The TLUD Cookstove System

with Low-Cost Biochar Production

Aggregating to Large Volume

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 12 - 15 September 2010

Paul S. Anderson PhD Hugh S. McLaughlin PhD, PE
“Dr. TLUD” ( Doc Tee-lud ) Consultant on Charcoals
psanders@ilstu.edu wastemin@net1plus.com
Biomass Energy Foundation (BEF)
 Types of Char or Biochar
“All chars are black, but are not created equal.”
• Fuel (Bio)char: High Energy, Clean Burning,
High Volatiles desired for furnaces, not for
cooking.
• Industrial (Bio)char: Special, such as Activated
Charcoal for Filtration. Generally very low yields.
• Environmental (Climate Change) Biochar:
Sequestration of CO2equivalent, High Carbon
content is desired; Impact on soils and plants is
secondary.
• Agro Biochar: High Adsorption Capacity and
% fixed carbon; Impact on soils and plants is
primary.
 Smoke in the Kitchen
• In the least developed societies, indoor air
pollution (IAP) is the fourth worst cause
of poor health and avoidable deaths of
women and small children. (WHO study, 2004)
• Carbon monoxide ( CO ) causes pre-
mature and under-weight babies, plus
general weakness in adults.
• Particulate matter ( PM2.5 ) causes Lower
Respiratory Diseases that shorten lives,
and contributes to climate change.
 Four World Most Biomass
Problems Cookstoves
• Increase in atmospheric • Emit particulate matter
CO2, associated with associated with Global
Global Warming. Warming.
• Decline in soil fertility, • Do NOT produce Biochar.
especially in At best they are carbon
impoverished countries. neutral.
• Deforestation because of • Consume only wood,
fuel-wood collection. causing deforestation.
• Poor health of families • Emit smoke and carbon
because of smoky monoxide causing serious
kitchens using solid fuels health problems in 400
like wood and coal. million households.
 A simple TLUD cookstove design
can accomplish FOUR purposes:
Remove CO2 from the air
Improve soils
Preserve forests
Improve family health
Four allies for one stove type.
 Photos of Champion Gasifiers
Made and Used in India - 2009

A humanitarian project near Chennai, India, sponsored by the

Sunset Rotary Club of Bloomington-Normal (Illinois, USA).
 “Champion” TLUD-ND gasifier (2008)
Combustion zone
& heat application Secondary
***** air enters

“Reactor” or Gases rise &

charcoal forms
gas generation from upper
device or fuel when
pyrolysis unit, pyrolysis
progresses
including fuel downward
chamber inside. into the
raw fuel.
ND = Natural
Draft
 Top-Lit UpDraft
(TLUD) gasification
• Flaming pyrolysis at the top of a
column of chunky dry biomass is
starved of oxygen, creates charcoal
plus pyrolytic gases (“smoke”) that
move upward to where fresh
secondary air enters, resulting in
clean combustion of the gases for
heat for cooking.
 Gasifiers
• Devices in which the dry biomass is
transformed into combustible gases in
processes distinctly and controllably
separate in time and location from the
eventual combustion of the gases.
• Many types, but only a few designs
conveniently yield biochar, including
some of the TLUDs.
Variations of
TLUD gasifier
cookstoves.
[ Top row is with fans. ]
 Artisan Prices depend on the
stove configuration,
version of including gasifier and
stove structure for heat
Anderson’s application.
“Champion”T Single gasifier unit
approx. $20, but should
LUD be less than $10.

Finalized
design and
production
started in
Chennai in
January
2009.
 Tested in Nepal in 2009
[Results reported by STARIC for Champion TLUD gasifier.]

• “The operation … is simple, easy to handle,

operate and user friendly…”
• “The stove is quite good and its performance
seems to be unbeatable by the local improved
stoves.”
• “Compared to the traditional cook stove, it
saves about 50-60% of the fuel wood.”
• This means combating deforestation. Other
improved cookstoves do that also, but do not
create biochar or use so many non-wood fuels.
Abundant Renewable Dry Biomass
(but people only use a highly selective small fraction for energy)
Wood is the main biomass fuel. Its appeal can lead to
the problems of deforestation exactly in the most
environmentally sensitive locations.

