DGS 1347 -2 
 1 Introduction  
 
Bamboo is one of the fast est growing plants in the world . The use of bamboo for charcoal 
production permits substitution for wood charcoal and hence reduces the pressure on the 
natural forests. Bamboo cultivation and utilization, including conversion into charcoal and 
charcoal based products, provide income generating options for farmers and communities.  
  
Bamboo charcoal is produced by pyrolysis  (i.e. the thermal decomposition of bamboo biomass 
carried out in high temperature with  no or limited supply of air (oxygen) ). Bamboo charcoal is 
similar  to wood charcoal and other lign o-cellulosic materials. It has high calorific value and 
carbon content as well as excellent burning qualities. Bamboo charcoal has good pore 
structure, larger  specific surface area and much higher adsorption capacity than wood 
charcoal.  These qualities, in addition  to energy applications , make bamboo charcoal to be 
used for a wide range of  applications such as:  
 
1. Purification and adsorption (drinking water, air  filters, gas masks),  
2. Daily health care,  
3. Deodorizer , 
4. Building interior decoration,  
5. Industrial,  
6. Soil improvement .  
 
Any species or variety of bamboo is suitable for charcoa l production. Whole bamboo culms , 
rhizomes, lops, tops and thick branches; splits, cut pieces and thick solid waste s arising out 
of processing (with the exception of particulate or powdered waste) can be used for charcoal 
production.  
Note s: 
1. For good quality charcoal, mature bamboo (3 -5 years) should be used , as the star ch levels and moisture are lower.  
2. Moisture content should be as low as 20 – 25 percent. During rains, bamboo should be harvested and left to air dry 
for some days.  
3. Do not mix different forms and types of bamboo (species, parts and offcuts). Loading uniform/ homogeneous is 
necessary for easy stacking inside the kiln and for proper carbonization.  
 
 
  DGS 1347 -2 
 2  
 
DRAFT GHANA STANDARD             DGS 1347 -2 
 
 
Carbonization: Part 2: - Code of Practice for Bamboo Charcoal M anufacturing  
 
 
1.0 Scope  
 
This standard describes the acceptable minimum requirements for exercising total quality  
control in bamboo charcoal production  plants and adherence necessary in order to assure 
quality and reliability of bamboo charcoal and its  products .  
 
 
2.0 Normative R eferences  
 
The following standards contain provisions which through reference in this text, constitut e 
provisions of this standard. All standards are subject to revision, and parties to agreements 
based on this standard are encouraged to investigate the possibility of applying the most  
recent editions of the standards indicated below : 
 
2.1   ISO/IEC 17025  – Laboratory Management System  
2.2   ISO 21626 -1-Bamboo charcoal — Part 1: Generalities  
2.3   GS ISO 7010: Graphical symbols — Safety colours and safety signs — Registered safety 
signs  
2.4   GS ISO 23601: Safety Identification — Escape and Evacuation Plan Signs  
2.5   GS ISO/TS 20559: Graphical Symbols — Safety Colours and Safety Signs — Guidance 
for the Development and Use of A Sa fety Signing System  
2.6 GS ISO 3864 -1:  Graphical Symbols — Safety Colours and Safety Signs — Part 1: Design 
Principles for Safety Signs and Safety Markings  
2.7 ISO 3864 -2:  Graphical Symbols — Safety Colours and Safety Signs — Part 2: Design 
Principles fo r Product Safety Labels  
2.8 ISO 3864 -3: Graphical symbols — Safety colours and safety signs Part 3: Design 
principles for graphical symbols for use in safety signs.  
 
 
3.0    Terms and Definitions  
 
3.1 
accredited laboratory  
laboratory that has ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation and can perform bamboo charcoal tests.   
  DGS 1347 -2 
 3 3.2 
kiln 
a chamber used for carbonization of bamboo and in which the temperature and humidity of 
the circulating air can be suitably controlled.  
 
3.3 
plant  
refers to the machinery, equipment or apparatus used for charcoal production . 
 
3.4 
procedures  
established steps in carbonizing bamboo . 
 
3.5 
quality control  
a system of maintaining standards in manufactured products by testing a sample of the 
output against the specification and correct deviations . 
 
 
4.0 General Requirements  
 
4.1  Quality control is the responsibility of top management of the bamboo charcoal  
company. However, an adequately trained member of staff shall be charged with the 
responsibility for following  documented  quality control procedures.  
 
4.2 These documented procedures shall require surveillance and control, from purchase 
of the basic raw material through all phases of manufacture and processing until delivery to 
the customer.  
 
