
syngas produced through gasification is predominately carbon monoxide,
hydrogen, and carbon dioxide. Gasification is also used to create bio fuel from
certain waste matter such as tires, and plastics.

2.6.2 The difference

The main difference is that gasification occurs in reduced oxygen atmosphere
whilepyrolysisisinabsenceofoxygen.Thisverydifferenceisthemaincausethat
the product varies greatly in the processes. While pyrolysis produces charcoal
predominantly gasification produces syngas that is water vapor plus carbon
monoxide.WecanseefromFigure2.6thatpyrolysisisusedingasification.

2.7 Charcoal Retorts in Nepal

Although commercial production of charcoal retort kilns of charcoal is not in
practice in Nepal, there are organizations which research in clean energy and
charcoal.TwodifferenttypeofcharcoalretortwerefoundinKathmanduvalley
madebydifferentorganizations.OneofthemisCEEN(TheCenterofEnergyand
Environment Nepal) and the other is FOST (Foundation for Sustainable
Technology).

9
2.7.1 Study the existing charcoal retort kiln in CEEN (figure 2.2):

1to2kgofdryleaves/grass/wastepaper,etc.forinitialignition.
40to100kgbiomasshavingMaximumlengthabout250mm,1020mm
diameter
In this unit, depending upon the type of
biomass,about40100kgofbiomasscan
be carbonized to give 2025 % yield of
charred material over a period of 2 3
hours.
Ifthetotalinputis100kgofbiomassonly
15kgcharcoalisobtained.
Themainflawofthedrumwasthebiomass
usedasfeedwascombustingintheprocess.
Moreover,thegasortarduringpyrolysisin
notchanneledproperlyandprobablyleakandhelpverylessinpyrolysis.
Thissystemcanbemoreefficientone.
Figure2.7Thecharcoalretortin
CEEN

2.7.2 Study of the existing Bio-char/cooking stove (figure 2.3):

This cooking stove has the objective of cooking as well as making bio-char
simultaneously.
As we can see from above illustration, the feed is kept in outer cylinder and
wood is burned in the lower chamber.
This system requires continuous external feed of fuel as the practice of
channeling combustible gas is not done. The wood-gas leaks through
clearance in wood feeding part.

10
 Moreover, this system is less fuel
efficient as it used 500 gm of wood to
char 5 kg biomass, ignoring the
cooking requirement.
Channeling of combustible gas in
combustion chamber would make it
more efficient.
However, the output is less than that
of CEEN, 15-20% according to the
Figure2.8Thebiochar/cookingstovein
Mr. Sanokaji Shrestha, the founder of FOST

the organization.

2.7.3 Modeling of a retort kiln for Project

(figure 3)
Thisretortisdesignedtomeettheflawsinthe
previouskilnslikeuseoffeedtocarryoutthe
process and continuous external feed. It will
utilize the exothermic reaction between wood
gastocontinuepyrolysis.Adetaileddescription
about the material selection will be given in
followingsection.

2.8 Material Selection

The calculations for the selection of materials
Figure2.9modelofourproject
are:
Assumptions:
Totalinput=50kg
Timeforcompletion3hours.
Woodgas=CO+CH4+H2O
Totaloutput=10kg
Data:
Specificheatofwood(average):1.36689KJ/kg.K
Enthalpyofcombustionofwood:16300KJ/kgexothermic.

11
Thermalconductivityofmildsteel:54W/m.K
Rateofcombustionofwood:600J/s
Wehavethereactions:

- 205.9 kJ/mol 7.3kJ/g

CH4 + 2O2= CO2 + 2H2O -891kJ/mol 55.7kJ/g

Thenegativesignindicatingexothermicreaction.
Givingoffgasstartsat110degreeCelsius.
So,wehaverateofdecomposition=13kg/hr
Initialwoodfuelrequired(100Celsius)
x 16300=50 1.36689 100 x=430 g
Thepercentageofvolatilespresentinwood=75%
So,ournetproductis12.5kgofcharcoalfrom50.430kgwood.
Theefficiencyis:(12.5/50.43)*100%
=24.7%approx.
ThistheoreticalvalueismorethantheexistingcharcoalretortsinNepal.Thisis
becauseofthecombustionofwoodgasintheprocessinsteadoflettingitgo.This
drasticallyreducestheuseofexternalfuel.

