[Stoves] Char vs. fertilizer

Wed Nov 2 14:29:04 CDT 2011

Great question.

A small amount of plant available nutrients on depleted soils will increase growth of biomass and energy crops. These nutrients are not from fossil source like many inorganic fertilizers.  So I suggest the best means is that organic materials having a high percentage of nutrients are better used to grow more woody plants to be used as fuel.    Charring these materials and we make many nutrients, like P, unavailable and some like K and N go off into the air. Composting these materials further increases the amount of available nutrients by better holding on to the nitrogen and planting may take place immediately -compared to green manures.  

Reducing fossil fuels (and inorganic fertilizers) and it becomes more important to make best use of our nutrients. So I suggest composting is still the best means to handle ag residues and use the compost to grow woody fuel crops.

Regards

Frank

Soil Control Lab

From: stoves-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org [mailto:stoves-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of nari phaltan
Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2011 1:39 AM
To: Discussion of biomass cooking stoves
Subject: [Stoves] Char vs. fertilizer

Dear Stovers,

What will be a better strategy for agricultural residues: to produce char or organic fertilizer?

Is there any quantitative studies done for both value production and reducing environmental considerations?

Both char and organic fertilizer will go towards enriching the soil.

Cheers.

Anil

-- 
Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute (NARI)
Tambmal, Phaltan-Lonand Road
P.O.Box 44
Phaltan-415523, Maharashtra, India
Ph:91-2166-222396/220945
e-mail:nariphaltan at gmail.com <mailto:e-mail%3Anariphaltan at gmail.com> 
          anilrajvanshi at gmail.com

http://www.nariphaltan.org

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