Tree-wastes sawdust (pellets), trimmings, twigs,

seedpods, leaves, coconut shells/husks/fronds, etc.,
Agro-wastes stems, hulls, husks, roots, cobs, by-
products, dung, etc., some into biomass briquettes,
Urban wastes discarded combustibles including
paper/cardboard, some D&C, and dried sewage,
Environmental excesses bamboo, dried
aquatic invaders, etc.
CO & PM Emissions From Cook Stoves Charcoal
(Measured by the Standard 5-liter Water Boiling Test. ) stoves
emit 110-
TLUD 135 g of
CO (more
pyrolytic than any
gasifiers of the
have wood-
burning
extremely stoves)
low and emit
emissions. 250 - 590
mg of PM
(more
than the
tested
TLUD
TLUD pyrolyzer Charcoal gasifier
(Burning Char) Stoves
stoves).
TLUD Pyrolyzer
(Saving Biochar)
 Conclusions thus far:
• TLUD pyrolytic gasifier stoves should be
able to replace charcoal stoves in urban
areas, with additional benefits of:
– Reducing emissions from traditional
charcoal making, and
– Reducing the deforestation to make
charcoal.
• TLUDs also will greatly reduce the
particulate emissions associated with
standard wood-burning stoves.
 100% 100%

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 90% - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
80% 80%
Weight percent of dry sample

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 70% - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Weight percent of dry sample

60% 60%

40% 40%

Dark Red = Resident H + O

20% 20%

Blue = Resident C
0% 0%
C

VI
G

-L

IV
M
A

V
III
IV
O

I II

II
H

-I

-S
J

II
-B

Fir bon # Q

VI
Ch 2 - E

V
Ce Bioca 1 - N

I
Ch 1 - D

ple
ple
1-

ple
ir -
s-

ple

ple
-
3-

Bio t She har -

ple

ple
n-
1-

-
3-
car rbon-

ple

ple

ple
er C r #1

ple

ple
#2

r B Char

bon
aw ar #2
Tor Chips

ioc on #2

Sam
ar #

Sam
Wo Pell et

dF

Sam
ar #

Sam
ar #

rb o
d#

Sam
#

Sam
#

Sam
Sam

Sam

Sam
Sam

Sam
Other Biochars TLUD Biochar
h ar
a

on
har

car
e

ca
Ga er Ch

ran
h
Ch

ll
refi

let

-F C
DI
arb

-F C
od

DI
C

Bio

-F C
DI
tC

-F C
Bi o

DI

-F C

-F C
ar
od

DI

DI
Ma d Pel
aw
aw

TLU
llet

ioc

TLU

D II
TL U
sifi
Wo

Gra Pelle

TLU

D II
TLU

TLU
si fi

D II
dar
Jun r Bio

D II
ch a

D II

D II
en
Str

u
Str
Str
Pe

rB

rB
Ga

cN

TLU
o

TLU
Asp

TLU
TLU

TLU

TLU
Wo

i pe

i pe
i pe
ss
ss
Gra

Ju n

Ju n

Fixed Carbon Fixed H & O Fixed Nitrogen Volatile Carbon Volatile H & O Fixed Carbon Fixed H & O Fixed Nitrogen Volatile Carbon Volatile H & O
Volatile Nitrogen Ash (acid soluble) Ash (non-soluble) Volatile Nitrogen Ash (acid soluble) Ash (non-soluble)
MODIFIED ULIMATE ANALYSES OF CHARS
Source: All biochars are not created equal…, McLaughlin, Anderson, Shields and Reed (2009).
10.00

9.00
10% of CEC in meq/100g

Adsorption Capacity (wt% @ 100C)

