Making Coconut Shell Charcoal

Coconut Shell Charcoal 

There are many ways of charcoal making, but the simplest so far is the use of drum. The method modified by the Forest Products Research and Industries Development (Los Banos) are the following:

Materials:

- Ordinary drum (5.5 galon capacity)

- Chimney on top

- Opening on top

- 3 sets of air ventilation, 1 foot apart with ½ inch holes equally distributed around the drum (to obtain even burning).

- rounded wood 4 inches in diameter

- rag to be ignited from the bottom.

Procedure:

1. Place rounded wood at the center of the drum.

2. Arrange coconut shells around it until it is covered.

3. Remove the chimney and ignite the rag at the bottom.

4. When the fire is well underway, cover the drum and place the chimney.

5. Feed additional shells when the charge shells have shrunk.

6. The process of charcoal making starts at the bottom going upward and at the middle going out. At the beginning of charcoal making, the holes and air ventilations at the bottom are open.

7. When the oven is heated continuously until the desired temperature is reached, peep holes are closed and the second set of holes are opened.

8. The closing of peep holes and opening of new air ventilation continues until charcoal making is completed.

9. Carbonization is completed when thin smoke comes out and becomes bluish.

10. Cover all the holes until the drum gets cool. Charcoal yield is about 30%.

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