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Air pollution caused by the traditional charcoal production industry is an environmental problem for developing countries. Avocado (Persea americana) and Lemon (Citrus limon) trees that are commonly used in the charcoal industry in the Eastern Mediterranean were chosen as representatives of charcoal raw material in a wood pyrolysis kinetic study that was conducted using a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). The weight loss was measured in a nitrogen atmosphere with a heating rate of 10 °C.min−1 at a temperature range from 30 °C to 700 °C. Four main stages, denoted as dehydration, initial decomposition and both active and final decomposition, were registered in the wood thermal decomposition. The main gases produced were identified in the active decomposition stage for lemonwood and avocado wood, respectively, in the temperature range of 255 to 355 °C and 246 to 340 °C. The released gases in the biomass pyrolysis were measured on‐line using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Main gas products of avocado and lemonwood pyrolysis were similar and included CO2, CO, H2O, CH4, and several organic compounds including methanol, formic acid, acetic acid, and furan. Charcoal production thermogravimetric analysis validated that the wood biomass thermal decomposition process has four stages: (1) water evaporation; (2) initial decomposition; (3) active decomposition, and (4) final decomposition. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Earth kilns are still used for charcoal production in the Eastern Mediterranean and worldwide. Until 2016, around 1,600 tons of charcoal were produced in Israel and the Palestinian territories in about 400 traditional earth kilns that were operated in about the same manner for the last 400 years. The intense air pollution caused by this indigenous practice resulted in higher mortality rates among the workers and the population living close to the charcoal production sites. The air pollution was found to migrate beyond 50 km, causing cross‐boundary pollution in Jordan. Since the charcoal production industry processes surplus wood into solid fuel, which is used for heating and cooking, it was imperative to shift this industry to a new type of non‐polluting charcoal production system. Upgrading this industry to 21st century standards became possible through a combined effort by Israeli researchers and Palestinian manufacturers in the development and implementation of a new ecological retort system (ERS). Comparing the ERS to the old earth kilns suggests that the ERS produces charcoal without emitting air pollution, the wood‐to‐charcoal transformation efficiency is about 10% higher in the ERS and the process duration is half a day versus about 3 weeks in a traditional kiln. Generally, ERS is about two orders of magnitude more productive than the traditional earth kilns. The ERS combines a simple operational scheme and higher charcoal yield than a traditional kiln, leading to an increase in the revenue to the charcoal makers as well as through byproducts with economic value such as electric energy and wood vinegar. These advantages with the transition to the ERS system can ensure a more efficient and cleaner operation of this indigenous local industry.

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