Biochar Production System Beta Version

This project covers the "Beta Prototype" development of a Biochar Reactor. The original prototype development can be found here.

This development is aimed at improving the original system in several of its shortcomings and producing a much more well developed design and functional prototype. Improved mechanical processes, shortened heating loops and heat exchangers, and improved electrical and control systems will offer improved system operation, and a more reliable and effective biochar production.

Biochar Overview
Biochar, the physical carbon-structure remnant of woody-mass biological materials, biochar is a porous material with properties that make it suitable for wastewater filtration in addition to its applications in agriculture. Biochar is the commonly known as "the poor man's activated carbon", like other activated carbons, biochar has significant microscopic surface area. This surface area applies itself well to chemical filtering processes. More information on activated carbon can be found here.

Beyond its applications for filtration, biochar shows value in the fields of agriculture. In most situations, biochar may be applied and turned into fields to provide a soil neutralizing effect; helping clay rich soils achieve better water transposition or throughput, and enabling water retention in sandy soils. Put simply, biochar helps water move through clay-based soils, and helps hold it in sandy soils.

It is by little stretch of the imagination that these two properties may be combined to provide benefits to both urban and rural communities. Cities and municipalities might use biochar to cleanse and purify their wastewater and in so doing, the biochar may become nutrient rich and loaded as a fertilizer, applicable for agricultural applications. Providing soil fertilization along with its beneficial water transposition properties, biochar may offer farmers great benefit and increase crop yield.

Project Objectives
As mentioned previously, this project aims to improve upon certain shortcomings in the previous prototype. The primary objectives are listed as follows:


 * Improve auger operation and smooth movement
 * Improve heating source control and operation
 * Simplified control system and improved autonomy