4.3 Records shall be kept covering raw material sources, seasoning, and results of 
carbonization . Records for each lot of material processed shall carry an ident ification number 
and show the date of carbonization . These records shall become a part of the company’s 
permanent file.  
 
4.4 The company shall provide laboratory reports on tests as  well as other test reports that 
may be agreed upon with the customer. The laboratory test reports shall be from the GSA or 
any accredited laboratory.  The laboratory shall preferably be an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited 
laboratory.  
 
 
4.5 When it becomes evident that any phase of production does not comply with the 
requirements of relevant National Standards  and customer’s specification, the Quality Control 
designee shall notify management and corrective measures shall be taken . 
 
4.6 The Quality Control designee shall not release any material for delivery to the 
customer or for inspection  until the person  is satis fied that the material complies with the 
relevant National Standards . 
 
 
  DGS 1347 -2 
 4 5.0 Material  Pre-Carbonization  Quality  Control  
 
5.1 Plant Quality Control designee shall determine that all bamboo materials have been 
stored in accordance with the relevant National Standards  and good manufacturing practice 
while under plant control and prior to preparation  for carbonization . 
 
5.2 Plant Quality Control shall determine that all bamboo species  comply wi th the relevant 
National P roduct Standards  and the customer’s specifications , if any . 
 
 
6.0 Plant Gauges and Recorders  
 
6.1 Plants shall be equipped with pressure and temperature recorders  during each cycle 
of carbonization . Plant s shall also be equipped with pressure and temperature  gauges  for 
checking the accuracy of the recorders.  
 
6.2 All recorders, and gauges , including thermometers,  shall be calibrated and certified for 
accuracy by a n accredited body  at the time of installation and annually thereafter. Whenever 
there is evidence of malfunction, which cannot be corrected by simple adjustment, the 
instrument or gauge shall be promptly repaired or replaced , re-calibrated  and re -certified for 
accuracy.  
 
 
6.3 Recording instruments shall be compared duri ng different stages of carbonization  with 
the indicating gauges  and thermometers.  The recorder reading shall be within the tolerances 
given below.  
 
a) Thermometers – Recording instrument and the thermometer shall agree within 2  
degree s Celsius.  
 
b) Gauges  – The recording instrument and the pressure  gauge shall agree within 0, 35 
bar (35 kPa) . 
 
6.4 Calibration of thermometers and gauges  as required under 6 .2 shall be made as 
follows:  
 
a) Thermometers  – Compare with thermometer of known accuracy and allow a variation 
not exceeding 1 degree Celsius (10C) 
 
b) Pressure Gauges  – Compare with standard test gauge or suitable gauge testing 
device and allow  a variation not exceeding 0, 2 bar (20 kPa) . 
 
 
7.0  Kiln 
 
Plant Quality Control designee shall  determine that the kiln  used in the carbonization  conforms 
to the requirements for the type of kiln as approved by the regulator . (Refer to A nnex A f or kiln 
performance characteristics ). 
  DGS 1347 -2 
 5 8.0   Occupational Health and S afety  
It is the responsibility of the plant management or the designee for the quality control to 
establish health and safety guidelines for safe operation of the kiln and other processes.  
8.1   Provision of signages  
Management designee in charge of quality and  manufacture, shall provide appropriate health 
and safety signages at entry to the plant and within the plant area.  
All applicable safety signs shall comply with GS ISO 7010, GS ISO 23601, GS ISO/TS 20559 
and GS ISO 3864: 1 -3. 
8.2 Training on occupational health and safety  
It is the responsibility of Management to train, retrain and also establish a predetermined 
program for drills on health and safety.  
8.3   Near -accident prevention  
Top management or its designee shall put in place health and safety procedure and work 
instructions to avoid near -accident situations.  
All staff shall be trained to identify near -accident hazards and report it to management as and 
when it occurs.  
8.4   Provision of fire extinguishers and manual water sprinklers  
Top managem ent shall provide fire extinguishers at vantage points, outside and inside of the 
plant (company).  
8.5 Safety apparel  
Top management or its designee shall provide workers with the appropriate Personal 
Protective Equipment such as eye goggles, hand gloves, clothes and boots and also to ensure 
that the safety apparel are worn all the time.  
8.6 Climbing ladders  
Top management or its designee shall provide appropriate ladders for safe climbing into and 
out of the kilns.  
 
 
9.0      Carbonization  
 
9.1 The carbonisation , unless otherwise specified, shall conform to Annex B . Plant Quality 
Control designee shall maintain re cords on the cycles of carbonization and the Kiln  gauge 
readings.  
 
