GRET LDP project Bui Ngoc Long – Patrice Lamballe

Production trial of bamboo luong charcoal

and activated carbon
Assignments in need of implementation and completion

GRET and LDP project participate in the provision of technical assistance to workshops,
including main assignments as follows:
1) Carrying out first production trial.
2) Adjusting techniques- technology of building and burning kilns
3) Reviewing financial and technical aspects of production
4) Making proposals on future investment in charcoal production sector

1. Preparation work
a. Transferring primary production equipments to existing workshops

• It is concluded after discussion with workshop owners and based on the workshops’
needs and demand as well as their strategy, financial situation and land availability.
o Three workshop owners expressed their concern and agreed to the establishment
of kilns (X1, X2 and X4); X3 has no interest in coordination with X5
o X2 is not suitable for charcoal production because the workshop location lies in a
narrow area, failing to provide enough space for building a kiln.
o To make up for this, all workshops allow using X5 as the third trial. Therefore,
charcoal production is carried out in 3 workshops: X1 (Thien Phu - Quan Hoa),
X4 (Dien Chung – Ba Thuoc) và X5 (Xuan Phu – Quan Hoa)
b. Preparing construction materials
o Materials collected on-site (cement, sand, bricks…): Bricks, sand are materials
produced and available in the region. Cement is also available near the
construction site, its price is nearly similar to that is in the plain’s market (only
higher by 7-10%).
o Materials purchased from Thanh Hoa: (glass wool, refractory bricks, glass liquid):
these are special materials used for refractory structure of the kiln. They are not
available in the region (including Thanh Hoa city) and have to be ordered from
companies of refractory materials in Bac Ninh, Thai Nguyen at very high price:
 • Refractory brick: Price offered by the Factory is 1,700 VND/Kg, equivalent to
6,000 VND/unit (each brick unit weighs 3.5 Kg on average) excluding
delivery fees.
• Glass wool: 18,000 VND/kg.
- After studying the market, the team bought refractory bricks and glass
wool from Thanh Hoa ceramic company at the price equivalent to 60% of
market price (3,500 VND/brick unit, 1,000 VND/Kg glass wool)
- However, there is not high amount of these materials left. Therefore, on
building the new kiln, material cost should be calculated according to
factory’s price.
c. Collecting raw materials
o After finishing the kiln, it takes at least 1-2 days to dry it before loading material
for burning trial. The first burning time aims to dry the kiln and check its
techniques so it is not necessary to take consideration of material and product
quality.
o From the second one, it is necessary to monitor burning techniques to identify
product quality. Different kinds of material have different period of burning :
• For dry and thin material: burning time is short (ex. X4;1, it’s to say, the first
cycle of kiln build in X4 workshop)
• For thick and fresh material: burning time is prolonged (ex. X4;3)

o To make products with good quality:

• Materials for burning should be fresh poles,
• Aged 3 years old or more and
• Not spongy

Then after burning, the whole kiln will be evenly dried, with high temperature and
high quality products.
o Poles with thick wall and small perimeter will take time for fire distribution,
requiring long time of burning and cooling which leads to maximum temperature
inside the kiln and makes products with high quality and suitable for activated
carbon production.
d. Supporting kiln building
After studying reference documents of INBAR on techniques of building kiln and
technology of burning carbon with anaerobic kiln, GRET research team assigned two
officers to carry out following works:
o Studying techniques of loading and burning carbon in anaerobic conditions
according to the traditional method used by some villages and workers of burning
carbon in Tan Thanh, Luan Thanh communes of Thuong Xuan district, Hop Tien,
Hop Ly communes in Trieu Son district, and mountainous areas in Thanh Hoa
province.
o Carrying out burning trial of 3 rudimentary kilns in Kien Tho commune, Ngoc
Lac district - Thanh Hoa for testing burning technology and learning experience.
o Visiting workshops of charcoal production from bamboo luong in provinces of
Hoa Binh (Mai Chau and Ky Son districts), Vinh Phuc, to select building
technology and the kiln shape as well as study more about information of
techniques, market and price of each product.
o Referring to teachers of Hanoi university of technology and some workshops of
ceramic production in Thanh Hoa on techniques and technology of building
refractory kiln, and finally:
- Calculating and designing kiln model - estimating material cost - making
estimates of cost and plan of building kiln for workshops.

