TLUD Gasifier Stove

Why Biochar

Biochar is an ancient soil treatment recently rediscovered. We are only just starting to fully realise the full benefits biochar brings to us, environmentally, economically and for our health. Simply, biochar is nutrient-rich charcoal that, when mixed into your soil in your garden or farm plot, improves the health of your soil. The most immediate benefit of this to you is the improvement of your garden output (crop yield) in both quantity of produce and its nutrient quality.

On the environmental side, biochar captures and stores carbon for the long term. It takes carbon out of the atmosphere and puts it back in the soil. So ultimately it naturally returns nutrients and fertilisers into the soil whilst also reducing harmful gas emissions.

Our TLUD Gasifier Stove

Our Top Lift Up Draft (TLUD) Gasifier Stove is a highly efficient stove for creating Biochar, by converting your our organic household and garden waste, into a usable and environmentally positive product. TLUD technology is highly efficient, saving around 75% of the fuel material used up in 3 stone fire woodstoves.

The type of garden waste often used by owners of this stove includes general garden waste that is free for you. It’s just there in your garden, occurring naturally. This includes items such as branches, twigs and sticks, pinecones and dry grass cuttings. Also household waste such as nut husks and shells can be used.

Once you buy the stove, you can create biochar, improving your garden and the environment at no further cost to you. This is one of the reasons there is so much interest and demand for our TLUD stoves.

Using the TLUD Stove

To use the stove you start by filling the canister with the fuel material. Then you start the fire on the top of the fuel bed by adding a small amount of starter material on top of this fuel material and setting it on fire. The heat from the fire pyrolysises the fuel material (which we call biomass) from the top, down through the fuel. The air required for the pyrolysis comes from below, through the fuel material in the canister. Pyrolysis breaks down the biomass into combustible gases, which move up in the stove leaving behind biochar. The fire at the top of the stove is fed by these gases, and pre-heated secondary air that is fed in at the top of the stove to ensure complete, clean, smokeless combustion.

At the end of the process, the remaining material (which is charcoal) is left behind in the canister and must be saved by quenching it with water or closing it off from air. This is as simple as tipping it on the ground and dousing it with water, or tipping it into a bucket of water, or tipping it into a metal or earthern closed container with  tight fitting lid to starve it for air.

When it is completely cooled down, you have your Biochar ready for use.

The TLUD Stove and the Environment

This technology in a wider context has great potential to help with the global drive for low carbon initiatives and a greener environment. This stove has its application for households. You and I can use this and we can all be a part of the environmental recovery we need globally.

TLUD GasifierStove Parts:

Our unit includes the following parts:

A separate cooking support assembly with tripod legs, special chimney and pot support, so the canister can be easily and safely removed to save the biochar, refilled with fuel and cooking continued.

A special cone and stopper to allow turn down of the stove for simmering. The cone also allows turn up of the stove using a fan to supply more air as may be needed for some fuels.