The
Ring of Fire Biochar Kiln is a metal container designed to efficiently convert waste wood and brush into biochar, a valuable soil amendment. Biochar is a highly porous form of charcoal that improves soil health by increasing water retention, improving nutrient availability, and providing a habitat for beneficial microorganisms. It also offers a sustainable way to sequester carbon, helping to mitigate climate change.
The kiln operates on the principle of counter-flow combustion, where all the air for the burn comes from the top.
This method protects the char underneath from air exposure, preventing it from turning to ash and preserving the valuable product.
How the Biochar Kiln Works:
The kiln's design, including a heat shield, helps hold in heat for better char conversion efficiency. The heat shield also pre-heats the combustion air, which flows through the gap between the shield and the kiln body. This process leads to more efficient and cleaner combustion, burning the smoke before it can escape. When operated correctly with dry, properly sized feedstock, the kiln produces very little visible smoke.
Key Features
Durable Construction: The kiln consists of an inner ring of six sheets of mild steel bolted together, and an outer ring of lighter gauge steel that functions as a heat shield.
Portable and Easy to Assemble: The kiln weighs 330 pounds when fully assembled, with each kiln body section weighing 37 pounds. It is designed to be assembled and disassembled for each use, making it easy to move the kiln and quench the biochar. Assembly can be completed in as little as 15 minutes with one to two workers.
Minimal Maintenance: The kiln will rust and discolor with use, but this will not affect its function. Storing it in a covered, protected area will help to preserve its longevity.
If ordering more than one unit, or shipping outside of the contiguous United States, please call for shipping quote.
This is my second kiln, purchased as part of a community fuels reduction grant. The first kiln I bought from Kelpie, who originally designed the kiln. Since then she formed a distribution partnership with Tarter to manufacter and distribute the kiln. Cool! I'm happy for her successes and want more people using these kilns to create biochar instead of just incinerating fuels.
The kiln arrived fine. I immediately noticed they had changed the design on the brackets. First, they appear to be made from a lighter weight, thinner material. So I hope they hold up as well as the original. I did confirm that new and old panels mate together just fine, so we can run a single 8 panel (double capacity) for large jobs.
Second, the threads are made via welded bolts inserted into holes and welded on the backside against the bolt head, instead of threads welded directly onto the bracket face itself. I think I get why they did this, for manufacturing efficiency and repair. But this is where the first problem appears, as there's also a greater chance for weld slop gumming up threads that do not allow wingnuts to be tightened all the way due to welding from the backside through a hole in the bracket, without being cleaned up with a die. That's exactly what happened here.
Next, the kit was missing hex nuts needed for the initial assembly, and several wingnuts came with misthreading that rendered them unusable. As a result, it was impossible to assemble and use the kiln as it was shipped. Fortunately I had some spares that I had bought for the first kiln to assemble the second.
What's worse is that I sent several emails both before and after purchase with questions and feedback, and never received any response. That's honestly the most concerning thing to me and the reason for a low rating. I hope in the future Tarter will stand by its products and offer better service quality because I want to see these kilns replace a lot of pile burning.
The pallet was ordered and shipped so fast I did not have time to tell them there was no rush. What I thought would take 4-6 weeks showed up in 10 days through terrible weather and a cross country trip on a truck.
First class service all the way.
Easy to assemble, operate, and even fun. Super easy to haul around. I’ve used my truck, work minivan, and my kid’s hatchback to move around.
Own two of them. This lets me run 8 panel burns when there are a larger piles to get through. Regular kiln is 6 panels and both setups process a lot.
I tell folks it is like a wind screen for piles with extra benefits.
Low smoke. Contained flame.
Leaves carbon behind to help soil health
The biochar holds water which is a big deal here in southwest
I’ve let friends use. If a panel gets dented they bend back pretty easy and are still very durable. I talked to a guy in California who has 100+ burn days on his. They havre YouTube videos.
When I haul them I like to use ratchet straps to keep them from moving around. I’lll wrap an old blanket around them and pack cardboard on the edges to keep straps from cutting.
There is an online group that has regular meetings on how to use these. Good for all kinds help.
Photo at horse property. The biochar was used in some manure compost and some in the stable to keep the odor down.
Assembled the kiln, all appears in order. One glitch was in shipping. I received a message it was coming via UPS, stay tuned, a week went by, and then a freight driver (another company) knocked on the door. Fortunately I was home.