8 7 6 5
1
4

1. Burning gate - 2. Place of loading firewood - 3. The front

wall– 4. Smoke of luong material– 5. Way of burning
temperature – 6. The kiln dome made of brick - 7. The back
wall – 8. Chimney
Fig. 12: Diagram of the burning kiln made of brick
 - Expenses related to kiln building:
Kiln X4 Kiln X1 Kiln X5
TT Details ( Simple kiln) (Double kiln) (Big double kiln) Total

I Materials 16,150,000.00 28,030,000.00 35,650,000.00 80,155,000.00

Refractory 12,250,000.
1 brick 7,000,000.00 00 14,000,000.00 33,250,000.00
Glass liquid 500,000.00 500,000.00 750,000.00 1,500,000.00
Asbestos 3,000,000.
2 fiber 2,000,000.00 00 4,000,000.00 9,000,000.00
3mm iron 4,500,000.
3 sheet 2,500,000.00 00 6,250,000.00 13,250,000.00
3,500,000.
4 Normal brick 1,800,000.00 00 4,000,000.00 9,525,000.00
1,500,000.
5 Cement 750,000.00 00 2,250,000.00 4,750,000.00
640,000.
6 Sand 200,000.00 00 400,000.00 1,440,000.00
640,000.
7 Slag, scoria 500,000.00 00 1,000,000.00 2,040,000.00
1,500,000.
8 Delivery 900,000.00 00 3,000,000.00 5,400,000.00
5,370,000.
II Labour 4,100,000.00 00 5,250,000.00 14,720,000.00
Total 20,250,000.00 33,400,000.00 40, 40,900,000 94,875,000.00

* Refractory brick, glass liquid and glass wool are structural material composition
located deep inside aiming at ensuring maximum burning temperature of the kiln and
products with highest quality (activated carbon) due to the following effects:
- Completely preventing the inside heat from releasing
- Absorbing and storing heat inside the kiln to reach maximum
temperature degree.
- Assisting the kiln to have high refractoriness and resistance against
cracks on the wall inside the kiln.
- The rest material is the kiln frame
o During burning, there should be two project staff taking turns to be present at the
workshop, to provide instruction on techniques of anaerobic burning to the
building workers.
o Workshops have searched and mobilized skilled brick-layers on-site to carry out
construction:
Each workshop hires 1 group of workers to carry out construction; these groups
have different capability, leading to delivering kilns with different quality.
On the other hand, due to research activities for learning experience performed
after each kiln building, the one which was built later has better quality and
lower construction fees than the previous one:

 Kiln X4:
- After exchanging and reaching agreement with workshops, the research
team and X4 made first construction plan of only a simple kiln. After
finishing the kiln, they had trial burning performed for a period. X1 was
only built after exchanging and drawing experience of X4 first kiln.

 Kiln X1:
- X1 was built as a double kiln, with thicker composition to ensure its
tightness and firmness. The cost to build this kiln is equivalent to 80% of
X4 cost (for each kiln).

 Kiln X5:
- After firing X1 for two periods, the research team together with
workshops reviewed coal quality, discussed the kiln structure, firing
technology and recognized that more studies need to be done on
technology of building kiln and burning coal in Lam Dong province,
before building a kiln in X5.
- After studying more about techniques of building kiln in Lam Dong and
from advices of the experts visiting the workshop, it is necessary to
change its design (building the kiln in round or ellipse shape) to ensure
higher temperature inside the kiln. However, this shape of kiln can lead to
difficulty in techniques of building the cover, technology that requires
skilled workers with much experience in doming and having enough care
in their work.
2. Carrying out first production periods and checking coal quality
a. Building and performing burning trials in X4 kiln :
1. From 20/1 to1/2 building simple kiln in X4 (Dien Trung commune)
- Size of the kiln:
+ Inside: 2.7 x 1.5 x 1.5 m
+ Outside: 4 x 2.8 x 2.0 m.
- Structure:
+ The first layer: 24 cm fire-resistant brick
+ The second layer: glass wool of 5 cm thickness
+ The third layer: kiln residues (slag) of 15 cm in thickness.
+ The forth layer: normal brick for kiln wall of 21 cm in thickness.
+ Parabolic-shaped dome in 4 layers with domed frame made of iron.
o Expense details of building X4:
No. Details Unit Amount Unit price Total
I Materials 16,150,000.00
1 Refractory brick Brick unit 2000 3,500.00 7,000,000.00
Glass liquid Kg 200 2,500.00 500,000.00
2 Asbestos fiber kg 200 10,000.00 2,000,000.00
3 3-mm iron sheet m2 10 250,000.00 2,500,000.00
4 Normal brick Brick unit 4000 450.00 1,800,000.00
5 Cement Ton 1 750,000.00 750,000.00
6 Sand Trip 1 200,000.00 200,000.00
7 Kiln residues Trip 1 500,000.00
8 Delivery Trip 1 900,000.00 900,000.00
II Total 4,100,000.00
Total 20,250,000.00

Situation of burning trial:

After finishing the kiln, the research team dried it in one day, then performed
the first burning trial:
o During burning trial, the research team often exchanged with many people with
much experience in producing brick and ceramic to identify accuracy of the
building techniques and draw experience for burning and burning technology.
 o Differences of products which are burned from different kinds of materials
(comparison made on periods of the kiln X4: an amount of 5,5m3 materials)

Kg of
Kinds of Time of Time of Rate of
loaded Note
material burning cooling products
material
Dry 1,5 tons 48 hours 72 30% Small amount of loaded
bamboo hours material, short time of burning,
knots 30% low quality products (coal
temperature reach about
300oC)
Fresh 1,8 tons 72 hours 98 22% Products are not evenly burnt
bamboo hours with quite low quality (about
knots 400oC≈ To charcoal)
Fresh and 2,5 tons 86-92 98 20% Products are evenly burnt with
small hours hours good quality, temperature
poles inside the kiln is quite high:
(600oC≈ To low quality
activated carbon)

