Thanks for copying me on this response, Crispin.
I am also very happy whenever I hear of yet another "success story"
with "undifferentiated Biochar" produced from small gasifier "stoves"
and used in crop production. Of course, the Biochar is almost never
used _/alone/_, but is used alongside other amendments ["different
formulations"] like "mulch, compost, crushed bone, crushed coral, lava
dust, and generally any animal and green waste"...
(My most recent conversations I am having had to do with the
complimentary use of "rock dust" ~ a.k.a. "agrominerals" and Biochar ...
The use of 'agrominerals' is a technique that [unknown to me until
recently] has actually been honed by many folks at the /University of
Guelph/ over the past several decades. With Biochar one should be able
to create high quality inoculated bio-chars that help to "free" the
agrominerals [rock dust] of their 'nutrients' at a more accelerated rate.)
I have always felt that the role of Biochar was to "even out the soil
moisture retention capabilities of the soils". I actually expressed this
exact sentiment to David Laird -- and others -- personally at the first
North American Biochar conference in 2009 in Colorado, though it was not
in those terms exactly. What I had found remarkable was the ability of
Biochar placed into my CLAY soils to actually help my [potted] plants
survive (induced) "drought" -- a totally counter-intuitive outcome.
I had suggested that it was likely the /nature/ of the "water-holding
ability" of Biochar that was the benefit: i.e. the ability of the chars
to hold onto water, but not too "tightly" ~ which thus allows the water
to be fairly easily 'unbound' from the char surfaces by the root systems
and fungi and other living fractions of the soils. (The same is likely
true for the relationship between chars and many 'nutrients'...)
As I also wrote recently in an unrelated thread, "I actually suspect
that by combining... (all of these other things) with Biochar (and "soil
microbes/fungi" etc), that we might be *making our lives **_/easier/_*
[rather than more complicated] -- in terms of actually achieving
"fertility benefits" through the addition of these amendments...
Although the */science/* of actually 'teasing it all apart' to
understand _/exactly/_ what is going on in terms of the complex
interactions that are taking place between the soils, minerals, plants
and biology will probably get _*more* complicated_ and thus more
expensive/difficult to perform.
In my mind, this complexity does _not_ /necessarily/ mean that we
will not be able to achieve /*quicker results*/ in terms of "food
security" ~ and Climate security [mostly via /adaptation/], however.
As I concluded, I wrote that, "a LOT more learning needs to be done to
understand the various influences all of these amendments are actually
having on the soils and the biology -- and the best techniques for how
to restore 'balance', 'vibrancy' and perhaps also (some modicum of)
'stability' to the LIVING FRACTION of the soils -- especially from the
additions of Biochar."
As David Yarrow wrote once, "/ultimately, this Biochar thing isn't
really about chemistry or carbon; it's about *biology*/".
Don't forget: Nature offers us some extraordinary design solutions --
honed by 3.8 billion years of rigorous testing.
To me, what Biochar is really all about is our attempts at >making
permanent *humus*< _/faster/_. Humus is an amazing soil conditioner.
Only 5% humus can transform lifeless 'rock dust' into a rich loam. It
has abilities to both bind sand and granulate clay.
Have you watched the film, "/HUMUS: Forgotten Climate Aid/"?
The film documents the use of Biochar to help, "unravel the secret of
/sustainably fertile soil/ and find solutions for building up humus".
(The film documents the many years of work that have been done in the
Styrian "Eco-region of Kaindorf" [Germany], and features many notable
Biochar proponents like Dr. Christoph Steiner and others who use
"agrocraft"** -- to build "targeted humus" ~ even in relatively Fertile
soils. [!] )
** Agrokraft GmbH was created by the /Bavarian Farmers Association/ to
explore concepts and technologies like hydro-thermal carbonization
(HTC), with the support of the /*Max Planck Institute for Colloids and
Interfaces*/ in Potsdam (near Berlin).
"Agrokraft" is also often referred to as "/Climatefarming/" ~ an
attempt at reproducing "Terra Preta-like" soils.
