Production of Charcoal Through Partial Combustion in a Wood Stove

Philippines is a country rich in natural resources that can be converted into biomass fuels, such as charcoal. This study aims to determine the viability of producing charcoal through partial combustion using Mahogany and Ipil – Ipil wood in a wood stove before burying the charred wood samples in clay soil. Sample preparation was done by machining pruned branches into a size of 1-in diameter by 6-in length, then drying them until their moisture content was below 20%. The dry wood samples were then charred in a wood stove at different residence times. After reaching the residence time of a trial, the charred sample was wrapped in tin foil and buried in clay soil to cool for 24 hours. Afterwards, proximate analysis and bomb calorimetry were done on the charcoals produced. Results of the tests show that with longer residence time, charcoal yield decreased; moisture content increased due to increase in charcoal hygroscopicity; volatile matter decreased due to devolatilization; and fixed carbon content increased. Also, ash content increased for Mahogany charcoals while in Ipil-Ipil, it hardly varied. Furthermore, Ipil-Ipil charcoals were found to have greater calorific values than Mahogany charcoals due to Ipil – Ipil wood having greater calorific value.