The above table is based on realistic calculation in X4 and from the certificate of quality
control done by Quang Ninh company of quality verification. This table shows that:
- If the material for burning is bamboo knots, bottoms obtained from by-products of
chopstick and slats for flooring production, product quality will not be high because this
material is not equal in terms of freshness and age of culms, leading to not enough
temperature inside the kiln.
- However, this material is available and cheap so it could be used for producing charcoal
instead of wood coal (this could be a potential product replacing wood coal when this
production is being limited due to risk of deforestation and forest-fire from coal fire).
- If fresh and small bamboo poles are used as material for burning, coal can reach high
quality, with the temperature similar to that of activated carbon. This product can become
activated carbon, a product with very high value and demand (for exportation) through
one more step of activation. Despite the availability and not really high value of this
plant, it is necessary to make quick collection and careful selection to ensure both quality
and freshness.
Kiln X4-1
- Time of burning: 45 hours - Time of cooling: 4 days
- Amount of obtained products: 242 kg. (30% of the kiln is not usable, not burnt)
 Table of specific expense estimate

Details Unit Amount Unit price Total

Loaded material Kg 1,395 200 279,000
Time of burning + Hour 141 hours
cooling
Labor of burning Labor 8 30,000 240,000
Firewood for burning Kg 350 200 70,000
Total expense 587,000
Obtained product Kg 240

+ State of product amount and quality:

Because the kiln stopped production one week earlier, the material for burning which is
mainly bamboo knot, top and root obtained from chopstick production has become dry by
30-40%. Therefore, the material for loading only weighs 1395 kg/5.5m3.
It is partly due to the fact that the kiln is still wet, because newly built. Another reason is
that after 43 hours of burning, due to lack of experience, the research team had the kiln
covered so soon. That leaves an amount of not yet burnt material (30% the total amount
of material). The obtained products weigh 240kg, equivalent to 17% of material (which,
by deduction, only reached about 300oC).
(After discussion to draw experience, the research team and workshop owners agreed
that: Only using bamboo bottoms as material for burning and it will be burnt until green
smoke and white powder are seen around the chimney).

• Alternating material:

After gaining experience from the first burning period, there are changes as follows:
- Kilns X4-2: Root + 200kg fresh pole

Details Unit Amount Unit price Total

Loaded material (root + knot) Kg 1,555 200 311,000.00
Time of burning + cooling Hour 205 -
Labor of burning Labor 12 30,000 360,000.00
Firewood for burning Kg 600 200 120,000.00
Total expense 791,000.00
Obtained products Kg 368
- Because loaded materials are fresh bamboo knots + poles which weigh more than
that in X1, there is a higher amount of material compared to X1 (160 kg)
 - Due to experience gained from the previous one, the burning process is carried
out more perfectly; however, the temperature fails to reach maximum degree, that
leaves an amount of 10-15% material in the kiln undone and the obtained product
is 368kg = 23,7%, (This amount still includes some undone material which
released smoke while being burnt), the kiln only reached temperature of 350-
400oC.
- Kilns X4-3: Material is fresh and small poles with thick wall
Details Unit Amount Unit price Total
Loaded material (bamboo Kg 2,606 250
bottoms + knots) 651,500
Burning + cooling time Hour 283 0
Labor for burning Labor 12 30,000 360,000
Amount of burnt firewood Kg 750 200 150,000
Total expense 1,161,500
Obtained product Kg 564

- Burning material for kiln X4.3 is small poles which are older than 3 years with
thick wall, and completely fresh. Thus, the total amount of material loaded into
the kiln reached 2606 Kg, twice as much as it was in kiln 1.
- Due to fresh and old enough material and a longer time of burning, kiln 3
produces good quality. There is only 5% of those lying the bottom of the kiln
which is not burnt completely.
- Besides, 564kg of products reach high quality (checking quality in Quang Ninh
shows that coal obtained from his kiln reaches the temperature of 600oC). Some
is up to 7800kj/kg (Material coal accepted in Japan and Korea is 6000-6500kj/kg)

b. Building kiln and carrying out trial in the workshop X1: Double kiln - Thien
Phu.
Construction of kiln 1 began after the first period of kiln X4 was finished (in order to
redesign the suitable appearance, wall and gate). Its wall is thicker than that of X4 by
15cm; the gate for loading material is different of the burning gate:
- Size of the kiln:
+ Inside: 2 x (2.5 x 1.5 x 1.5 m)
+ Outside: 4 x 5.4 x 1.8 m

- Structure:
 + The first layer: 24 cm fire-resistant brick
+ The second layer: glass wool of 5 cm thickness
+ The third layer: kiln residues of 15 cm in thickness.
+ The forth layer: normal brick for kiln wall of 21 cm thickness.
+ Parabolic-shaped dome in 4 layers with domed frame made of iron.

