How to build a Fresnel Lens Solar Powered Bamboo Furnace and produce Activated Charcoal byproduct

“Nobody has received the kilns yet. We are certain that the one from China will meet specifications but the cost is $1million and that does not include import costs and installation. A local manufacturer has promised to supply two and the orders have been made”

Chairman of the BIAC (Bamboo Industry Advisory Committee) at the Bureau of Standards Jamaica, Gladstone Rose, commenting on the need to have Bamboo Furnaces to export Bamboo Charcoal

Jamaica is on the cusp of a Bamboo Export Revolution possibly powered by The People’s Republic of China. We’re going to miss our first export of Bamboo Charcoal, but May 2014 isn’t that far away!

Since Jamaica became the 38^th Member of INBAR (International Network for Bamboo and Rattan) on Wednesday March 6th 2014 as reported in “Jamaican bamboo charcoal headed to foreign shores”, published Sunday March 9, 2014, by Avia Collinder, Business Reporter, The Jamaica Gleaner, the Chinese interest in our Bamboo (bambusa vulgaris) seems to be picking up pace.

The following day on Thursday, March 6th 2014, the Chinese Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency Dong Xiaojun, popped in on the BSJ (Bureau of Standards Jamaica), who no doubt will have a big part to play in certifying imports and exports of Bamboo (bambusa vulgaris) products as stated in “China supporting Jamaica to develop bamboo industry”, published Wednesday, March 05, 2014 9:30 AM, The Jamaica Observer.

This as the BSJ are the ones responsible for issuing the Jamaica Made Mark and the Certification of Agricultural Produce Mark that allows for the export of Bamboo (bambusa vulgaris) Charcoal to other countries as noted in “Boost for bamboo exports”, published 2014-02-20, by Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Go-Jamaica.

Now we’re almost set to export Bamboo (bambusa vulgaris) Charcoal to the US of A, as soon as we can get some furnaces in place. Apparently our Barbeque loving American cousins want to purchase it from us for US$2 per pound. All told, this export opportunity, which has been rescheduled for May 2014, shells down as follows:

1.      2.7 million kilogrammes (6 million pounds) of Bamboo (bambusa vulgaris) Charcoal per annum

2.      12247 Kilogrammes (27,000 pounds) of Bamboo (bambusa vulgaris) Charcoal per month

This first shipment is for 2,721,554.22 Kg (6 million pounds) valued at some US$12 million according to the Ministry of Industry Investment and Commerce, the ones behind the Bamboo (bambusa vulgaris) Charcoal push.

Bamboo Producers already have a Green Light from the Minister of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change to export Bamboo (bambusa vulgaris) Charcoal, the ONLY Wood that can be legally made into combustible material, sold and exported. So if you have Charcoal made from Wood, that’s illegal!

It also has the blessing of the Managing Director of The Forest Conservancy, Guy Symes, oweing to the fact that it'll prevents Jamaicans from cutting down Woodland forests to make furniture and Charcoal by being a high value alternative as stated in “We can export charcoal without damaging the environment”, published Tuesday, January 29, 2013, The Jamaica Observer.

Furnaces needed to Combust Bamboo – Cost of Bamboo Furnace too high and organized growing needed

So what’s the holdup?

According to Chairman of the BIAC (Bamboo Industry Advisory Committee) at the Bureau of Standards Jamaica, Gladstone Rose, it’s a lack of furnaces to combust Bamboo (bambusa vulgaris) into Charcoal. The cost for the furnaces breaks down a follows:

1.      JA$2 million if made in China

2.      JA$500,000 if made locally

Already a pair of community groups inclusive of Glengoffe have sourced funds via the JNBS (Jamaica National Building Society) to have a local manufactured in Mandeville build them a Bamboo Furnace. This indicates that local knowledge already exits to make Bamboo Furnaces.

The problem is cost; JA$500,000 isn’t easy to find, even if it is a sure thing, as that’s too much to gamble on another GOJ (Government of Jamaica) Project that may end up going nowhere.

