The KonTiki kiln is a cone-shaped device used to produce biochar from agricultural wastes. The KonTiki, which has an initial construction price of $500, has been designed for large and small scale biochar production in developing countries. Due to its composition and physical structure, biochar is in high demand as a soil amendment, an animal dietary supplement, a charcoal replacement, a filtering material, or as a component in composite building material. Since biochar production produces high temperatures (650°C–750°C), recovering the excess heat from the kiln during a burn cycle for another use would be extremely beneficial. There are currently a few ways of recovering and using this heat, including overhead hoods and coils used to dry tea leaves, pasteurize water, or heat living spaces.

The goal of this project is to heat water to a safe bathing temperature, and, if the temperatures can be held consistently, to pasteurize the water. Because the kiln is used in countries where education can be minimal, operator ease and simple setup are key requirements for the recovery system. Biochar kilns also come in various sizes, so the heat reclamation system should be adaptable to those existing kilns.

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The Kon-Tiki Kiln

Our customer

Project Name

Kontiki Kiln Heat Recovery System

Project Number

P17487

Project Family

N/A

Start Term

2161 (Fall 2016)

End Term

2165 (Spring 2017)

Faculty Guide

Bill Nowak (bnowak@rochester.rr.com)

Primary Customer

Kathleen Draper (kdraper2@rochester.rr.com)

Sponsor (financial support)

Ithaka Institute (http://www.ithaka-institut.org/en/home)

Planning & Execution

Project Photos and Videos

Imagine RIT

Problem Definition

Systems Design

Preliminary Detailed Design

Detailed Design

Meeting Minutes

Build & Test Prep

Subsystem Build & Test

Integrated System Build & Test

Integrated System Build & Test with Customer Demo

Customer Handoff & Final Project Documentation