Table of construction fees of anaerobic burning kiln

(double kiln)
No. Details Unit Amount Unit price Total
I Materials 28,030,000.00
1 Refractory brick Brick unit 3500 3,500.00 12,250,000.00
Glass liquid Kg 200 2,500.00 500,000.00
2 Asbestos fiber kg 300 10,000.00 3,000,000.00
3 3-mm iron sheet m2 18 250,000.00 4,500,000.00
4 Normal brick Brick unit 7000 500.00 3,500,000.00
5 Cement Ton 2 750,000.00 1,500,000.00
6 Sand m3 8 80,000.00 640,000.00
7 Kiln residues m3 8 80,000.00 640,000.00
8 Delivery Trip 1 1,500,000.00 1,500,000.00
II Total 5,370,000.00
Total 33,400,000.00

State of burning trial :

Specific detail of first burning cycle of X1 kiln (X1-1)

Details Unit Amount Unit Total

X1 .a X1.b Total price
Loaded material Kg 1,40 1,61 3,015 200
5 0 603,000
Time of burning + cooling Hour 183 182 183 0
Labor for burning Labor 14 14 30,000 420,000
Firewood for burning Kg 450 450 900 200 180,000
Total expenses 1,203,000
Obtained product Kg 450

+ State of product amount and quality:

The material used for loading is bamboo bottoms, knots obtained from chopstick
production but fresher than that used in X4 (its moisture content decreases by 20-
25%), so kiln Thien Phu reaches the weight of 3100kg/11m3.
- In the kiln 1.a (one of both kiln), material used is thin bamboo top knots, so
that the material loaded into the kiln only weighs 1450 kg.
- In the kiln 1.b, material used is thick bottoms and knots, so that the material
loaded into the kiln reaches a higher weight, by 1610kg
 Due to early coverage of the kiln, there is amount of non burnt material (20-30%),
coal quality is low, obtained product amount is small (only 450 kg = 15%
material).

• Alternating material:

Thanks to experience gained from the first burning period, there are changes in
the next periods as follows:
Kiln X1- cycle 2: Fresh bamboo ends

Details Unit Amount Unit Total

A B Total price

Loaded material Kg 2100 2000 4100 200 820000

Time of burning + Hour 231 219 231
cooling 0
Labor for burning Labor 14 14 14 30000 420000
Firewood Kg 620 570 1190 200 238000
Total expense 1478000
Obtained products Kg 290 270

o Materials used are completely fresh bamboo ends with thick wall, so there is a
great amount of loaded material; however, it takes time to complete burning (50
hours longer than cycle1).
o Age quality of bamboo poles are not equal, there are still many tender, spongy
poles which make products at low quality.
o Despite longer burning time than kiln 1, too thick wall leads to many non burnt
materials, of which the rate is rather high (25-30%) with the temperature inside
the kiln of only 450oC.

Kiln X1- Cycle 3: Fresh bamboo poles type 3-4 (circumference < 27-30 cm)

Details Unit Amount Unit price Total

A B Total
Loaded material Kg 1850 1800 3650 200 730,000
Time of burning + Hour 207 196 207
cooling
Labor for burning Labor 14 14 14 30000 420,000
Firewood for burning Kg 550 480 1030 200 206,000
Total expense 1,356,000
Obtained products Kg 330 320 650

o Thanks to experience gained from the 2 previous kilns (cycles), the material of
kiln 3 was completely burnt. Only 10% of poles lying in the kiln bottom is not
completely burnt (due to the too high design of the chimney gate and lack of an
iron support in the kiln bottom).
o Product rate of kiln 3 reaches up to 18% excluding the non burnt part. Quality
obtained is high, with the temperature inside the kiln of 550oC (by deduction).

Kiln X1- cycle 4: Thick bamboo luong ends and knots which are split into laths

Details Unit Amount Unit Total

A B Total price

Loaded material Kg 2000 2000 4000 200

Time of burning + Hour 289 284 289
cooling
Labor for burning Labor 14 14 14 30000
Firewood for burning Kg 650 600 1250 200
Total expense
Obtained product Kg 357 408 765

o After discussion and experience exchanges, the team decided to have kiln X1 gate
lowered by 10 cm
o Place the iron support in the kiln bottom so that the internal temperature can reach
the material layer lying in the bottom.
o Based on experience of handicraft workers, the team waited until white smoke
was seen around chimney wall to have the kiln covered (combustion stopped).
o All of the above aspects help to gain better quality of product than kiln 3 with
product rate of over 19% (excluding the non burnt part).

