[Stoves] Stoves Digest, Vol 14, Issue 52

Crispin Pemberton-Pigott crispinpigott at gmail.com
Fri Oct 28 18:52:24 CDT 2011


Hmmm...

My question was not really about how to make it last (for some bacteria-hosting effect). I was really after the answer to the question about access to the ash minerals which were suggested as being a major benefit in depleted soils. 

I am not forgetting AD's idea that we should seek the minerals 'locally' but getting bacteria to eat sand, so to speak. 

It seems to me that AD's idea is closer to the reality of char as a beneficial hosting media, thereby boosting access to minerals. 

The idea that the minerals are in the ash and that they become available the same way as potash or other fertiliser is added represents a very different understanding of how things grow. 

So, if the ash is to become available 'soon' and it takes 10 years for wood to rot, then it does not seem that helpful to char it first. It will take (maybe?) a very long time for the minerals available. 

If stove char is from a process (low temp) that has a high volatiles content, it is likely to be the most biologically active and the fastest char to break down. Thoroughly burned char where the ash is a high and the non-carbon low would be really inactive, but maybe minerals are easily pulled out by invading micro-organisms. 

So what is the real reason one would char wood before applying it as a growth enhancer?

Thanks
Crispin
-----Original Message-----
From: thomas reed <tombreed2009 at gmail.com>
Sender: stoves-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org
Date: Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:40:39 
To: <stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org>
Reply-To: Discussion of biomass cooking stoves
	<stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org>
Subject: Re: [Stoves] Stoves Digest, Vol 14, Issue 52

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