[Stoves] [biochar] allAfrica.com: Africa: Biochar - Unfulfilled Promises in Cameroon

Tom Miles tmiles at trmiles.com
Wed Dec 28 11:58:25 CST 2011 

Crispin,

Good analysis. 

Universal remedy. Biochar suffers from big expectations that can be
regularly shattered. If biochar is applied in suitable circumstances in
proportion to need then the results are likely to be more encouraging and
may be within the reach of small scale production.  

Application rate. Australian attempts to produce a "synthetic terra preta"
may be helpful. According to Steven Joseph a mix of something like 1/3
biochar with 1/3 clay and 1/3 nutrient source (e.g. poultry litter) can be
used to make an "organo mineral complex" which gives results when applied at
substantially lower rates than usually discussed. Blend of 10-20% biochar
with compost may also reduce the amount of biochar needed to give good
agronomic results. This can be done at a garden plot scale.  

Biochar is clearly work in progress but there are many applications that
have shown positive results. There are many reasons to keep working on it. 

Tom 

-----Original Message-----
From: stoves-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org
[mailto:stoves-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of Crispin
Pemberton-Pigott
Sent: Wednesday, December 28, 2011 5:12 AM
To: Discussion of biomass cooking stoves
Subject: Re: [Stoves] [biochar] allAfrica.com: Africa: Biochar - Unfulfilled
Promises in Cameroon

Dear Friends

1. There is a reasonable review of the issues raised at
http://geoengineeringpolitics.blogspot.com/2011/12/biochar-fund-giving-bioch
ar-bad-name.html drawing the obvious conclusion that one project, good or
bad, does not make or break a technology. 

2. Readers will note from reports that the application rates were 10 to 20
tons per hectare. This is the same range I used in my calculations for the
stove-produced char earlier this year. The indications are that if stoves
are to be a major source for biochar applied to agriculture, the timeline
for conversion/meaningful application is not 7 years as indicated by Biochar
Fund, but considerably longer. 

3. If the charcoal production rate was 12.5% and the source material was
wood, they applied about 20 tons per ha, and they used about 1/2 the biomass
as wood input to the charcoal kiln, it means they used 320 tons of biomass
to treat a hectare (320,000 kg). If a family were to produce cooking stove
char at twice that efficiency at a rate of 0,5 kg per day, it would take
320,000 days to treat one hectare, roughly a millenium. This is a
statistically significant difference in the estimated time for biochar
production. 

4. As there are suggestions that as much as 50% of applied char is missing
(not sequestered) after only one year in some soils, so there maybe a need
to re-apply char. There may be an upper limit for the carbon content of
biologically active soil (self-limiting). It seems to confirm strong
variability in the results. 

5. What is not clear to me is that charcoal application to soil has anything
like a universally positive result, or that cooking stoves offer a
meaningful way to produce the quantities required to see the beneficial
effects, or that it would not be a great deal more efficient to make
charcoal on site or alternatively, to just bury the biomass as a green
manure fertiliser. Comparisons are required. 

Regards
Crispin
-----Original Message-----
From: Kevin C <kchisholm at ca.inter.net>
Sender: stoves-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org
Date: Tue, 27 Dec 2011 22:50:57
To: <rongretlarson at comcast.net>
Reply-To: Discussion of biomass cooking stoves
	<stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org>
Cc: Erich Knight<erichjknight at gmail.com>;
biochar-policy<biochar-policy at yahoogroups.com>; <biochar at yahoogroups.com>;
Discussion of biomass<stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org>
Subject: Re: [Stoves] [biochar] allAfrica.com: Africa: Biochar - Unfulfilled
Promises in Cameroon

Quoting rongretlarson at comcast.net:

> Kevin and several lists:
>
> 1. You said below: "# I have read the BFW Report. What are the 
> "Selected Quotes" to which you refer? "
>
> Answer: They were in the cite I gave about a dozen lines earlier (my 
> second line under "2"):
>
> http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/biochar-production/message/833:

# Thanks. However, I am reluctant to discuss selected quotes out of context.
Selected quotes leave the door wide open for "cherry picking". If you could
start by selecting a few of the quotes that you feel are most relevant, tehn
we can focus on them in context.
>
> 2. I think our discussion on Rademakers and BFW would go better after 
> hearing your response to those quotes (of BFW).