Kiln X1-5: Bamboo luong ends and knots

 Details Unit Amount Unit Total
A B Total price

Loaded material Kg 2100 2000 200

Time of burning + Hour 318 301 318
cooling
Labor for burning Labor 15 15 15 30000
Firewood for burning Kg 550 500 200
Obtained product Kg 400 390

o Product rate of kiln X1.5 reaches nearly 20% of loaded material, coal quality
reaches activated carbon at low level (about over 600oC).
o This is the kiln with highest quality compared to other kilns due to the experience
gained from the previous ones.
o After discussion, the team and workshop decided to leave one of two kilns (A) for
burning trial a second time, in order to study activation capacity of the kiln:

Kiln X1 – cycle 5 . A - Second burning cycle

Details Unit Amount Note

Loaded material (charcoal) Kg 400 From kiln X1-
5.a
Time of burning + cooling Hour 102 30+72
Labor for burning Labor 3
Firewood for burning Kg 200
Obtained product Kg 350

 To examine the activation capacity in the kiln (second burning cycle), the research
team carried out:
i. Coal gained after burning of kiln X1-5.A was left untouched in the kiln, the gate
was largely open so that the water stream can be absorbed in 3 days before re-
burning.
ii. Carrying out 30 hours of continuous burning so that charcoal can interact with
water stream (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) released from burning period at
high temperature (kiln temperature) then covering for cooling in 3 days.
 After unloading, according to visual comments of the team and workers of burning:
Coal gained after re-burning is blacker, more spongy and lighter; however, it is
necessary to have specialists to reexamine the accurate quality.

c. Establishment and burning trial of X5: carried out after first periods of kilns X4 and
X1 and after visits to workshops and traditional kilns in Lam Dong:

• Establishment: Kiln X5: After 2-3 periods of burning carried out in kilns X1 and X4
together with experience gained from visits to kilns of coal burning of Da Lat
company of urban sanitation and advices of some experts, there are changes in
establishment of kiln X5 as follows:
o Kiln was built in round (elliptical) shape – high dome.

o Kiln volume is bigger than that of kiln X1 and X4 (11m3/1 kiln)

o One of the two kilns was built with only one layer of fire-resistant brick and
especially:

 After the research visit in Lam Dong, the research team realized that:

 Each ton of material can produce 6-8% attar (essential oil) (equivalent to
60-80kg attar), an important income source in the process of coal burning.

 Bamboo attar is a product with high economic value (price of exporting

from China to Japan and Korea is about 1.2 USD – selling price in
Vietnam is about > 10,000 VND/kg).

 And market demand (in Japan, Korea) is very high (« buy all if available»
– said staff of Da Lat company of managing urban facilities)

 Design of the extracting system is simple, and experts from Da Lat

company met, give enthusiastic instructions on extracting technology.
Therefore, the team decided to design a pilot system for bamboo attar
production in kiln X5:

 Size of the kiln:

+ Inside: 2 x (3 x 2 x 2) m
+ Outside: 4.4 x 5.7 x 2 m
- Structure:
+ The first layer: 24 cm of fire-resistant brick
 + The second layer: glass wool of 10cm thickness.
+ The third layer: kiln residues of 15cm thickness.
+ The forth layer: normal brick for kiln wall of 21 cm thickness.
+ 4- layer dome built in parabolic shape with iron frame.
+ Attar (vinegar) extracting system with china (porcelain) pile of ϕ150

No. Details Unit Amount Unit price Total

I Materials
1 Refractory brick Brick unit 4500 3,500.00 15,750,000.00
Glass liquid Kg 300 3,500.00 1,050,000.00
2 Asbestos fiber kg 400 10,000.00 4,000,000.00
3 3 mm iron sheet m2 20 250,000.00 5,000,000.00
4 Normal brick Brick unit 8000 500 4,000,000.00
5 Cement Ton 3 750,000.00 2,250,000.00
6 Sand Trip 2 200,000.00 400,000.00
7 Kiln residues Trip 1 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00
8 Delivery Trip 2 1,500,000.00 3,000,000.00
II Labor 5,150,000.00
Total(I+II) 41,600,000.00

• Specific details of burning the kiln

Kiln X5- Cycle 1 :

Amount Unit
Details Unit Total
A B Total price
Loaded material Kg 2600 3100 200
Time of burning + Hour 148 157 157
cooling
Labor for burning Labor 20 20 20 30000
Firewood for burning Kg 750 900 200
Attar (vinegar) Kg 76 100 176
o It is the first time of extracting attar without much experience; on the other hand,
about 20% of loaded material as bamboo ends and knots is dry, these two elements
lead to not high amount of obtained attar; however:
 o Attar quality gained can meet exportation standard based on examine instruction of
Da Lat company of managing urban facilities (pH level ranges from 3 to 4).
o This amount of attar was sent as offer to several companies, among which a company
based in Lao Cai (owned by Mr. Dan) agreed to buy at the price of 10.000 VND/kg;
Mr. Dan promised to visit the workshop and apply for purchasing of all the attar
extracted by us.
3. Conclusion:
By April 30th, 2007, all the 3 workshops (X1, X4 and X5) had kilns built and 8 burning trial
have been carried out. After burning, each place had exchange of experience performed
between the research team and workshops owners, therefore:
o Coal quality is always improved kiln after kiln.

