Blacksmiths usually use coal in their furnaces, others use gas, and still others use charcoal.
I read that a good feature of charcoal is its environmental friendliness, cheapness and the ability to make charcoal at home.
I read a few DIY charcoal making tutorials and chose the easiest and cheapest method.
Types and grades of wood fuel
The most common classification of this type of fuel divides it according to the type of material of origin. This classification makes it possible to select a product according to the degree of its calorific value. Depending on the color, the fuel can be divided into types:
- Black - made from soft deciduous trees (alder, poplar, aspen);
- White - burned out of hard wood (oak, hornbeam, birch);
- Red - obtained from conifers using soft charcoal technology.
According to the state standard GOST 7657-84, charcoal is divided into three classes - A, B, C. The highest grade of GOST defines fuel grade A - in it the mass fraction of non-volatile carbon is 90% - 78%. For grade B, the mass fraction is 88-77%, grade B should contain from 77 to 67% carbon.
GOST 7657-84 Charcoal. Specifications
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In addition, there are other quality standards for charcoal, for example, the specific gravity of charcoal, the mass of 1 dm3, the mass fraction of ash, and the presence of fractions determined by the size in the volume. True, these standards apply mainly to industrial products. The production of charcoal at home is usually used to assess quality by studying the color of the product and the presence in the composition of different fractions - the amount of large pieces, medium, small and wood dust.