9.2 Care ful observation during carbonization  shall be made of temperature and pressures 
and their duration to make sure that they are within the specified limits.  DGS 1347 -2 
 6 10. Results of Carbonization  
 
10.1 After carbonization , an examina tion shall be made of the charcoal  for any 
carbonization  defects .  Charcoal with a lot of partially c arbonized bamboo that cannot be 
recycled for re -carbonization shall be segregated . 
 
10.2 Plant Quality Control designee shall inspect each carbonized bamboo charcoal 
perform checks on the net weights of the charcoal, partially carbonized bamboo and  ash 
content  charge to determine conformance with the kiln efficiency  specified in the relevant 
National Standards ( Annex A and clause 7 of ISO 2 1626 -1).  
Plant Quality Control designee shall also determine in each and every efficiency  by the 
appropriate method, that the kiln efficiency  conforms to the specification in the relev ant 
National Standards ( Annex A ). 
 
 
11. Report s 
 
The company shall furnish the customer or his representative with a certificate of compliance 
or such repor t on the charcoal . 
 
See Annex C for the sample  test report format.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  DGS 1347 -2 
 7 ANNEX A  
(NORMATIVE ) 
 
A.1 Kiln Performance Characteristics  
A.1.1 Efficiency  
1. A minimum yield efficiency of 60%  
A.1.2 Emissions  
1. Greenhouse gas emissions  
• CO (m g/m3)  - (100 max)  
• CH 4 - (7% max)  
• Sulphur Dioxide (mg/Nm3 ) – (200 max)  
• Oxides of Nitrogen (mg/Nm3 ) – (200 max)  
• particulate matter (PM 2.5) – ( 50 max)  
A.1.3 Other  by-products  
1. Wood vinegar and tar  
A.1.4 U sage  
1. Ease of operation and maintenance  
2. Safe to use  
 
A.2 Design  Requirements  
A.2.1 Material  
Material used for kiln construction or fabrication shall be from the following:  
Clay - natural clay  
Bricks – (clay burnt bricks, clay with refractory bricks)  
Metal – (stainless steel, mild steel)  
 
A.2.2 Thermal insulation   
The exothermic temperature of  the kiln shall  not exceed 60 degree  Celsius . The following 
materials shall be used.   
• Clay - natural clay , stabilized clay Brick  DGS 1347 -2 
 8 • Ceramic fibres  
• Refractory bricks  
 
A.2.3 Vents  
The kiln shall be fitted with the following:  
Inlet vents  
Outlet vents (chimney)  
A.2.4 Trap  
The kiln shall be fitted with a trap to capture emission  (particulate matter and gases) for 
possible conversion to wood vinegar and tar.  
 
A.3 Kiln conversion efficiency (E kc) 
The dry kiln conversion efficiency shall be estimated using the following expression:  
𝐸𝑘𝑐=𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠  𝑜𝑓 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑐𝑜𝑎𝑙 (𝐶𝑚)
𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠  𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑟𝑦 𝑤𝑜𝑜𝑑 (𝐷𝑚)𝑥100 
Ekc – dry kiln conversion efficiency  
Cm – mass of wood after carbonization  in kg  
Dm - mass of dry wood in kg  
The pre dried wood shall have a maximum moisture content of 30%.  
 
Note : The minimum recommended kiln conversion efficiency shall be 60%  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  DGS 1347 -2 
 9 ANNEX  B 
(INFORMATIVE)  
BAMBOO  CARBONIZATION PROCEDURE  
 
B.1 Material preparation for carbonization  
B.1.2 Harvesting and transportation  
Bamboo culms will be harvested and transported  in accordance with F orestry C ommission 
policies to prevent damage of the culms.  
B.1.3 Sizing  
Cut bamboo culms / cut pieces / processed waste into the required size to fit well into the kiln 
and to ensure proper loading / stacking.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
B.1.4 Loading  
Place the bamboo inside the kiln through the front door at the bottom.  
 
 
DGS 1347 -2 
 10 B.1.5 Stacking  
Vertically stack the bamboo inside the kiln. Loading begins from tail end of the kiln towards 
the front door. Fill in till the door opening.  
 
Once the bottom portion is complete; sta rt loading the top conical portion of the dome kiln.  
 
 
 
Fill all the spaces on the sides of dome as well as top with cut pieces or splits to eliminate any 
open spaces to ensure smooth burning and carbonization.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
DGS 1347 -2 
 11  
 
Near the lighting hole at the top of the dome, stack biomass which can be easily ignited.  
 
 
 
Close the front opening or charging / discharging doorway with single layer of bricks.  
 
