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How Do I Convert Wood Into Charcoal & Electricity?

Charcoal is a fuel derived from wood. It is long lasting and efficient at holding high, consistent heat for long periods of time. It is used for many activities, from smelting to cooking. It is similar to coal, but not nearly as energy dense and carbonized, the main difference being that charcoal can be easily made from wood and coal takes considerably more time, energy and force to produce.

Instructions

- 1
  Fill a stock pot with split wood chunks (white, natural, untreated wood is ideal) and place a lid on the pot with a hole in the middle to relieve pressure. Secure the lid to the pot with clamps -- preferably those that screw on. Place inside a fireplace or kiln outdoors.
- 2
  Start and feed a fire around the pot, and note the behavior of the vent. When steam issues from the vent, the water is being cooked out of the wood. After 20 minutes or so, depending on the heat of the fire, a continuous flame will begin shooting out of the hole. These are the volatile gases in the wood being cooked out. These two processes are necessary for producing charcoal.
- 3
  Allow the sealed pot to cool fully after the flame has extinguished itself due to the lack of gases and oxygen. This should take at least 6 hours. The charcoal is ready to store or use when it's cooled down.
- 4
  Grind the charcoal into a powder and return this powder in batches to a heated kiln, over which is a boiler with a turbine inside of it. This is how a steam engine operates. The powder charcoal combines with oxygen to create a hotter flame that boils the water inside the boiler, creating steam that turns the turbine through pressure and physical agitation. The turbine produces electricity.

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