How to make charcoal from woodworking waste

Woodworking is a rewarding hobby and profession, but it also produces a lot of waste. According to some estimates, up to 84% of the original tree is lost as wood chips, sawdust, shavings, bark, and other residues. They are often discarded or burned, wasting valuable resources and creating environmental problems. But did you know that you can turn these wood wastes into charcoal, a useful and profitable product that can be used for grilling, cooking, heating, and industrial fuel?

There are different methods of making charcoal from woodworking wastes, depending on the type and size of the waste. Here are two common methods that you can try at home or in your workshop.

Sawdust is one of the most abundant and easy to use woodworking wastes. It can be directly converted into charcoal by compressing it into briquettes and then carbonizing them in a kiln or a furnace. Here are the steps to follow:

If your sawdust is too coarse or contains large pieces of wood, you need to crush it into smaller particles. You can use a hammer mill, a wood crusher, or any other suitable device for this purpose.

Sawdust needs to be dried before making briquettes, as moisture can affect the quality and combustion of charcoal. You can use a rotary dryer, a belt dryer, or any other suitable device for this purpose. The ideal moisture content of sawdust for briquetting is around 8-12%.

Sawdust briquettes are made by compressing sawdust under high pressure and temperature. You can use a screw briquette machine, a piston briquette machine, or any other suitable device for this purpose. The shape and size of the briquettes can vary according to your preference.

Sawdust briquettes need to be carbonized in a kiln or a furnace at a temperature of around 500-800°C for several hours. During carbonization, the briquettes lose moisture and volatile gases and become hard and black. You can use a traditional charcoal kiln, a modern continuous carbonization furnace, or any other suitable device for this purpose.

Wood blocks are another common type of woodworking waste that can be turned into charcoal. They can be directly carbonized in a kiln or a furnace without any prior processing. Here are the steps to follow:

Wood blocks need to be cut into smaller pieces before carbonization, as large pieces take longer to heat up and char. You can use a chainsaw, a circular saw, or any other suitable device for this purpose. The ideal size of the wood pieces for carbonization is around 5-10 cm.

Wood blocks need to be dried before carbonization, as moisture can affect the quality and combustion of charcoal. You can use natural sun drying, artificial drying, or any other suitable method for this purpose. The ideal moisture content of wood blocks for carbonization is around 15-20%.

Wood blocks need to be carbonized in a kiln or a furnace at a temperature of around 500-800°C for several hours. During carbonization, the wood blocks lose moisture and volatile gases and become hard and black. You can use a traditional charcoal kiln, a modern continuous carbonization furnace, or any other suitable device for this purpose.

After carbonizing the wood blocks into charcoal, if you want further process them into different shapes of charcoal briquettes, pls refer to the below article