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Originally Posted by bughunter99
How were native Amazonians managing to contain the gases to create this product I wonder? How were they burning things anaerobically?
I crush the leftover chunks from the firepit and throw them in the garden. Do the plants like it? No clue. I throw too much other stuff in there to tell.
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Well, a modern way to make charcoal is to intentionally build a retort and pyrolize wood with it.
The old, low-tech way is to start a fire in a pit and then backfill it to create an oxygen poor environment. Let the fire smolder for a while (overnight, maybe a day or few) and then dig up your charcoal.
I'm planning to build a rocket stove to make my own charcoal. Rocket stoves are purpose-built to burn wood gasses, so it should be relatively easy to modify the design to add a retort and just burn off the excess wood gasses from the wood you're turning into charcoal.
As for charcoal left over from a campfire. You would want to rinse it before using it. The ashes that will probably be present will effect your pH significantly. You would also want to crush it to increase surface area and then innoculate it with fertilizer and beneficial bacteria and fungi.