Kinyanjui Charcoal Kiln

We are trying to (a) reduce the amount of emmisisons from charcoal production and (b) Condense and recover as much of the smoke into a usable product for your home/farm. Wood tar - the following is an explanation from the good folks at Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) about what is going on in this process.
"The non-water component consists of wood tars, both water soluble and insoluble, acetic acid, methanol, acetone and other complex chemicals in small amounts. If left to stand, the proligneous acid separates into two layers comprising the water insoluble tar and a watery layer containing the remaining chemicals. Recovery of the water insoluble tar, often called wood or Stockholm tar, is simple - it is merely decanted from the water phase. This wood tar has uses as a veterinary antiseptic, a preservative for wood, a caulking agent, and as a substitute for road tar" http://www.fao.org/docrep/x5328e/x5328e0d.htm

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Did you know that more then half of the price of a bag of charcoal in Nairobi is money needed for paying bribes to get illegal bush charcoal to town? Save your money (and Kenya's forests) by making your own charcoal at home using only your own twigs and pruned tree branches. (or timber mill waste)

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