Ask any farmer, survival expert, Boy Scout, hippie or prepper and they will tell you the awesome uses for charcoal. From improving your garden to filtering water and field medicine. But did you know with a few scrap parts you can run an unmodified internal combustion engine?



I've been interested in alternative energy for a long time. I wanted to find an inexpensive, scalable option that could work in virtually any inhabited part of the world. People are smart and creative. I knew there must be something out there. After lots of searching I found a very cool theory. It was not on a fancy tech blog or news conference. I found my answer in a grainy video on YouTube. An older man wearing dirty bibbed overalls who introduced himself as "Gary from Pennsylvania" He had a new take on a very old idea: Charcoal Gasification. I found this both brilliant and fascinating because I had been considering building a wood gasifier for years.



Following a rough outline of what I could see on his video I was able to build a functioning proof of concept using mostly junk parts: A metal 5 gallon bucket with lid, random valves and pipe fittings and a piece of PEX. Obviously my first try was raw and intended for rapid prototyping - but it worked, it was cheap and it was fast. I successfully ran an unmodified internal combustion generator engine purely on the gas produced by burning charcoal.



This has the potential for many benefits on the modern homestead, those to start freeing themselves from petroleum dependance, powering the remote cabin in the woods, pumping water to life sustaining crops, or mowing your lawn if gas ever hits $5 a gallon. However, for me one of the most exciting aspects of this project is the potential to increase the quality of life of the disenfranchised, the forgotten people of war torn countries, those living in poverty in a far away villages. Those who are a world apart removed from my aggravation when "my seat" is taken at the local coffee shop. Away from my First World Problems. I have friends who go to the far corners of the world to teach indigenous peoples new low impact, high yield environmentally friendly framing techniques. I want another carbon neutral tool for them to use.



I've included a video here to show you my raw unedited first run. The audio and video quality are not great - but you can share my "hey cool it works" moment.