• It's a 'Flame cap panel kiln' which I originally called a 'Flat Modular Biochar Kiln' (see 'Resources' page) but there was one flaw with the original design - the longer unit was too wide for a satisfactory flame cap. Hopefully this problem has been corrected with the V panel adaptation (which could also be truncated a little for more volume)
• It's a low cost test unit for learning about biochar, flame cap tech and panel kilns
• Supports Bamboo (or thin limb wood) up to 1.78m in length for biochar production or could be expanded for longer bamboo (or limb wood) with additional pairs of 'V panels'.
• Approximately 249L volume
• Modular panels
• Lightweight panels
• Flatpacked panels for easy storage and transport for many vehicles eg. Utes, Station wagons etc. and trailers
• Durable panels: 1.55mm HW350 Corten 'Weathering' steel panels (minimum yield strength of 350 MPa) with 4 x 20mm edge folds on the V panels and 4 x 20mm edge folds on the end panels for reinforcement
• Self-locking 'V panels' supported by 12 star pickets (or alternate bracing) for a basic unit to hold it all together
• Only needs a grinder and press brake for fabrication - no welding, rolling or laser cutting
• Can use cogeneration heat energy for cooking or boiling water
• Can be quickly assembled on site (soft ground or hard ground) like a tent where it's needed and disassembled and transported to the next site
• Single units can be expanded or multiple units could be operated simultaneously
• A mainframe for scaling to larger units (scaleability)

• Pound in 2 star pickets at one end position
• Position the first end panel vertical against the star picket(s) with folds facing outwards, away from the fuel chamber footprint
• Pound in 2 star pickets per side/pair of V panels, lining up with edge of end panel
• Assemble the sides/V panel pairs  

                     - each V panel pair, folds facing outwards, leaned against 2 star pickets per panel

                     - 2 steel 'C clamps' per outward facing and sloping adjacent V panel side folds for additional stability

• Position the second/last end panel vertical against the edge of the adjacent V panels with folds facing outwards, away from the fuel chamber footprint.
• Pound in 2 star pickets on outer side of the end panel to secure it

Alternate bracing

-for clearer access along the kiln sides:

*V panels

-Eight 0.6m long black Slotted Steel Angle

-2 per V panel, placed at an angle eg.50 degrees

-The steel angle at the top could nest inside the outward facing 20mm top folds

-The steel angle at the base could be secured by tent pegs (soft ground)/besser blocks (hard ground)

*Ends

-4 star pickets eg.135cm

-2 per end, pounded in vertically

• Fill the kiln half full with thin biomass waste
• Light at the top (using firelighter gel if you can get it)
• Create a thin bed of coals
• At this stage, cogeneration heat energy could be used for cooking or boiling water eg. some 25x25 welded wire mesh panel cut to size overhanging a V panel pair sides to support cooking accessories, such as a pan, pot or grill
• When you're ready to make some biochar, with a bed of coals ready...
• Add the first layer
• Wait until top ashes a little
• Add next layer and repeat until the top of the fuel chamber is full
• Flame almost completely dies down THEN quench:

• For water quenching, remove the panels (with welders gloves), spread out the biochar with a heavy duty landscaper's rake (which can also be used for milling - see KTE latest system page above) and spray/bucket on water until no steam is produced

• For water free quenching, remove the panels (with welders gloves), spread out the biochar with a heavy duty landscaper's rake and mix the biochar in with soil, manure, or soil and manure

• Bamboo is a Si-accumulator plant which after pyrolysis produces stable phytoliths (Si occluded C in the plant cell walls and cell lumens) and if burnt with a low moisture content (MC) eg. less than 15%, will create high temperatures during pyrolysis which will vary between kilns.
• According to the study 'Assessing biochar's permanence: An inertinite benchmark' (2023) by Hamed Sanei et al generally >550 degrees Celsius will produce biochar suitable for Inertinite with 'random reflectance' (Ro) greater than 2% (known as the 'Intertinite Benchmark' or IBRo2%). For the bamboo tested, at 500 degrees C, 85% exceeded IBRo2% and for 700 and 900 degrees C, 100% exceeded IBRo2%. In the 100% IBRo2% scenario, all of the bamboo biochar could permanently remove 'inert' Carbon at a half life of 100+ million years. See my 'Join the Dots' blog for more information.
• The feedstock needs to be locked on to the kiln - for every feedstock and kiln combination, a lab test of biochar tested against the IBRo2% could be undertaken if you're serious about permanent/inert Carbon Removal. Alternatively, a great research paper or someone's PhD could test more bamboo species in a few different kilns eg. Bamboo trench kiln, the Bamboo Biochar Kiln proposed here and a Kon-Tiki 'Essential' kiln against the IBRo2%. I would also love to tease out the relationship between phytoliths and Ro of biochar - I bet it's linear but needs to be proven. A lot of work has already been done in phytoliths, mostly by archeologists and researchers in agriculture such as Dr Jeff Parr. Very little research has been done testing biochar for Ro - or I can't find it if does exist.
• For eg., SiO2 (phytolith) content of bamboo ranges from 65.85 -82.86% (according to different studies that I haven't read). Is there a direct linear relationship between SiO2 content and Ro of biochar independent of temperature? Bamboos could be used as a test case feedstock, pyrolysing each bamboo species with a given different average SiO2 content in the same pyrolysis conditions and build a graph - predicting as SiO2 increases, Ro will increase too in a linear fashion, Silicate structures are reflective! If this relationship exists, then could SiO2 content of a feedstock (not limited to bamboo) be used to predict IBRo2% qualification of biochar (before pyrolysis) at a given theoretical average pyrolysis temperature, moisture content (MC) and kiln type? Machine Learning could be employed here. Ergo sum, a web app could be coded with variables punched in to predict how many kg of biochar meeting or exceeding the IBRo2% would be produced for: a given feedstock (with SiO2 content->predicted Ro), moisture content, kiln type, average burn temperature, kiln volume (batch), number of batches (for a batch kiln) or kg of feedstock/hour (for a continuous kiln) etc.
• A 'Charista', with internet access to use the web app, could then work out the optimal combination to maximize the amount of Biochar Inertinite produced given limitations on what plants can be locally grown (and growing the 'best' ones) and what kiln is affordable and accessible for local construction. The amount of money earned from a Carbon Removal Marketplace (CRM) (various) could ideally also be calculated in the web app.

If you're serious about Research and Development of 'Flame Cap Panel Kilns', please get in touch on the 'Contact' page and we can work something out - possibly sharing a design of a larger version of the Bamboo Biochar Kiln off 3 sheets - if you're keen. The idea then is we'll share R&D notes and maybe come up with a commercial design together.