DIY

4 Steps to Making Your Own HempChar

Making HempChar at home is the same as making biochar. You have to have a pyrolysis kiln of some sort. There are many simple to complex types to choose from. On our farmstead, we use what we called a Top Lit Updraft (TLUD) Cross Rack with Insert Barrel design. Or what we like to call a TLUD-CRIB. This design consists of just 4 main pieces.

01

55 Gallon Metal Barrel

This piece is main body of the kiln. Its basically a burn barrel. It is to have evenly spaced holes at the brim of the barrel. This will act as the main chamber for the pyrolysis procedure.

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02

30Gallon Drum w/ Detachable Lid.

This barrel will be filled with your hemp biomass that you want chared and placed into the center of the 55 gallon drum. Prepaire the 30 gallon drum with 5-6 1/4" holes drilled into the direct bottom of it to release gasses during the cook. The top lid will be used to prevent oxygen from turing your char to ash during your burn. you will then surround the 30 galllon barrel with a disposable fuel source such as scrapwood and/or cardboard. Begin by getting the fire source going on top of the 30gal inserted barrel and around it.

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03

Metal Rack

Once the fire is burning well A metal rack is the set on top once cooking is started. This rack will act as a spacer between your burn barrel and its chimney. this space gap allows for airflow and creates a afterburn effect to heat up the chamber and make for a more cleaner burn.

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04

55 Gallon Barrel with No Bottom

The final piece needed is a another 55 gallon barrell with no bottom. This barrell will act as a chimney of the cooker and giudes the flames upwards creating that updraft effect that eliminates the smoke.

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1.)  55 Gallon Metal Barrel

The 55 gallon main burning barrel is the main body of the kiln and will support the majority of the cooking process. The great thing about this design is that you can use a burn barrel that you may already have. To make a burn barrel is simple. All you need to do is cut the top open if it is enclosed and assure you have at least 4 holes. You want the holes to be around 1-2" in diameter to allow for proper airflow. In this design, I cut 4 triangle holes evenly spaced approximately 2" long at the base and 2" high from its tip to the base using a grinder with a cutting bit. Holes this size allows a stick to be used to clear them from ash during the burning process as ash will accumulate. You can use a straight edge and a sharpie to make marked lines using a pie dividing technique that will allow you to space the holes around the brim of the barrel more easily. Or you can guestimate by cutting or drilling a hole at the base of the barrel and then doing the same to its adjacent side as it does not have to be perfect.  
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2.) 30 Gallon Drum with Detachable Lid

The 30 gallon barrel is the most expensive part of this kiln making it only affordable if you have a local supply to this size of drum. After multiple burns the barrel will become frail and develop holes and will need to be replaced just as the lager barrel would also so make sure you get extra if you have a lot of biomass to burn! To prepare the 30gal barrel drill about 4-8 holes about 1/4" in diameter on the direct bottom of the barrel and not the bottom side like was done with the larger barrel. Again, use the fractionating pie cutting technique as needed. The lid should have lug nuts to bend to open and close the barrel. Fill the barrel with the biomass, cover it with secured lid and place in center of the 55 gallon barrel. Fill biofuels such as scrap wood and cardboard on top and around the 30gal barrel. Start the fire using a sort of kindlin or waste paper and let it burn until its cooking on its own. 
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3.) Metal Space Rack

Once the fire is cooking on its own, place the metal space rack on top of the 55gal cooking drum to hold down any absconding biofuel sources. This rack will also act as a spacer to allow a gap between the main kiln and its chimney creating a double burning effect causing the cooker to burn hot! The reason for the long extended excess metal is to assure that you don't get burned during the process! It is a good idea to have a partner holding the other ends as you place the rack onto the flames and wear insulated gloves. You also do not need to have the same style of rack. You just need two pole-like devices that will gap the chimney from the body of the kiln and balance it correctly. Keep in mind that whatever you use needs to be able to withstand the heat and support the chimney safely.
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4.) 55Gal Barrel with No Bottom

This final part is crucial to making the cooking process under go a double burn eliminating any excess smoke and making the kiln really heat things up. The only modification the barrel that is needed besides assuming the top is already cut open, is  the removal of the the base. This usually starts to happen naturally to any burn barrel that is spent and/or on its last leg. It is always better to use scrap barrels for this procedure than to have to modify a perfectly good barrel that could be better used for a base. If you do not have access to a old barrel, you will want to make sure the bottom and the top of the barrel is removed. The size does not have to be full length. Any thing more than half the barrel length is good enough for a chimney. Once the chimney is constructed, place it on the top of the rack, centering it to be parallel and even with the edges of the base kiln. Be sure to move hastily as Fire IS HOT!!!
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