This was the first project that I undertook during my Peace Corps service. What I built is called a biocrude gasifier and works by pyrolizing dense organic material in a custom built reactor which serves as an anaerobic chamber to burn dense organic substances. The creosote-dense smoke that is produced in the pyrolization process passes through iron tubing to cool and condense the creosote (aka biocrude) in two collection tanks. The smoke or gas, now mostly carbon monoxide and hydrogen, then passes through oxidized copper tubing. The oxidized copper tubing acts as a catalyst in a reaction to produce methanol which is then condensed and collected. The rest of the gas, now mainly hydrogen, leaves the end of the setup.

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The four byproducts of this process are: biochar, biocrude (condensed creosote), methanol and hydrogen gas. The biochar can be used as a soil additive or can be compressed into charcoal brickets and used as a cooking fuel. The biocrude can undergo further processing (thermal cracking) to produce a usable combustible fuel or the biocrude can be diluted and utilized as an insect repellent for agricultural application. The methanol can be used in a reaction to create biodiesel. The hydrogen gas can be channeled to any propane/butane based devise or a generate can be modified to run on the hydrogen produce by this mechanism.  

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I started this project as a way for local farmers to produce their own soil amendments and produce methanol to be used in producing biodiesel which can be used in diesel tractors or trucks. The project was not a success in its implementation but I did learn important lessons in terms of chemistry, project planning and development, community participation and buy-in, and the need to assess beneficiary ability.