Roger,
There are indeed many reasons not to make char. However char is very
different from ash. In fact some say it is unique and there is no
synthetic equivalent. Two of it's special properties that are well
understood and desirable are its ability to absorb/adsorb and that it is
resistant to microbial decay. This is why people want to explore ways
of making it. It can vary widely in its properties based on how it is
made and what it is made out of. If it truely has value then it changes
the equations associated with bioenergy. Its not just about energy its
about utility. We currently produce many products from biomass and often
extract energy from what is left. Char is just another possible product,
one with some potentially significant environmental benefits.
Alex
On 10/10/2011 1:57 PM, Fireside Hearth wrote:
Hello all,
It is in my limited understanding that "bio char" gives a
home to microbial organisms which in turn bring much needed "natural
fertilizers" to ones garden, is this true? From the reading I have
done I can not think of any way of creating the char without
sustaining other losses, many of which can be seen in pictures of
destructive practices, slash burns, air pollution, and the ridiculous
end cost of the process on our environment.
From the text below I have the gut response of the following
analogy. The race car driver and the Granny. Mario Andretti rapidly
goes from the gas pedal to the brake pedal and back to get every ounce
of performance he can from his machine.....screw economy. The Granny
acts as if there is an egg shell between her foot and the pedal which
she wants to keep safe at all cost. Who gets the best fuel
economy.......surely not Mario. In this thinking I bring up the
"Russian fireplace", The oldest and most widely used High Mass heater
I have known in my 26 years. They are typically loaded up with 80 lbs
of fuel and burned off one or two times per day. Thats up to 160
pounds every 24 hours, and no char is left. I believe that the common
EPA certified wood stove can provide just as much "useable" heat to
ones home with allot less fuel, and no char is left.
So, I am asking out loud.......are we better off selecting the
heat source that gets more for our waning resources, and maybe asking
if there is another medium for giving a home to these microbial
critters other than just the "char". What is it about the char that is
beneficial? Does the ash from the fire also allow for the "housing"
process? Can we learn to utilize this process in a way that does not
cost mother earth an arm and a leg? If this process really works as
well as proponents claim, then there must also be an ecologically
intelligent way to create a medium for housing these life giving microbes.
Comments?
Roger.
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