# I would suggest that neither of us are competent to discuss the
correctness and fairness (or incorrectness and unfairness of the BFW Report,
unless we have first hand facts. Mr. Rademaker and his work are being
discussed in the BFW Report. Mr. Rademaker would have the first hand facts
to discuss or rebut the BFW Report. What does he say on the matter?
>
> 3. I have more coming on this topic (which I put in a "Box" labeled 
> "BFW" - not "Biochar", and certainly not "stoves").

# Anything that leads to "Truth In Biochar", and makes it easier for a
Farmer to decide on the merits of Biochar utilization in his operation is of
great interest to me.

Best wishes,

Kevin
>
> Ron
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Kevin C" <kchisholm at ca.inter.net>
> To: rongretlarson at comcast.net
> Cc: biochar at yahoogroups.com, "Discussion of biomass"  
> <stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org>, "Erich Knight"  
> <erichjknight at gmail.com>, "biochar-policy"  
> <biochar-policy at yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, December 27, 2011 2:01:42 AM
> Subject: Re: [biochar] [Stoves] allAfrica.com: Africa: Biochar - 
> Unfulfilled Promises in Cameroon
>
> Quoting rongretlarson at comcast.net:
>
>> Kevin and ccs:
>>
>> 1. This is getting complicated - as the dialog has shifted from the 
>> BFW story on Africa/Rademakers over to the IBI material.prepared by 
>> Kelpie Wilson. My perception is that you are looking for specific 
>> information from both reports that were not intended and aren't 
>> there. So I see no reason to respond to your questions about Kelpie's 
>> IBI work .
>
> # This is not complicated at all:
> a: BFW presents a report on biochar tests b. "Defenders of the Faith" 
> demonize BFW, rather than showing where their Report is wrong in a 
> factual, scientific, and professional manner.
> c: I made no mention of Kelpie's work.
> d: You would appear to be clouding the issue, to avoid dealing with 
> the matter in a factual way. I am amused that you criticize me for 
> asking for information that is not in the report, and which the report 
> did not intend to convey (why the corn with biochar grew so well), yet 
> you do not criticize Erich when he assumes that it was the biochar, 
> and not other conditions, that made the corn grow so well. (more 
> water, fertilizer, organic matter, manure, compost, better soil in 
> general, better test management, etc.)
>>
>> 2. The BFW story was covered on the biochar lists about a month ago; see:
>> http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/biochar-production/message/833
>> It is unfortunate that this story is started over again on the stoves 
>> list. It doesn't belong - there is zero stoves aspect to the BFW 
>> story..
>
> # You yourself are using the Stoves List as a way to promote biochar 
> production! How can you possibly say that the Article has no relevance 
> to Stoves? If the BFW Article has a valid basis, then it would suggest 
> that the potential for biochar is diminished. Nobody so far has 
> refuted their article in a rational manner. Can you?
>>
>> 3. I look forward to hearing your reaction to the selected quotes 
>> from BFW's report - which I presume you have not yet read.
>
> # I have read the BFW Report. What are the "Selected Quotes" to which 
> you refer?
>
> Best wishes for a happy and Prosperous 2012
>
> Kevin
>>
>> Ron
>> :
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Kevin C" <kchisholm at ca.inter.net>
>> To: biochar at yahoogroups.com
>> Sent: Monday, December 26, 2011 8:37:12 AM
>> Subject: Re: [biochar] [Stoves] allAfrica.com: Africa: Biochar - 
>> Unfulfilled Promises in Cameroon
>>
>>
> <snip>
>




_______________________________________________
Stoves mailing list

to Send a Message to the list, use the email address
stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org

to UNSUBSCRIBE or Change your List Settings use the web page
http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/stoves_lists.bioenergylists
.org

for more Biomass Cooking Stoves,  News and Information see our web site:
http://www.bioenergylists.org/

_______________________________________________
Stoves mailing list

to Send a Message to the list, use the email address
stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org

to UNSUBSCRIBE or Change your List Settings use the web page
http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/stoves_lists.bioenergylists
.org

for more Biomass Cooking Stoves,  News and Information see our web site:
http://www.bioenergylists.org/

More information about the Stoves mailing list