[Greenbuilding] Biochar as Annual Cycle Building Dehumidifier

[RT]

On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 19:22:12 -0400, <conservationarchitect at rockbridge.net>  
wrote:

>My last posting on biochar was somewhat of an introduction to the  
> subject.  >This video about charcoal in Japan shows its use as an annual  
> cycle dehumidifier in a home


Eli;

I have to confess that the notion of promoting charcoal as being Green  
struck me as being perverse.

That opinion was formed in the early 1970's  after having read a charming  
little booklet entitled
"A Reverence for Wood" by Eric Sloane, most likely purchased as a result  
of having seen it mentioned  in one of the Whole Earth Catalogues.

I recall Sloane having described the process of making charcoal and the  
lives of the men who made it in early America. They were shunned and/or  
feared, not only because of their appearance  but  also because of the  
strange life they necessarily led due to the demands of tending the  
charcoal mound 24/7/365.

Anyone who heats with wood will know that charcoal is the result of  
incomplete combustion  -- ie a dirty, smouldering fire.

Its seems (to me anyway) that to promote charcoal "aka BioChar" as a Green  
resource is akin to promoting a 1967 Buick Electra with a 430 cubic inch  
V-8 engine as environmentally-friendly transportation.

It would also seem that instead of using  4500 kgs  (almost 5 tons) of  
charcoal as a desiccant for dehumidification ,  simply using clay or salt  
would achieve the same result with far less embodied-energy.   I suspect  
that Norbert Senf would have a pretty good idea of actual figures but my  
wild-@$$ guess would be that something like 10 tons of hardwood would need  
to be burned in a very dirty manner to make 5 tons of charcoal.

However, I could be completely off-base with my antiquated 1970's  
impression/opinion of charcoal.


-- 
=== * ===
Rob Tom DT7-64
Kanata, Ontario, Canada
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