[Stoves] [biochar-production] Re: Stoves Digest, Vol 14, Issue 17

[rongretlarson at comcast.net]

Stoves list: 

Three comments. 

First that this stoves list isn't the right one for this dialog on Biochar. There is a lot going on at the moment at the sister Biochar lists. 

Second - Paul has hit the nail on the head about the relationship between Biochar and (usually) a small amount of ash. Biochar impacts soils in many other (still being explored) ways - including pH, CEC, home for microbes, retained nutrients, capturing N2O and methane, retaining moisture, improving crop yields etc. Note AD below has talked only about biomass - not Biochar - as relates to microbes. Biochar generally adds a lot to root mass - which is (I believe) the main source of food for the hugely important microbe and fungal population. Many photographs around for how root systems seek out and attach to char. Where above ground productivity is improving, the same or more is true underground. 

Third - many of us are pushing for char so as to remove excess atmospheric carbon. Anyone able to suggest a more cost-effective way to do that? 

Ron 

----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Olivier" <paul.olivier at esrla.com> 
To: "Discussion of biomass cooking stoves" <stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org> 
Sent: Friday, October 28, 2011 1:11:38 PM 
Subject: Re: [Stoves] [biochar-production] Re: Stoves Digest, Vol 14, Issue 17 

Crispin, 

Rest assured that there is a lot more going on with biochar than making ash accessible to soil microbes. 
Right? 

Paul 


On Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 8:49 PM, Crispin Pemberton-Pigott < crispinpigott at gmail.com > wrote: 


Dear Dr AD 

My question remains: Why would charring it first do anything except speed up 
access to ash? 

Shall I re-phrase it? 

Thanks 
Crispin 

+++++++ 




Dear Crispin and stovers, 
biomass added to the soil serves the soil micro-organisms as a source of 
organic carbon. By feeding on it, they multiply their numbers. The microbial 
population density in the soil is positively correlated with soil fertility, 
because when they die, the minerals sequestered in their cells become 
available to the green plants. 
Yours 
A.D.Karve 

On Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 1:53 AM, Crispin Pemberton-Pigott 
< crispinpigott at gmail.com > wrote: 
> Dear Frank 
> Is there any good reason to suppose that putting the whole mass, the 
> whole biomass, into the soil, perhaps chipped or ground up? Why would 
> charring it first do anything except speed up access to ash? 
> Regards 
> 
> Crispin 


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Paul A. Olivier PhD 
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