In today’s era of growing environmental protection and energy demand, charcoal as a high-quality fuel substitute and industrial raw material is gradually entering people’s field of vision. Its production is inseparable from the key equipment of carbonization machine. The following will introduce in detail the complete method of making charcoal using carbonization machine.
Raw material preparation
The raw materials for making charcoal are widely sourced, and common ones include agricultural and forestry wastes, such as discarded branches, straw, fruit shells, etc., as well as coal powder and coal slime in the coal processing process. First of all, these raw materials should be screened to remove impurities such as stones, metal objects, soil, etc. to ensure the purity of the raw materials. Because impurities will not only affect the quality of charcoal, but also may damage the internal parts of the carbonization machine. The screened raw materials need to be dried, and the moisture content is generally controlled at 10% – 15%. If the moisture is too high, too much energy will be consumed during the carbonization process, prolonging the carbonization time, and even leading to incomplete carbonization; if the moisture is too low, the raw materials may be too dry and broken, which is not conducive to subsequent molding.
Raw material crushing and mixing
The dried raw materials are crushed in a crusher, and the crushing particle size is usually required to reach 3-5 mm. The appropriate particle size helps the raw materials to fully react in the subsequent molding and carbonization process, and improves the strength and density of the charcoal. After the crushing is completed, depending on the different uses of the charcoal, it is sometimes necessary to add a certain proportion of additives, such as binders, combustion aids, etc. The binder can enhance the viscosity between the raw material particles and make the charcoal after molding more compact; the combustion aid can improve the combustion performance of the charcoal, increase its ignition point and combustion speed. The crushed raw materials and additives are fully mixed in a mixer according to the precise ratio. The mixing time is generally not less than 15 minutes to ensure that each raw material particle can be coated with the additive.
Molding operation
The mixed materials are then transported to the molding machine. There are various types of molding machines, and the common ones are stamping molding machines, screw molding machines, etc. The punch forming machine compresses the material into a predetermined shape, such as a cylinder or a block, through strong pressure. The forming pressure is generally 50-100 MPa. The screw forming machine uses the rotation of the screw to push the material forward and form charcoal at the mold outlet. Its advantage lies in its strong continuous production capacity. During the forming process, the mold size, pressure, temperature and other parameters of the forming machine should be adjusted according to the specifications of the charcoal. The temperature is generally controlled at 80-120℃, which can not only make the binder play the best effect, but also prevent the material from being carbonized prematurely due to excessive temperature. The charcoal blank after forming needs to be briefly dried or air-dried to make it initially solidified and the strength reaches the requirements for entering the carbonization machine.
Carbonization stage – the core application of the carbonization machine
The initially solidified charcoal blank is carefully placed in the carbonization machine. This step opens the most critical link in the production of charcoal. The internal structure of the carbonization machine is exquisite, and it usually has a heating system, insulation layer, ventilation device, etc. First, start the heating system, and gradually increase the carbonization temperature to 400-600℃ according to the characteristics of the charcoal raw materials and the blank. During the heating process, the heating rate must be strictly controlled, generally maintained at 3-5℃ per minute, to avoid cracking of the charcoal or uneven internal structure due to too fast heating. When the predetermined carbonization temperature is reached, maintain the temperature for a period of time, usually 2-4 hours, so that the charcoal blank can be fully carbonized in a high-temperature oxygen-free environment. The ventilation device of the carbonization machine plays an important role during this period. By accurately controlling the ventilation volume, the oxygen content in the carbonization machine can be adjusted to ensure that the carbonization process is carried out in an ideal state close to oxygen-free, preventing the charcoal from oxidizing and burning, affecting the quality of the finished product. The insulation layer effectively reduces heat loss, improves thermal efficiency, and reduces energy consumption.
Cooling and packaging
After a long and delicate carbonization process, the charcoal has been basically formed, but at this time its temperature is extremely high and needs to be cooled. Natural cooling takes a long time, and air cooling or water cooling is generally used to accelerate cooling. Air cooling is to use the strong wind generated by the fan to blow on the charcoal and take away the heat; water cooling is to use circulating water to flow in a special cooling pipe to indirectly absorb the heat of the charcoal, but it is important to control the degree of water cooling to prevent the charcoal from absorbing too much water. After cooling to room temperature, the charcoal is subjected to the final quality inspection to check whether its strength, density, carbon content, volatile matter and other indicators meet the standards. Qualified charcoal can be packaged. The packaging usually uses moisture-proof and breathable packaging bags and is packaged according to certain weight specifications for easy storage, transportation and sales.
Through the above rigorous and meticulous steps, high-quality charcoal can be produced using a carbonization machine to meet the needs of multiple fields such as energy and industry, and contribute to environmental protection and development. With the continuous advancement of technology, the method of making charcoal will continue to be optimized, and the performance of the carbonization machine will be increasingly improved, which is expected to open a new chapter in the charcoal industry.
