linuxwrangler Posted October 29, 2009 Report Posted October 29, 2009 Great, there could be competition for our beloved coconut charcoal: http://hplusmagazine.com/articles/energ ... n-power#at Turns out it is ideal for a critical portion of a fusion reactor. From the article: There may soon be a run on coconut futures. Vintage 2002 Indonesian coconut-shell charcoal is being used to help build what may become the first commercially viable Tokamak fusion power electrical generating facility near Cadarache in the south of France... ...The coconut charcoal is an environmental sponge that “adsorbs†the helium and hydrogen byproducts of the thermonuclear fusion reaction. After 20 years searching for the ideal adsorber...Day’s team decided on charcoal. And not just any charcoal. "We found that coconut-shell charcoal is the best,"....
johnnyboy Posted October 29, 2009 Report Posted October 29, 2009 Having done a few trips to the islands; appears there's lots of coconut shells to be had. Almost nuisance proportions. If shells laying on the ground are the same ones used for charcoal; I'd say there's plenty to go around.
DennisLinkletter Posted October 29, 2009 Report Posted October 29, 2009 You can make charcoal from all of it but.. You can make charcoal from all of it but some shells are much thicker than others.. transportation (to where they will be heated and turned to carbon) for the thin ones is much more as they take up much more space (per ton) in the truck. Or you can have it carbonized in the village in 55 gallon barrels but then you end up with a product that is not very uniform in quality.. I'm actually getting my coco carbon from another island there they have thick shells..
tcoliver Posted October 29, 2009 Report Posted October 29, 2009 So Dennis, when do you think you will have another supply of charcoal?
DennisLinkletter Posted October 29, 2009 Report Posted October 29, 2009 New factory for KK.. great for charcoal production too.. As of right now.. I can't find anybody who can consistently produce the charcoal I want to sell. This means that I'm going to have to make it myself. I have found a place that produces activated carbon from coconut shells that has proper professional retorts and can consistently supply the quality necessary. This week I've been moving the factory to a new location and there is a big open area where I'll be setting up a couple of retorts for charcoal. I've leased two buildings like this... 24 X 75m each. 3,600m2 or 38,736 sqft. To answer your question.. I'll be taking my time so probably not until this next spring.
TheNakedWhiz Posted October 30, 2009 Report Posted October 30, 2009 All I can say Dennis, is you simply amaze me at what you can accomplish. Wow....
johnnyboy Posted October 31, 2009 Report Posted October 31, 2009 Re: You can make charcoal from all of it but.. You can make charcoal from all of it but some shells are much thicker than others.. transportation (to where they will be heated and turned to carbon) for the thin ones is much more as they take up much more space (per ton) in the truck. Or you can have it carbonized in the village in 55 gallon barrels but then you end up with a product that is not very uniform in quality.. I'm actually getting my coco carbon from another island there they have thick shells.. Accessing remote scuba diving sites on some islands I've walked on lots of shells. Having said that I was actually trying to be a little funny with my comment about the plentiful amount of coconut shells laying around the islands. But now you have me wondering Dennis, is that where they actually harvest the shells for charcoal, from coconuts that have fallen on the ground?
DennisLinkletter Posted October 31, 2009 Report Posted October 31, 2009 and the pile grows and grows.. But now you have me wondering Dennis, is that where they actually harvest the shells for charcoal, from coconuts that have fallen on the ground? They harvest the coconuts for the meat and milk.. The shells are a byproduct/ leftover from that. The reason there were piles of them where you were diving is that there was a street vendor selling young coconuts in the shell as a drink and just tossed them aside.... and the pile grows and grows..
johnnyboy Posted November 1, 2009 Report Posted November 1, 2009 Re: and the pile grows and grows.. But now you have me wondering Dennis, is that where they actually harvest the shells for charcoal, from coconuts that have fallen on the ground? The reason there were piles of them where you were diving is that there was a street vendor selling young coconuts in the shell as a drink and just tossed them aside.... and the pile grows and grows.. Ha! Talk about a wake up call!!! I never thought about that! No wonder the locals I was talking to (helping us haul our gear to the boats) looked so surprised when I told them we used it for making charcoal; they'd never heard of it but you could see the light bulb come on, they were probably the same ones who tossed it there.