o Up to May 30th 2007, all workshops owners had mastered fundamental techniques of
burning and monitoring methods for the highest quality.
o In the last 4 kilns (cycles) in workshops X1 and X4, coal quality reaches at least 600oC
(samples of X4-3 have been sent for examination) equivalent to temperature to obtain
quite low quality activated carbon (>600oC).
o In kiln X1-5, the second period of burning trial was carried out with success and produces
high activated carbon: coal then produced is black, spongy, light (of course, it will be sent
for examination of quality)
o In kiln X5, attar extracting was carried out and produced 176 kg attar (vinegar) with
accepted quality which was sent as offer and accepted by customer at the price of
10.000VND/kg (now pending for order from customers so that mass production (in large
amount) can be carried out)
3.1 Comments on production expense and investment
a. Investment efficiency
o According to INBAR guidance disseminated in Internet together with requirements
on product quality, the research team sees that investment in establishment of kiln and
burning trial in workshops of the project is completely possible and beneficial:

• At the rate of 1/5 (5 kg material can produce 1 kg product) in coal production,

even not mention attar extracting it can make profit (even selling charcoal at
2.500đ/kg),
 • However, for effective production, it is necessary to produce coal with high
quality for consumption in exporting market: the lowest exporting price from
Chinese enterprises to Japan and Korea market is currently 0.6 USD CIF/kg for
normal bamboo coal.

• If bamboo attar (vinegar) is added to final products, we will have more 2,000,000-
3,000,000 VND/5 tons of bamboo. (200-300kg attar) therefore, with the domestic
selling price of 2000 VND/kg bamboo coal, we can gain total revenue on 6 tons
of bamboo (including firewood) of from 4,000,000-5,000,000 VND, in which
total production expense is only 2,000,000 VND (if end knots are used as
material) and 3.500.000 VND (if tender bamboo plants are used as material).
b. Related impacts:

• Producing bamboo coal in Vietnam, especially in mountainous area of Thanh

Hoa, can serve as an appropriate business method because it helps workshops take
complete advantage of waste from chopstick, handicraft and flooring laths
production (currently 40-60% is waste).

• Additionally, there is much amount of small bamboo luong plants with low
economic value which are often sold for column (pole) at 200-300 VND/kg. This
kind of material is small but firm and has high life-expectancy (over 3 years), so it
is very suitable for production of high quality coal. If this material is taken
advantage for coal burning, it can bring about high economic value (exportation)
to increase income of luong planters.

c. Possibility of implementation in a larger area:

• All of the materials used in kiln building are produced and sold in large amount
nationwide, and can be easily purchased. Their price is not high (see details at the
table of kiln building expense)

• Especially, after visiting Lam Dong where there are many households producing
activated carbon and charcoal from similar kilns using Japanese technology, the
research team sees that: it is possible to reduce cost of kiln building, if we can
take advantage of land position of the mountainous area to remove some layers
but still ensure kiln and coal quality:

 Currently kiln X5 with the volume of 11m3, total building expense is about
25,000,000 VND (double kiln in X5 costs 41,600,000 VND)
  If removing fire-resistant layer, each kiln with the volume of 10M3 only costs
10-12,000,000 VND.

 If digging a deep hole to build the kiln and only building a refractory layer,
each kiln with the volume of 10M3 only costs 16-17,000,000 VND.

• Due to un-complicated technology of burning which can be transferred,

together with the above estimated costs, it is possible to make application
of coal burning technology at household level (group of households) (even
including household with average income and nearly-poor households)

d. Production expense
o After two first period of drying as well as testing for experience, from the third one,
technology of burning has been perfected, burning kiln produces high quality coal,
product rate is 22% (1 ton of fresh bamboo produces 220kg coal + 20-30kg attar).
Coal burning can bring about high economic efficiency:
o Kiln X4- Cycle 3 for ex. (have had quality examined)

Details Unit Amount Unit price Total

Loaded material Kg 2500 300 750,000

Labor for burning Labor 8 30000 240,000
Firewood for burning Kg 500 200 100,000
Kiln depreciation Đ/cycle 1 87.000 87.000
Total expense 1,177,000
Obtained product VND 2.250,000
Coal 500 2500 1,250,000
Attar Kg 100 10.000 1.000,000
Profit (if completely sold) 1.073.000

o The above table is based on charcoal selling price in domestic market at lowest price
(selling to Truong Phat activated carbon incorporated company - Bac Giang - this
price has excluded delivery cost). The value can greatly increase through exportation.
(0.5 US/kg – FOB Hai Phong)

3.2. Difficulties and risks (lessons of experience):

- This kiln is an anaerobic kiln with round shape, domed roof. This kiln can ensure
tightness and endurance against push of pressure inside the kiln (caused by pressed
 air in burning process). Therefore, skilled workers are needed for the construction, if
there is any mistakes, it can lead to state of uncovered, cracked and even collapsed.
- If the chimney is too large, heat can be released quickly and conversely. These two
states will lead to low quality of product (appropriate size of chimney: 7-10cm in
height; 40cm in length).
- If the kiln is covered too soon, there will not be enough heat that leads to low quality
of product. If the kiln is covered too late, coal will be spoilt, leading to waste of
material and fuel.
- Due to a characteristic of bamboo coal of good absorbability, after a long time, this
product will absorb humidity in the air that leads to low quality. Therefore, it needs
storing in a dry and close environment so that it can not absorb humidity in the air.