8.00

7.00

6.00

5.00

4.00

3.00

2.00

1.00

0.00

VI
IV

V
III
IV

II
I II

I
II

VI
V
I

e
ple

e
ple

e
ple

e
e

pl

e
ple

pl

pl
pl
pl

pl

pl
pl

m
am

m
am

m
am

m
am

m
am

am

Sa

Sa

Sa
Sa

Sa

Sa
IS

IS

IS
IS

IS

IS

C
C

C
D

F
D

F
D

F
D

F
U

F
II-
U

II-
U

II-
U

II-
U

II-

II-
TL

TL

TL

D
TL

TL

TL

D
D

D
U

U
U

U
TL

TL

TL
TL

TL

TL
CEC AND ADSORPTION CAPACITY OF TLUD CHARS
Source: All biochars are not created equal…, McLaughlin, Anderson, Shields and Reed (2009).
 The Champion TLUD Makes
Respectable Biochar
• Greater than 70% resident (fixed) carbon.
• Less than 10% mobile (volatile) matter.
• Modest cation exchange capacity (CEC).
• Higher pyrolysis temperatures yield 3X higher
adsorption capacity but lower the weight yield
by one third.
• Weight yields of 16% to 23% are typical.
• While providing useful heat for cooking!
 TLUD Capacity to Sequester C
• Typical biochar yield of 20 wt%.
• Typical resident (fixed) carbon 70%.
• 1 kg fuel yields 140 g resident carbon.
• 5 kg fuel/day yields 700 g C per household/day.
• X 365 days = >250 kg C per household/yr.
• 4 households yield 1 ton C/yr.
• 400 households yield 100 ton C/yr.
• 2.5 billion people use solid fuels for cooking, =
400 million households, so the potential is
100 million ton C/yr by using TLUD stoves.
 How to make 100 Mt-C/yr?
• Fair value for the char, greater than its value
as a cooking fuel (or else people will burn it!!)
• TLUD stoves at various prices and features, to
have “buy-in” by the households of all levels.
• Financial participation by governments,
NGOs, companies and individuals who what
improvements in any of these challenges:
– Climate, forests, crops, food security, health, less
poverty, stable citizens, and the resultant peace.
• Mobilize fuel supplies, as business, not charity.
• Decide, and get started NOW in each region.
 Where do these stoves go?
• For ease of calculations, 2.5 billion people using solid
fuel stoves are divided into 5 equal parts, each with 500
million people (80 million households):
– India, China, other Asia, Africa, & Other (Latin America plus.).
• A goal of 40 million TLUD cookstoves MAKING
BIOCHAR in Africa within ten years is worthy and
attainable. Could Africa become carbon negative?!
• China and India have single governments to implement
programs of their own choosing. They are considering
TLUDs, but not for their ability to make biochar.
• There is one limiting factor to accomplish 200 million
biochar-making stoves in 10 years: financial backing by
those who believe that CO2 reduction is important.
 Challenges and Solutions
• Perhaps only reach • 200 million is still 50
half of the households. million tons C/yr.
• Where to start? • A few strong pilot sites
to showcase.
• How much funding? • Peanuts compared to
– Millions go into other the cost of not starting.
renewable energy.
• Informing the world • That is why we are
of what TLUDs can speaking to you.
accomplish.
 Why should you be involved?
• TLUD pyrolytic gasifiers can create biochar!
[You can become a charcoal-making “geek.”]
• We are literally working at the frontiers of
knowledge!!
• The results could make a difference:
– Between starvation and plentiful harvests for
some people.
– For coping with the threat of climate change.
• Career, employment, income, personal benefits.
 Nine clear “wins” and
no evident “loses”
A. .Families use low-value biomass and cut
fewer trees, reducing deforestation. WIN
B. .Society observes less CO2 entering the
atmosphere (via charcoal co-product). WIN
C. .Kyoto/CDM “carbon credit” is generated
by this charcoal and reforestation. WIN
D. .Impoverished families receive improved
cookstoves to motivate A & B. WIN
E. .Reduced Indoor Air Pollution yields
better health for biomass users. WIN
F. .Verifiable permanent sequestration of
carbon via scattered burial. WIN
G. .Soil characteristics improve; crops are
better (w/ improved food & health). WIN
H. .Appropriate sustainable technology
creates employment & capacity
building. WIN
I. .De-centralized implementation allows
maximum localized adaptations. WIN
 Thank you. Muito obrigado.
• Contact information for :
Dr. Paul S. Anderson “Dr. TLUD”
Email: psanders@ilstu.edu
• Two other presentations at IBI-Rio:
– CHAB Camp
– CHAB removal of 1 Gt/yr Carbon
• I will assist in all countries, including
– Uganda in November 2010
– Peru in February 2011 for PCIA Conf.