13 replies to this topic

[helix]

I'm wondering if peat would be any good as a charcoal.

I've got a bag of peat for burning in the fire and was thinking of charcoaling a lump of it out of curiosity.

Has anyone tried this?

[cooperman435]

Nope but my guess would be very poor for BP and no idea for other uses.

I may be wrong though

[wjames]

I'm wondering if peat would be any good as a charcoal.

I've got a bag of peat for burning in the fire and was thinking of charcoaling a lump of it out of curiosity.

Has anyone tried this?

Ah, a well kept secret.

"Peat charcoal was produced commercially in Kilcock, Co Kildare and was claimed to be superior to wood charcoal in the manufacture of iron ore and gun powder"

I know my local blacksmith uses peat charcoal for "welding" iron. Peat is quite high in calorific terms, so i guess, it should make decent BP. I'd try making a few seperate batches though, at different tempratures.

[helix]

Well the peat charcoal made pretty crap bp

need to find a willow tree in need of pruning...

[knackers]

I'm sure i'm not the only one to try this, we had and still do have a couple of rather large fuchia trees, upon cutting the crap out of one and placing the branches aside for later disposal ( my pot belly burner ) i noticed the wood to be very light ( much like Balsa ) and solid too, so i pyrolised it and found it makes quite good Bp, not as fast as Balsa but more or less equal to willow, it has a similar density to willow. I don't know if Fuchias grow in GB but if you have an excess in your garden it is worthy of utilising as a good charcoal for BP.

[helix]

Sounds interesting. I've been meaning to try some of the shrubs from the garden also - we had some large lavatera plants that died last winter which looked promising as the woody stems were quite light and brittle so I'd laid them aside for some experimentation but unfortunately the wife found them and decided to use them as kindling (as we have an open fire in the living room).

Does anyone have any idea as to why some species of trees are better for BP manufacture than others? - I wondered if it may in some part relate to the lignin content? a lot of the reactive charcoals seem to come from trees with a lower % lignin.

[seymour]

Does anyone have any idea as to why some species of trees are better for BP manufacture than others? - I wondered if it may in some part relate to the lignin content? a lot of the reactive charcoals seem to come from trees with a lower % lignin.

Very good question!

Is is the wood's low density making is easier to ball mill to a finer powder?

Is it the wood's structure forming charcoals that are in a particularly reactive physical form, more porous, for example?

Is it the chemistry of the timber that creates compounds in the charcoal that are just plain more energetic? Lignin perhaps being a significant factor.

Certainly all three, but to what extent is each a contributor? Here I can offer little more.

While I'd love for someone (perhaps even me) to get a big research grant to figure out just what it is that make some woods go "thud" while others go "whoomph" or even "shzzzzshszzzhshhhh", I'm just going to use what woods I know to be good, and try out new ones, without ever knowing exactly why. Just that it is.

I've not given up though, and don't want anyone else to. Hopefully the next post is a full answer to this grand question.

[Pyro.1]

Here is a little artical on different woods for charcoal i found


charcoal tests


Paul

[MDH]

The structure of charcoal alone cannot be entirely responsible. I have noticed with grape charcoals that they are almost rock hard, and as powders are not fluffy and very heavy. But they react with extreme speed, similar to willow or poplar. My only guess is that the organic compounds formed by grape are much more reactive. I have tried a similar one with pacific scotch pine, which is very rich in sap - sap that does not entirely leave after the charcoal making process.

When making balsa, I have also noticed the wood itself produces some form of sap, despite a seemingly dry state when either in raw form, or as a charcoal. Whatever this compound (or variety thereof) is, it has a very low melting point and burns easily with a bright, completely opaque flame. That coupled with the fluffy structure of the charcoal is likely what makes Balsa so fast.

[Potassium chlorate]

Swedish BBQ charcoal made of birch, alder and willow, is excellent, like I've already stated in another thread. The birch might not be that good but the alder and willow compensate well for it. Costs about £2/15 kilos; i.e. one single bag is enough for 100 kilos of BP(!) Making good charcoal is a very old tradition in this country.

But if you want something more extreme, the French used poplar in their BP during most of the 18th and 19th Centuries. Interesting enough, the French as well as the British military formulation for BP during the 19th Century was 75:12.5:12.5; i.e. a little bit closer to lift specific powder (74:14:12) than to "standard".

[Deano 1]

I've done one or two tests on different charcoals, and I can't work out what it is that makes one better than the other. I've even done coffee grounds and they work, cotton cloth is rapid.

Poplar is a member of the willow as is around 400 other " salix ". Which one do you use?,,,,,,,,, do you know?,,,,,,,,. I've got poplar in my tub which is marked up as willow, but in my book there are 6 poplars listed, which one is best?,,,,,,. THE TESTING GOES ON AND ON AND ON. I love it

[Potassium chlorate]

What about this?

Populus balsamifera

Any Yanks here who have tested it?

[Deano 1]

That Populus balsamifera, commonly known as the "most northern balsam poplar" is pretty much the same tree as the "western balsam poplar", which is now planted widely across the UK. So my friend, you can try it yourself. (Populus trichocarpa)