3.3 Experience and considerations in terms of technology and techniques:

a. In terms of construction:

• The kiln used for coal burning is anaerobic kiln which can resist heat and
burn coal under method of heat distribution. Therefore, it requires that the
following aspects should be ensured:
- Totally close: in order to prevent air circulation as well as heat from releasing
in the process of burning and cooling.
- Heat resistant (refractory): in the process of burning and cooling,
temperature inside the kiln can reach over 1000oC, so kiln structure should
have high capacity of heat-resistance, otherwise phenomenon of crack and
damage can occur.
- Quickly heat absorbent: because temperature and quality of coal will
completely depend on kiln temperature, the inside wall the kiln must have the
capacity of not only absorbing heat but also quickly absorbing heat so that
kiln temperature can reach highest degree in the process of burning and
cooling.
- Resistant against internal pressure: during burning and cooling, because the
kiln is completely close and the inside temperature quickly increases, the air
in the kiln is quickly elastic that creates a very strong push from inside.
Therefore, to ensure that the kiln is not cracked, broken or even exploded, the
kiln wall structure must be really thick and firm (metal support structure
 bearing high pressure should be placed in kiln wall and top at the end of
building process).

b. In terms of burning technology:

The process of coal burning consists 7 steps in all:

Loading Drying Pre-heat distribution

Activation

150~280℃~
120~150℃ 450℃
280~450℃

Unloading - Cleaning – Cooling Refining coal at high

Packing temperature

60℃
Over 450℃

 Selecting material for loading: For products with high quality, materials
selected should be fresh poles or fresh end knots of plants aged more than 3
years and not spongy.

 Drying: there is white smoke in this process (like colour of water).

 Pre-heat distribution: in this process, smoke is yellow, then changes into

black and returns to yellow (this is also time of attar extracting).

 Activation: the smoke will change from light white into blue white. At the
end of this process, white powder will dry water around the chimney opening
that leads to the state that white powder is seen around chimney opening as
smoke ash. This is the time for covering (cover the chimney opening first, kiln
gate later)
  Coal refining: while the kiln is being covered, coal is still in the process of
heat distribution and heat release => kiln temperature continues to rise, if the
kiln is completely close, at the end of this process, it can reach 1000oC.

 Cooling: after 3 days of refining, the kiln can be left gradually cool, or to
make it quickly cool, they use cool water to continuously spill its top.

 Unloading: when the temperature decreases below 60°C, coal can be

unloaded, then we clean soot on coal then process and pack as required by
customers.

4. Proposals

Although bamboo luong value chain has been developing and tends to completely alternate
wood coal sector in many countries in the world, especially in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China
and European developed countries, it’s still a new sector in Vietnam, not only for customers
but also for producers. Therefore, there still exists great challenges in techniques of kiln
building and technology of coal burning for those who want to participate in this sector.
Currently there are 2 workshops producing bamboo coal in small scale (one in Hoa Binh,
another in Vinh Phuc), with different techniques of building burning kiln. There are some
bases and individuals who are studying with the expectance to participate in this new and
potential sector. They are also studying techniques of building and technology of burning
from many different sources.
With experiences gained from trial process, the research team makes some proposals as
follows:

4.1 Proposals in terms of construction:

• There are 2 kinds of kiln that can be used for burning bamboo coal

 Normal kiln - producing low quality coal - this kind of kiln can be built by local
farmers or inhabitants because the construction techniques aren’t complicated and
it can be used for burning any type of material.
- This is an anaerobic kiln without refractory material: used for burning mixed
materials of which age and quality can not be identified (end knots, by-
products, wastes from chopstick and toothpick production) - these kinds of
material hardly produce products with high quality and high selling price.
 - For this kiln, in the process of burning, the temperature inside can not exceed
500-600oC so normal brick mixed with soil can be used to build the wall
inside the kiln, while brick, sand and normal cement can be used to build the
surrounding wall.
- With the above structure, 01 kiln with the volume of 10m3 only costs
12.000.000 VND for construction expenses.

 Refractory kiln - producing high quality coal - activated carbon - this kind of
kiln should only be built by enterprises or concentrated workshops due to many
advanced techniques:
- This kind of kiln has the capacity of high heat accumulation and resistance so
refractory brick, glass wool and glass liquid are necessary materials for
construction.
- Each refractory kiln with the volume of 10m3 costs a bit higher than
30.000.000 VND for construction expenses.

• Both of the above kilns can be built by two ways:

- Form 1: Kiln wall has rectangular shape with dome - an advantage of

this kind of kiln is its firm structure, easily built but limited in the
capacity of heat accumulation.
- Form 2: Kiln wall has round or elliptical shape with dome - this kind
of kiln has an advantage of higher heat accumulation but skilled
workers are required for construction.

