[Stoves] Comments about T-LUDs: Types of carbon

[frank at compostlab.com]

Paul, and all

I agree with you about the definition of Ash. It is the inorganic material
after 'complete' combustion. But in stoves we do not always get complete
combustion and the left overs are 'called' ash and that can contain a lot of
un-ash like material. 

If you were to toss in some agricultural lime (CaCO3) into the ash you would
have carbonates (CO3) in the ash. Carbonates can get into the ash in many ways
and can be formed during combustion with the sodium, calcium, magnesium and
potassium salts in the organic product. The test equipment used to determine
carbon will measure all (organic and inorganic) carbon. I  have always called
the carbonates 'fixed' ash but now think I may be wrong. So to determine the
unburned carbon from the carbonates there must be another test for one or the
other.

Frank 




On Sun, 08 Oct 2006 10:44:32 -0500, psanders wrote
> Frank and all,
> 
> Your comments about carbon arise questions to me.
> 
> Quoting frank at compostlab.com:
> > As I see it there are two types of carbons left in the ash. One 
> > carbon that is
> > left from the unburned wood and the other carbonates.
>       [and]
> > Ash, even in wood, is much more than just unburned organic material.
> 
> I could easily be wrong, but to me ash is the absolutely inert, 
> non-combustible
> residuals from combustion, and does NOT contain unburned organic 
> material. Silica and clinkers etc are all part of the inert "ash."  
> Maybe my terms are
> incorrect.
> 
> Is a "carbonate" inert, meaning, are the carbon atoms LOCKED into 
> carbonates? If so, then carbon-in-carbonate is 
> carbon-not-available-for-combustion.
> 
> Hydrocarbons are the backbone of combustion.  And there is
> carbon-in-unattached-form. (Is that pure carbon, or fixed carbon or elemental
> carbon, or all of those names?)    The unattached carbon also has 
> great fuel value.
> 
> I know that good-quality char (quite pure carbon) can be pulverized 
> and added to soil as a great soil builder.  But is that true for 
> "carbonates" also?
> 
> Yes, this relates to T-LUDs because those devices deal with the 
> various forms of carbon compounds and element at distinct times in 
> the T-LUD pyrolytic gasification.
> 
> Paul
> 
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