Towards sustainable charcoal production: Designing an economical brick kiln with enhanced emission control technology
Zelalem Getahun,
Mikiyas Abewaa,
Ashagrie Mengistu,
Eba Adino,
Kumera Kontu,
Kenatu Angassa,
Amare Tiruneh,
Jemal Abdu
Affiliations
Zelalem Getahun
Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering and Technology, Wachemo University, Hossana, Ethiopia; Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Mikiyas Abewaa
Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering and Technology, Wachemo University, Hossana, Ethiopia; Corresponding author.
Ashagrie Mengistu
The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Manufacturing Industry Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Eba Adino
Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Mechanical, Chemical and Materials Engineering, Adama Science and Technology University, Adama, Ethiopia
Kumera Kontu
Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering and Technology, Dembidolo University, Dembidolo, Ethiopia
Kenatu Angassa
Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Amare Tiruneh
Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Jemal Abdu
Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering and Technology, Wachemo University, Hossana, Ethiopia
In this research, a brick kiln integrated with pollutant emission control technology was designed and applied in order to produce charcoal from Eucalyptus Globules wood. The batch operation carbonization of wood biomass was undertaken in a 1.25 m3 volume brick kiln. A wet-packed scrubber was designed and constructed by filling gravels in a depth of 40 cm with aggregate sizes of 48–60 mm, 27–33 mm and 16–20 mm from the bottom to the top respectively aiming to treat emission from the charcoal-producing unit. The characteristics of the charcoal produced were determined to be composed of 9% moisture content, 1.5% ash content, 38% charcoal yield and a heating value of 27.53 MJ/kg. On the other hand, the wet scrubber integrated into a brick kiln was found to remove Hydrocarbons, CO2 and CO by 97.8%, 98.5% and 99% respectively, which makes it efficient and practical way of controlling the gasses released during producing of charcoal.
