Eco Carbons Pty Ltd |

Eco Carbons has made some new and innovative discoveries with Charcoal involving it’s properties and applications.  It has always been understood over thousands of years that it possess properties that are vital and valuable to mankind being produced from most boimass.

As a low cost smokeless high calorific fuel for:

• Cooking and heating
• In furnaces for forging and metal working
• For art
• Insence sticks
• Part is reusable
• Light to carry
• Abundant
• Accessible

It’s use has changed dramtically with the introduction of fossill fuels replacing timber.  The felling of trees is being restricted and this is driving up the price.  Coal is a substitute but poses health risks.   It is cumbersome to carry, as well as dirty and fumes given off while burning are toxic.

The demand for charcoal is increasing but becoming less affordable with no other alternative.  When it’s converted into activated carbons for liquid and air purification which was developed to overcome gas attacks in the First World War it was realised that there was a new application which can command high prices.  It’s now being discovered that biochar, another word for charcoal can increase soil fertility when inserted into the ground.  Possibly another application, but is it financially viable?

Eco Carbons in conjunction with Canadian reserch and development has developed new uses of charcoal, as shown on our web page www.ecocarbons.com.  This means that it has many more applications adding considerable value and diversification to break into numerous markets.

Understanding Charcoal (carbon) A vital valuable commodity

Eco Carbons is a producer of unique charcoals for the industrial and domestic markets.  It is not currently trading in Carbon Credits nor involved in carbon sequestration.  Nor is it utilising ‘food for fuel’. 

Why should you becaome involved with a material that has been produced for thousands of years!   Well today the risks are considered minimal because of  new improvements to the process and new applications which are constantly being devleoped.  There is also an ever increasing market worldwide and more restrictions are being imposed to access the diminishing source of timber from forests which is raising the price and accessibility.  This makes alternative raw materials more attractive and environmentally sound.

The production of charcoal is as old as man and the old methods are still being used today, especially in developing countries.  The burning of organic materials such as wood in a controlled supply of air environment - in a kiln or a covered pit produces charcoal.

Typical characteristics as a fuel are as follows:

• Carbon  80 - 85%
• Ash  4.5 - 6.5%
• Moisture 6 - 9%
• Calorific Value 6900 - 7000 K cal/kg

Other types of charcoals for different uses:

• For insulation - fire resistance, concrete aggregate, oil spills
• Soil improvers
• The charcoal has no combustion ability
• Chemically and physically inert
• Stable and durable
• Average surface area 20 m2 per gm
• Porosity 40%
• Normal pH
• Bulk density range to suit application 40 kg/m3 - 300 kg m2
• Size rage - powder - granular 2-5 mm - Beads 10 mm

These are manufactured to end users specifications and their performance is dertermined by surface area absorption.  The production involves production of charcoal from biomass to a certain temperature and the internal surface area is opened up with steam resulting in surface areas up to 2000 m2 per gm!  These are highly specialised products and have to meet with standards laid down.

The conversion of timber into charcoal produces a higher calorific value than burning timber direct.

Note: Eco Carbons’ process is unique, which can produce charcoals with different controlled characteristics to suit a particular application requirement, which has never been accomplised before!

Eco Carbons has developed a technique that can rapidly change the kiln temperature

1. Alter the porosity of the charcoal
2. Alter the bulk density
3. Alter the size and shape of the finished product
4. Alter the chemical and physical properties of the raw materials

All of which can be done in a matter of minutes without long downtime with the advantage of a fully automated plant.

Solutions overcoming pre-existing problems are as follows:

• Higher yields
• Mechanical handling and storage of raw materials
• Development of a fully automated self-sustaining kiln by recycling volatiles
• Raw materials obtained locally
• Quality controlled process
• Kiln accommodates a variety of raw materials
• Availability of surplus energy to create electricity
• End products that create and save energy
• Not labour intensive
• Expertise to operate plant can be drawn locally
• Plant components readily available
• Clean non-polluting manufacturing
• Products safe to handle and use

The company is capable of granulating the charcoal beads into powder and fines but it has no nutritional value only acting mechanically as aerators, water absorbers, insulation and partial filters.  Questions remain as to growth of plants and yields

• What is the cost of the charcoal (biochar)?
• How is it going to be applied?
• Are there any adverse reactions - toxicity?
• What are soil conditions?
• Species of plant?
• Depth of insertion?
• What grading (Powder, fines, granules)?
• Frequency of application?
• Reaction with organic and non-organic substances?
• The cost to the grower?
• Cost of the carboniser / pyrolysis unit?
• At the moment there is no standard set.
• Financial examples?  Who will ultimately benefit?

Eco Carbons charcoal is tangible and has ready identifiable markets

Due to the Charcoal having high porosity properties it is able to lend itself to numerous applications and replace existing products that are reliant on fossil fuels mining and chemicals some having toxic properties.  The Charcoal is produced from organice wastes replenishable and sustainable with no tree felling or mining.

We have identified the markets and their needs.  Overseas companies are already producing and selling their technologies and products, when asked why we in Australia has a reluctance to capitalise on similar concepts, we are told by the pundits that we have a small population to warrant establishing plants to produce alternatives yet.  There is an enormous export market waiting to be tapped!  And we are in many instances the leaders in innovation!

Australia is very wasteful with it’s throwaways and little is done to create this waste into viable products.  The resistance to change is holding back positive employment opportunities and wealth creation.

For more information check out the flyers below:

discover-the-wonders-of-eco-carbon-beads,

green-roofing-flyer,

fuel-beads-flyer

Our future regrettable rests with the multi-nationals and their ‘marriage’ to Governments.  This is the cycle that has to be broken to be able to encourage new technologies that create wealth and jobs!  An old English saying “There’s money in muck” how true!  Never throw anything away!

The company has sounded out the market before any expenditure on equipment, sourcing raw materials and expensive reserach and development to determine the end users acceptance and needs

By ‘foot slogging’ talking to decision makers in teh industries and consumers, the company was able to ascertain the competitors activities, pricing, service and importantly performance, consistency and reliability of existing products not forgetting safety and environmental considerations.

Have a look at our applications flyer for a better understanding fo how it all works

applicatons-flyer

These consist of organic materials that have no nutritional or monetary value and are either dumped or burnt which adds to the pollution problem.

Reject:

• Cereal grains dust husks
• Grasses and straws
• Green foliage
• Unused sawdust going to waste
• Pulses
• Nut shells
• Fruit stones
• Bamboo
• Potato peel, Banana skin

All of the above are consistent, plentiful and sustainable

Markets that have been identified are as follows:

• The building and construction industries
• Aeronautical industry (Investigating fire prevention and insulation applications)
• Agricultural and general growers of fruit vegetables and trees
• Filtration and purification suppliers
• Pharmaceutical
• Dry cleaners
• Gold mining (recovery of fines)
• Food and beverage manufacturers
• Oil spill contractors
• Packaging
• Refractory brick manufacturers
• Solid fuel beads for cooking and heating
• Food production (carbonisation plant can be adapted)
• Drying facility for growers cereals affected by water
• Pyrotechnics
• Incense sticks
• Insecticide (ash residue)