700000
Timeforinitialreaction= s
600
20min
WehavethermalconductivityofMS54W/m.K
Totalheatrequired= 50 1.34 500
Q=33500 kJ
Conclusion: We have selected Mild steel cylinders present in KU general
MechanicalWorkshopforourprojectsinceitwillletheatflowsmoothlytothe
feed, its melting point is well above our working temperature, it resists the
corrosion by acetic acid present in some stage of pyrolysis and no significant
changeoccursduetotheheat.

12
13
CHAPTER 3 Gantt Chart
TheGanttcharddescribestheworkscheduleforourproject.Thedarklyshaded
regionshowstheworkswehavecompletedandthelightlyshadedregionshows
workswhichareremaining.Wehavereachedalmostthehalfofourprojectandthe
restwillbedoneinthesecondsemester.

months Nove Decem Janu Febru Mar Ap M Ju Ju Aug

Tasks mber ber ary ary ch ril ay ne ly ust
Proposa
l
Literatu
re
review
Design
sketch
Markets
survey
Materia
l
Collecti
on
Fabrica
tion
Testing
and
modific
ation
Table3.4GanttChart

14
 CHAPTER 4 Conclusion
Charcoal is a source of clean energy, helps in agriculture and is in use as activated
charcoal in various ways. This amorphous carbon sees many applications. The
main process of making charcoal is pyrolysis which is heating carbon harboring
materials in absence of air at an elevated temperature. The
temperature(>500Celsius) determines the type and quality of charcoal. Pyrolysis is
different than Gasification. Gasification occurs in little oxygen and produces
syngas. Retorting is one of the popular systems to carryout pyrolysis to produce
charcoal. The continuous and batch process can be found.

15
References
1. Chapter 3. Modern Carbonizing Retort Systems, Food and Agriculture organization of
United States. Available: http://www.fao.org/docrep/x5555e/x5555e04.htm [Accessed:
March, 2017].
2. Lynch. Jane & Joseph, Stephen. Guidelines for the Development and Testing of Pyrolysis
Plants to Produce Biochar. 2010.[online]. Available; http://www.biochar-
international.org/sites/default/files/IBI_Pyrolysis_Plant_Guidelines.pdf. [Accessed: April
2017]
3. Domurmoth, David. SMALL SCALE BIOCHAR PRODUCTION. [Online]. Available:
http://www.biochar
international.org/sites/default/files/Small_Scale_Biochar_Production_Domermuth.pdf.
[Accessed February 2017]
4. S. Sinha, A. Jhalani, M. R. Ravi & A. Ray. Modelling of Pyrolysis in Wood: A Review.
[Pdf]. Accessed: March 2017]
5. Coal. [online]. Available: https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm/index.cfm?
page=coal_home. [Accessed: April 2017]
6. Physical Properties of Charcoal. 2015. [Online]. Available: http://ukrfuel.com/news-
physical-properties-of-charcoal-22.html [Accessed: February 2017]
7. Chapter 4 - Carbonization processes, Food and Agriculture organization of United States.
Available: http://www.fao.org/docrep/x5328e/x5328e05.htm [Accessed April 2017]
8. The research progress of biomass pyrolysis processes. , Food and Agriculture organization
of United States. Available: http://www.fao.org/3/a-t4470e/t4470e0a.htm [Accessed April
2017]
9. Gasification - Misconception Between Gasification and Pyrolysis. [online] Available:
http://www.ecoreps.com.au/gasification.html. [Accessed March 2017]
10. Theory of gasification Retort Systems. Food and Agriculture organization of United States.
[online] Available http://www.fao.org/docrep/t0512e/T0512e09.htm [accessed march
2017]

16
Appendix

Figure4.10Drawingofthemodel

Figure4.11MScylinderpresetinKU

17