Frank Jeffers,
Athens, Georgia
In this photo, the condenser belches thick white smoke -- mostly water vapor. This early retort run in Georgia shows the air pollution that results when offgas isn't handled properly, as in most traditional charcoal kilns. Rather than smoky pollution, modern pyrolysis turns offgases into useful co-products. Some offgas is recycled into the fire to heat the retort, thus saving other types of fuel.
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