• To ensure closeness as well as heat accumulation, both of the above kilns

must be built with really thick wall (as thick as possible).

• Kiln wall is divided into 3 layers - each layer is 20-25cm thick:

- The first layer: made from fire-resistant material or dense brick.

- The second layer: made from kiln residues mixed with soil.
- The third layer: made from brick - cement - sand as a surrounding
wall.
 - It is necessary to carry out building trial of 2 kilns of normal kind (without
refractory material) for examining and testing the possibility of developing
this kind of kiln in the community.
- It necessary to supplement a system of attar extracting for all kilns to take
complete advantage of products.
- Carrying out building trial of a kiln producing high quality activated coal
(self-activating through a steaming system or carbon dioxide in the close
refining process)

4.2 Proposals in terms of burning techniques

• Material should be as fresh as possible (high humidity content).

• In the process of burning, workers have to continuously monitor smoke state to

accurately identify coal state in the kiln.

• Kiln should be covered only when, or right after, white powder is seen around the
chimney.

 Carrying out production trial of high quality activated coal (self-activating

through a second burning or a steaming system or carbon dioxide in the close
refining process)
 Annex

Kiln X4- cycle 2:bamboo ends +200kg fresh pole

Unit
Details Unit Amount Total
price
Loaded material Kg 1555 2
00 311,000.00
Time of burning + cooling Hour 205 -
Labor for burning Labor 12 30,0
00 360,000.00
Firewood for burning Kg 600 2
00 120,000.00
Pack Piece 25 1,5
00 36,800.00
Deduction KG 368
60 22,080
Total expense VND 849,880.00
Obtained product VND 1,161,500.00
Coal kg 368 2,0
00 736,000.00
Attar (4% total material) kg 62 10,0
00 622,000.00
Net profit 311,620.00

Kiln X4- cycle 3: fresh small bamboo poles with thick wall
Loaded material Kg 2606 2
50 651,500.00
Time of burning + cooling Hour 283 0.00
Labor for burning Labor 12 30,0
00 360,000.00
Firewood for burning Kg 750 2
00 150,000.00
Pack Piece 38 1,5
00 56,400.00
Deduction KG 564
60 33,840
Total expense VND 1,161,500
Obtained product VND 2,170,400
Coal kg 564 2,0
00 1,128,000
Attar (4% total material) kg 104 10,0
00 1,042,400
Net profit 1,008,900.00

Kiln X1- cycle 3: Fresh bamboo poles type 3-4

Details Unit Amount Unit Total
A B Tota price
l
Loaded material Kg 1 1 3650 200
850 800 730,000
Time of burning + cooling Hour 207 196 207 0
Labor for burning Labor 14 14 14 30000 420,000
Firewood for burning Kg 550 480 1030 200 206,000
Pack Piece 43 1500 65,000
Deduction KG 650 100 65,000
Total expense VND 1,486,000
Obtained product VND 2,760,000
Coal kg 330 320 650 2,0
00 1,300,000
Attar (4% total material) kg 74 72 146 10,0
00 1,460,000
Net profit VND 1,274,000

Kiln X1- cycle 4: Laths of thick bamboo luong knots

Loaded material Kg 2 2 4000 200 800
 000 000 ,000
Time of burning + cooling Hour 289 284 289
-
Labor for burning Labor 14 14 14 30000 42
0,000
Firewood for burning Kg 650 600 1250 200 25
0,000
Pack Piece 51 1500 7
6,500
Deduction KG 765 100 7
6,500
Total expense VND 1,62
3,000
Obtained product VND 3,130,000
Coal kg 357 408 765 2,0 1,53
00 0,000
Attar (4% total material) kg 80 80 160 10,0 1,60
00 0,000
Net profit VND 1,507,000

Kiln X1- cycle 5: Bamboo luong ends and knots

Loaded material Kg 2 2 4100 200 82
100 000 0,000
Time of burning + cooling Hour 318 301 318
-
Labor for burning Labor 15 15 15 30000 45
0,000
Firewood for burning Kg 550 500 1050 200 21
0,000
Pack Piece 53 1500 7
9,000
Deduction KG 790 100 7
9,000
Total expense VND 1,63
8,000
Obtained product VND 3,220,000
Coal kg 400 390 790 2,0 1,58
00 0,000
Attar (4% total material) kg 84 80 164 10,0 1,64
 00 0,000
Net profit VND 1,582,000

• Rate of attar extracting estimated on material of end knots (20% of them is

dry) is 4%.
• Rate of attar extracting estimated on material of complete fresh poles is 7%.
• Domestic selling price of charcoal is 2000 VND/kg (excluding delivery cost).
• Selling price of attar to exporting companies is 10.000 VND/kg.

According to the above detailed tables: if charcoal produced is only for sale in domestic
market, it is necessary to extract attar for economic benefits (it can be much higher through
exportation)