Regards,
Lloyd Helferty, Engineering Technologist
Principal, Biochar Consulting (Canada)
www.biochar-consulting.ca
48 Suncrest Blvd, Thornhill, ON, Canada
905-707-8754
CELL: 647-886-8754
Skype: lloyd.helferty
Steering Committee coordinator
Canadian Biochar Initiative (CBI)
President, Co-founder & CBI Liaison, Biochar-Ontario
National Office, Canadian Carbon Farming Initiative (CCFI)
Partner of Toronto Urban Ag Summit www.urbanagsummit.org
Manager, Biochar Offsets Group:
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=2446475
Advisory Committee Member, IBI
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1404717
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=42237506675
http://groups.google.com/group/biochar-ontario
http://www.meetup.com/biocharontario/
http://www.biocharontario.ca
www.biochar.ca
"It is the path, more than the arrival at the destination, that is important"
- Gandhi
On 2012-10-21 6:04 AM, Crispin Pemberton-Pigott wrote:
Thanks Ron for this forward. Very informative.
Dear Su Ba
This is the second (different) positive-response use I have heard for
undifferentiated stove char. As a water averaging soil ingredient it
makes perfect sense. It is why we always used puffed (popped)
vermiculite.
The other application is for purification of water which can use the
small amounts produced by stoves. The char is treated with a
nanosilver particle solution and becomes biologically active (kills
bacteria). Lloyd Helferty connected me to a guy in the UK who knows
how to do this.
Regards
Crispin
Su Ba and biochar list (and adding "stoves")
I am impressed. Thanks for the (very complete) report. Very
nice to hear there were no problems.
Could you describe a bit more technical details about your TLUDS?
First use when? Homemade? Presumably made of tin cans? Sizes?
Any insulation? Any preheating of any air? If controlling primary
air - how? How many uses before wearing/burning out? Etc.
Ron
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*From: *"Su Ba" <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>>
*To: *[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
*Sent: *Saturday, October 20, 2012 4:07:48 PM
*Subject: *Re: [biochar] Used Tractors ...biochar on homestead
Ron, I cannot give you the type of answer you are hoping for. I
produce food, not run experiments using various percentages of char,
different formulations, and using controls. In addition, I use a
number of soil amendments including char, mulch, compost, crushed
bone, crushed coral, lava dust, and generally any animal and green
waste that comes available. None of my field is amended by biochar
alone. I also make and use foliar sprays when plants show need.
Having said that, I saw visible improvement in the areas that I
started using biochar. The plants were visibly more lush and withstood
dry conditions better. My own reasons for adding biochar is that it
tends to even out the soil moisture retention capabilities of the
soil. The areas that became boggy now drain better. The areas that
moisture levels fluctuated wildly now tend to flatten out somewhat,
staying much more evenly moist. In my own situation, I found that
leaving the char chunky ( 1/4 to 1 inch) works just fine.
I had noticed that plants looked more lush when planted into ground
that had a fresh application of char. Thus it is now my routine to
till in a light application prior to each new planting.
The char I produce is made with a homemade TLUD stove adapted for
cooking. I created a series of them in a line so that I can move from
one to the next in order to cook for more than 40 minutes at a time
when needed.
I use tree waste as fuel. Twigs and branches that I put through the
shredder. I mostly burn ohia, eucalyptus, and coconut husks. But any
tree trimming are used when available.
When I started using char, I use to quench the coals in water. Just
recently I changed to using using urine, and when that is not
available, then fermented fish waste. I cannot say yet if that has
made a visible difference in the crops. But it hasn't appeared to be
hurting them.
Negatives? It takes time. I have to gather and shred the fuel. But a
benefit is that I do not have to
purchase much propane. Another negative is that my TLUD stoves burn
out, so I need to improve the design and materials. I do not grind the
char, so I don't have the dust problem that others talk about. I have
not noticed any negative effectives on the crops themselves.
I hope this information helps you.
...Su Ba
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