This as even addressing the need to grow the Bamboo (bambusa vulgaris) in a controlled manner, as the 3,000 acres of Bamboo (bambusa vulgaris) are currently available for export actually grows wild! Still, after the first bags of Bamboo (bambusa vulgaris) charcoal went on sale in February 2013 as noted in “Bamboo Charcoal Goes On Sale”, Published Wednesday February 27, 2013, by Avia Collinder, Business Writer, The Jamaica Gleaner, export demand has gone viral.

Apparently this all happened by chance. Foreigners (read Americans!) while on vacation in Jamaica liking the product due to its low smoke, slow burning and the fact that it doesn’t impart any flavor to the food being cooked, key ingredients to great Barbeque charcoal. They made the link here to Jamaican suppliers to export it abroad and found ready export supply lacking.

You will also notice, curiously, if you do a search using Google that the only top 10 references to the search term “Bamboo Charcoal” that come up are mainly Jamaican

With Export demand expected to be high as per the article “Bamboo charcoal in demand”, published Sunday, August 11, 2013 BY SHAMILLE SCOTT Business reporter, The Jamaica Observer, getting farmers to grow a plant commercially on large acreages that has no food or immediate domestic resale value other than charcoal and is actually considered to be a parasitic plant is going to be a hard sell.

Worse, the true value of Bamboo is in Furniture, not Charcoal, as that treats Bamboo (bambusa vulgaris) no better than our Woodland Forests, a point which I made in my blog article entitled “Senator Norman Grant proposes revival of Bamboo and Rattan Industry in Jamaica - Private Sector involvement for the Large-Scale Growing of Bamboo Gods and Iron Men needed”.

This as by developing a Bamboo Industry for BOTH Charcoal and the building of Furniture for export, it would help to preserve our wetlands as well as our forests by reducing the need to cut down trees. But this’ll all be for naught if Cheaper Furnaces can’t be made for the common man.

After all, they STILL make charcoal by slow-burning wood, a practice I myself know all too well, as most Milk River People still produce Charcoal to make a living.

Applied Vacuum Pyrolosis - Fresnel Lens Solar Powered Bamboo Furnace with Activated Charcoal byproduct

The solution interestingly lies in Vacuum Pyrolosis; effectively burning materials in a Vacuum as described in my blog article entitled “How to upgrade your Solar Desalinator to a Solar Cooker and make a Solar Foundry for Vacuum Pyrolysis”.

That project, a DIY (Do It Yourself), sprang from my original research and publication of another DIY on making a Solar Desalinator as explained in my Geezam blog article entitled “How to Make Distilled Water using a Solar Desalinator”.

Modified by the addition of sealant, a Vacuum Pump and a Fresnel Lens, you can make a Vacuum Pyrolosis chamber that can be used to pyrolize material and reduce it to its basic Carbon Constituents. In essence, you can make not only Bamboo (bambusa vulgaris) Charcoal but also Bamboo (bambusa vulgaris) Activated Charcoal.

There’s a ready export market for both forms of Charcoal via Ebay or just by simply setting up a website to process orders for Bamboo Charcoal. Then all you have to do is sort, tag and bag and ship as per orders. Heck, even I could get into shipping Bamboo (bambusa vulgaris) Charcoal but also Bamboo (bambusa vulgaris) Activated Charcoal, as it’s merely just to set up an Ebay Seller’s Account, posting videos and photographs of your product and selling your product online!

With a little tech know-how, any Farmer can have a Fresnel Lens Solar Powered Bamboo Furnace capable of Vacuum Pyrolosis up and running on the cheap and export Bamboo (bambusa vulgaris) Charcoal and Bamboo (bambusa vulgaris) Activated Charcoal without spending JA$500,000 in parts and labour to build a Bamboo (bambusa vulgaris) Charcoal Furnace.

Best of all, as it’s solar powered, no fossil fuels or unnecessary pollution is involved, as Vacuum pyrolosis take places in the absence of air and takes hours, not days to achieve the same quality Bamboo (bambusa vulgaris) Charcoal and Bamboo (bambusa vulgaris) Activated Charcoal product.

Check out my blog article entitled “How to upgrade your Solar Desalinator to a Solar Cooker and make a Solar Foundry for Vacuum Pyrolysis” and build your own Fresnel Lens Solar Powered Bamboo Furnace capable of Vacuum Pyrolosis today!