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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body bgcolor=white lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Jeff,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Nothing is that sensible. With retail garden products, and especially on eBay, weight and value go out the window. It’s whatever the customer (sucker?) will pay for a package. Garden products are usually sold by volume, not weight. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Take the 5 gallon bucket of biochar that weighs 17 lbs. The blend is 25 lb/ft3 (17 lb/0.67 ft3). If the biochar is about 8 lb/ft3 and the additive, say compost, is 42 lb/ft3 then that’s a ~50:50 blend by weight. Is it worth $56? Sip the KoolAid and pay the $56 to support your biochar curiosity. There are some very good biochar-compost blends that sell for far less. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>I like the Biochar “charflakes” at $129/5 gal or $65/2 gal. $192/ft3 (>$5,000 CY) or $240/ft3? (That 5 gal plastic bucket must be worth more than $2 that I pay.) <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>I’ll take the 40lb bag for $33 ($0.83/lb). That must be a misprint. The same supplier wants $1.80/lb for 10 lb and 2.60/lb for 5 lb. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>We don’t really know what portion or how much of a market these retail garden products represent but several sharp marketers are taking advantage of it. If you are willing to do the packaging and sales and get a lot more than $1/ft3 then you are at the head of the class. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>At least eBay makes it easy to find these things on the internet.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Tom<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:windowtext'> Gasification [mailto:gasification-bounces@lists.bioenergylists.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Jeff Davis<br><b>Sent:</b> Monday, December 02, 2013 4:01 PM<br><b>To:</b> Discussion of biomass pyrolysis and gasification<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [Gasification] Small steam systems plus gasifiers for electricity<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>Tom,<br><br>So, if the charcoal is mixed with compost does some of the compost and water add to the wieght of the charcaol sold?<br><br>Business Model:<br>Grass compost + moisture + charcoal = X amount of $$$ per pound ????<br><br>Here's a 5 gallon bucket of biochar for a cool $129.00:<br><a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/121104857835"><http://www.ebay.com/itm/121104857835></a><br><br>And more examples:<br><a href="http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.Xbiochar&_nkw=biochar&_sacat=0&_from=R40"><http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.Xbiochar&_nkw=biochar&_sacat=0&_from=R40></a><br><br><br><br><br>Jeff<br><br><br><br>On 12/01/2013 06:57 PM, Tom Miles wrote:<o:p></o:p></p></div><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>There is a lot of creative marketing going on with biochar. There is a wide range of quality. Prices range from $0.35/lb to $2/lb with most selling between $0.75-$1.00/lb ex plant. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Updraft gasifiers (>10 MWth) have been good sources of char for one biochar wholesaler/broker. Char is usually conditioned with compost or inoculated before it reaches the final customer. As nearly as we can tell a few thousand tons of char was traded in the US in the last year. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p></blockquote><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>