[Gasification] Biochar et al.

David Murphy djfmurphy at dodo.com.au
Sun Dec 8 20:25:13 CST 2013 


Greetings Paul !

No problem with your criticism/correction.     But 
as I understand it (and I'm no expert) "oils ain't 
oils" and Biochar ain't just biochar".     
Depending on the soil analysis a good soil doctor 
would produce a prescription biochar, which would 
mean different temperatures etc as you 
descdribe.     The topic is complex and I 
certainly can't describe it in a few linesand 
neither am I qualified to.   It's a bit like 
worms.  Some people say to me "Tell me all about 
worms".  I've written 3 books (Best Sellers) on 
the topic and haven't  covered it properly yet.

DJM.



On 09/12/2013 10:16 AM, Paul Judd wrote:
> On 07/12/13 09:00, David Murphy wrote:
>>
>> Greetings Biochar/Gasifier people !
>>
>> Everybody & his dog seems to have something to 
>> say about charcoal/biochar/biochar-compost mix 
>> and so on.    Well, here's another dog to bark 
>> his piece !
>>
>> Biochar is often seen as the great agricultural 
>> panacea, but _it is not_.Biochar is a name 
>> given to plain ordinary charcoal to indicate 
>> that it is destined for use in soil 
>> improvement, but basically it is still plain 
>> ordinary charcoal, just crushed into smaller 
>> particles. In some circumstances it is a very 
>> beneficial tool but it is not magical as some 
>> proponents seem to think.   Just remember, all 
>> charcoal has a bio-origin - wood.
>>
>> In some Ag. trials in Australiait significantly 
>> improved crop volume (treble in one case) but 
>> in other instances, nothing worth writing home 
>> about.It depends on what the soil is like to 
>> start with.
>>
>> Charcoal is stable.That means it does not take 
>> part in any composting system (which is one 
>> primarily of bacterial digestion) and it is 
>> indigestible so that when offered as a dietary 
>> supplement (in poultry food for example) it 
>> passes through the digestive system physically 
>> unchanged but will adsorb a high proportion of 
>> the gases and some toxins produced in the 
>> process of digestion, because that is what 
>> charcoal does.    For this reason, it's 
>> adsorption capability, poultry will generally 
>> do better on a little charcoal.
>>
>> Quite a few pages could be filled on the 
>> beneficial services provided by charcoal as it 
>> travels through the digestive system, but it 
>> does it as charcoal only and as nothing else.   
>> By all means use a little in the feed, you can 
>> only benefit.
>>
>> The only physical way to change the nature of 
>> charcoal is to burn it.    That is why it lasts 
>> in soil (or wherever it is) for thousands of years.
>>
>> It has an incredibly high surface area of 360 
>> m^2 (varies) and is a mass of minute tunnels 
>> which in turn means a very high volume and 
>> gases become trapped in these tunnels.It does 
>> not _ab_sorb, it _ad_sorbs and traps only.The 
>> difference between absorb and adsorb is the 
>> same as the difference in liquids of suspension 
>> and solution.Clay particles will be in 
>> suspension, sugar and salt go into solution.
>>
>> Charcoal is useful in an aerobic composting 
>> system because again of the entrapment of air 
>> in the tunnels.A composting system goes well if 
>> there is enough oxygen bearing air available to 
>> the bacteria which are a significant part of 
>> the system.The more air, the higher the 
>> population of bacteria (other factors being 
>> OK). The charcoal itself is inoperative, and 
>> doesn't change, nor is it a catalyst, it simply 
>> provides a service.   It will only provide a 
>> haven for soil benevolent bacteria if there is 
>> something trapped in the tunnels which the 
>> bacteria can eat.
>>
>> Charcoal is a good adsorber of gas and liquid 
>> simply because that is what it does.Zeolite on 
>> the other hand, can have an even higher surface 
>> are per gram and has a propensity to entrap 
>> gases, most particularly nitrogen in it's 
>> various forms -- as gas -- ammonium for example 
>> -- and in liquids as a salt of NO_3 .It 
>> actually draws them in (like a magnet attracts 
>> ferric objects) where charcoal just takes it as 
>> it comes.    It is easy to see also why 
>> charcoal is so effective as a filter, but if 
>> you have a solution rich in nitrogen, run it 
>> through Zeolite and the N will be removed. Add 
>> some to the litterin poultry grower sheds, 
>> there will be fewer mortalities because the 
>> ammonia which sometimes will asphixiate small 
>> birds will be absorbed.    Zeolite will take N 
>> out of solution, charcoal will not.    There's 
>> 40 natural forms of Zeolite and more than 
>> another 150 can be synthesised, so choose 
>> carefully for the one most appropriate to your 
>> problem.    Zeolite can perform an amazing 
>> range of actions.    Once used and applied as 
>> fertiliser, Zeolite subsequently will release 
>> the Nslowly and remain in the soil as a 
>> balancer of N.  Too much, it will take it in 
>> (so that the soil pH is not lowered) and 
>> release it as required.
>>
>> Charcoal's great stuff though, it's easy to 
>> make and holds answers to a lot of problems - 
>> but not all !
>>
>> David Murphy.
>>
>>
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> BioChar is not "ordinary charcoal".
> Charcoal is usually made at temperatures above 
> 1000C and all volatiles are removed.
> Bio-char is made a lower temperatures, 400~600C 
> just above spontaneous combustion temperature of 
> organic material (wet or dry). It contains tars 
> and a different structure withing the hollows 
> than `ordinary charcoal`. It is the structure 
> and the tars that make a good home for soil 
> micro organisms. It also holds water and 
> minerals better than charcoal.
>
> See http://www.biochar-international.org/ for 
> more detailed information and projects.
>
> Local Australian groups:
> http://biocharproject.org/
> http://www.bioenergyaustralia.org/
>
> -- 
> Paul Judd B.App.Sc. Secondary Metallurgy, Dip Electrotechnology Renewable Energy,  Dip Sustainability
> Trainer and Sustainability Advisor
>      PAJeco    Sustainable Education
>      Sustainability: Learning to live today but leaving enough to live tomorrow
>      http://www.pajeco.com.au
>      paul.a.judd at pajeco.com.au
>      +61415518134
>
>
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