Woodgas - energy-gold - replaces itself every year. Heat and cook with it & more

Okay, so what is it? It’s syngas, an abbreviation for Synthesis gas. It’s a gaseous mixture that consists of CO (carbon-monoxide), CO2 (carbon dioxide), and H.(hydrogen). It’s woodgas.

It comes from carbonaceous materials such as: wood, bark, wood chips, agricultural waste of all kinds, paper, sludge, etc. all can be gasified. By the way, this is not rocket science; you don’t have to have a degree in advanced engineering to understand it. And anybody can make it. In fact you already have, but probably just didn’t realize it.

Let me explain: remember the last time you made a campfire or wood burning stove. Remember sitting there, watching the flames? Everybody watches the flames. I could sit by the hour watching them. Remember their color remember how they seemed to dance? How they hovered just over the wood, but never quite touching it. More on color later.

What you witnessed was the beginning of wood gaification. Anyway, the actual chemical change works something like this:

Complete Combustion

You know you need some kinda fuel, air an a match. Actually that’s it except for time. Allow me to explain it this way - First: and obviously you need enough time to get the process started; Second: sufficient heat; Third turbulence (air), and Fourth, a correct fuel/air proportion.

With enough time to raise the fuel’s temperature plus adequate draft (air) to provide turbulence in the correct proportion – things begin to happen. However this describes complete combustion, but we don’t want that.

Woodgas Gasification
or How to make charcoal

In a pyrolysis scenario, an heating an oxygen starved environment begins to make woodgas. Or charcoal and you can get methanol, a co-product of charcoal production.

By the way, CO2 emissions are about 90% less than burning a fossil fuel. The versatility of pyrolysis allows the woodgas (syngas) from low energy wood to be used in a plethora of high energy applications.

For instance, using low energy wood, gasifying it then mixing that woodgas with oxygen to completely combust the remainder is one example. Another is making syngas to power a vehicles engine, a gas turbine, or heating, cooking, hydrogen, electricity, fuel cells, etc.

Okay, back to flame colors: darkness is necessary to clearly observe the colors. First is blue for hydrogen (H). The next, Orange is carbon-monoxide (CO), because wood is a carbonous material.

The last is Yellow or carbon dioxide (CO2), which is completely dependent on the degree of heat present. The CO2 is generated if the fire is hot enough and enough oxygen is present. In this case, the CO is burned again.

This is similar to the under development gasification of diesel exhaust, then re-burning it to cut emissions and increase horsepower. Actually, going down this road is a very good step toward getting off grid.

If the gas is not burned a second time, it can be cooled, filtered and stored for future use. Here’s where it can be used for domestic purposes. Some wood gasification reactor generators are small enough to fit in a backpack, some are furnace sized; others are several stories high industrial monoliths. No matter the size and type, they all work the same:

Listed are all three types including there avantages and disadvantages.

1. The downdraft system plus pros and cons

2. The updraft system plus pros and cons

3. And the cross draft system plus pros and cons

• This type produces a small pressure drop.
• Has good thermal efficiency
• Has less tendency to produce slag

• Extremely sensitive to tar, moisture, and moisture content of wood.
• Long startup time required.
• Poor reaction capability with heavy gas load.

• Good flexibility adopting the gas to production load
• Has low sensitivity to charcoal dust.
• Has low sensitivity to tar content of wood

• Design tend to be tall
• Not practicable for small fuel sizes

• Design allows for low height
• Response from loading - quick
• Good flexibility adopting the gas to production

• Has greater tendency to produce slag
• High pressure drop.

All in all, making wood gas from what amounts to be free fuel, is down right satisfying. If for nothing else, hikers can carry small portable woodgas stoves in their backpacks. Home owners can produce syngas to heat their homes more efficiently, plus the bonus, they get free gas to cook with.

Cautionary Note
While woodgas is clean and not harmful to the environment, please use caution because the fuel contains carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide poisoning is possible even with a small packerer stove. Remember, it contains CO, until it’s combusted. Therefore it should be treated with great care. Be advised, never use it in closed areas, a garages, or in any poorly ventilated space.

For a whole raft of resources on woodgas look for woodgas under browse by category.

Links:
Here’s a great site in the US of A its great site all about woodgas stuff

Here’s a site in the UK that's all about biofuels

And how about tomato soap can woodgas camp stoves Don’t throw those cans away, make small portable back pack stoves

Or try this one to Run a tractor, a car, what else?

The Cadillac of reactors you can build to heat your home, cook, air condition, make steam, make hydrogen, etc, etc…

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