 
Plaster the outer surface of the front door with mortar to provide complete insulation and 
prevent  air leakage.  
 
 
DGS 1347 -2 
 12  
Keep all the wall openings (single brick) open during the firing to create the required draft.  
 
 
When the combustion has completely started, close the firing /lightening hole with steel plate 
and fill mortar (mud) on the sides to insulate or close the air flow.  
 
B.2 Carbonization  
B.2.1 Igniting  
Only use the top opening to fire the kiln. Allow it to catch fire fora few minutes .  
 
 
 
 
 
DGS 1347 -2 
 13 When the combustion has completely started,  close the firing /lightening hole with steel  plate 
and fill mortar (mud)  on the sides to insulate  or close the air flow.  
 
 
When the top lighting hole is closed, the smoke wil l start coming out from the wall openings.  
 
Determine the carbonization stages for closing of wall openings by watching the color and 
smell of the smoke.  
 
 
 
DGS 1347 -2 
 14 B.2.2 Drying stage  
Smoke is thick white in color containing a lot of steam. Carbonization Phase: Smoke turns 
grey / dark color / slightly yellow accompanied with tar smell.  
Refining: The smoke turns slightly blue / transparent indicating end of carbonization and the 
start of refining  
When the smoke turns bluish white / transparent ; close the wall openings one by one, starting 
from the top. The wall opening should be sealed with bricks and mortar.  
 
Note : In case of uneven burning or progress on all sides, regulate a few openings (open/close) across the kiln to create air draf t 
and enable uniform burning and/or carbonization . 
 
Check for air cracks / smoke emissions on the wall and wall openings, seal them with light 
mortar and let the bamboo charcoal in kilns cools down. If the kiln is not sealed well, bamboo 
charcoal will be eas ily oxidized or air will provoke fire in the charcoal.  
The entire process of carbonization may take approximately 8 – 24 hours. The duration of 
carbonization is closely related to size of raw material and also size of charcoal dome. Thick 
bamboo pieces car bonize slower than the cut pieces and/or processed waste.  
Keep all the openings closed for 1 -2 days. This duration depends on the local weather 
conditions. Cooling happens faster in cold weather conditions than hot weather.  
The ideal temperature to open th e kiln for discharging the charcoal is around 60 Degree 
Celsius. In practice, the operator estimates the temperature by feeling the heat on the walls 
of kiln.  
Don’t open the kiln which is not sufficiently cool. If opened, fire in the charcoal may reignite.  
Application of water for putting off fire results in low quality control.  
DGS 1347 -2 
 15 Open the front discharge opening, only after ascertaining that the fire is completely put off. As 
a precaution, before opening the kiln, keep plenty of water (water pipe, drum / buc ket of water) 
ready before opening the front discharge opening.  
 
Open the top lid and wall opening for air circulation.  
       
 
B.3 Charcoal Offloading  
Remove the charcoal from the dome kiln. Sprinkle small amount of water, if the charcoal is 
too hot. Don’t use excess water, as it may lower the quality of charcoal.  
DGS 1347 -2 
 16  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
DGS 1347 -2 
 17 ANNEX C  
(INFO RMATIVE)  
FACTORY TEST REPORT SAMPLE  
 
 
FACTORY NAME: …………………………………………………………………………… ……….  
 
 
LOCATION:  
a. TOWN …………………………………………………… ………………………………………  
 
b. DIGITAL ADDRESS …………………………………………………………………………. … 
 
CHARGE NUMBER: ………………………………………………………………………………….  
 
CHARGE LOAD (kg): …………………………………………………………………………………  
 
TYPE OF CHARCOAL: ……………………………………………………….................................  
 
PRODUCTION OFFLOAD (kg): ……………………………………………………………………..  
 
QUANTITY IN A BATCH (kg): ……………………………………………………………………….  
  
BATCH OR LOT: ………………………………………………………………………….................  
 
DATES/PERIOD OF PRODUCTION: …………………………………………………………........  
 
TEST DATE: …………………………………………………………………………………………...  
 
NAME OF RESPONSIBLE OFFICER: ……………………………………………………………..  
 
SIGNATURE/DATES …………………………………………………………………………………  
VERIFICATION………………………………………………………………………………………...  
Note: charge number shall be taken per kiln.  
 
 
  DGS 1347 -2 
 18 Bibliography  
 
Charcoal Production i n Dome Charcoal Kiln  – INBAR Technical Bulletin . 
 
GS 146 -1 Code of practice for wood treatment plant - part 1: Quality control procedures for 
wood treatment plant.