[Stoves] Fwd: [biochar] Used Tractors ...biochar on homestead

Sun Oct 21 10:02:32 CDT 2012

Thanks for copying me on this response, Crispin.

   I am also very happy whenever I hear of yet another "success story" 
with "undifferentiated Biochar" produced from small gasifier "stoves" 
and used in crop production.  Of course, the Biochar is almost never 
used _/alone/_, but is used alongside other amendments ["different 
formulations"] like "mulch, compost, crushed bone, crushed coral, lava 
dust, and generally any animal and green waste"...
  (My most recent conversations I am having had to do with the 
complimentary use of "rock dust" ~ a.k.a. "agrominerals" and Biochar ... 
The use of 'agrominerals' is a technique that [unknown to me until 
recently] has actually been honed by many folks at the /University of 
Guelph/ over the past several decades.  With Biochar one should be able 
to create high quality inoculated bio-chars that help to "free" the 
agrominerals [rock dust] of their 'nutrients' at a more accelerated rate.)

   I have always felt that the role of Biochar was to "even out the soil 
moisture retention capabilities of the soils". I actually expressed this 
exact sentiment to David Laird -- and others -- personally at the first 
North American Biochar conference in 2009 in Colorado, though it was not 
in those terms exactly.  What I had found remarkable was the ability of 
Biochar placed into my CLAY soils to actually help my [potted] plants 
survive (induced) "drought" -- a totally counter-intuitive outcome.
  I had suggested that it was likely the /nature/ of the "water-holding 
ability" of Biochar that was the benefit: i.e. the ability of the chars 
to hold onto water, but not too "tightly" ~ which thus allows the water 
to be fairly easily 'unbound' from the char surfaces by the root systems 
and fungi and other living fractions of the soils.  (The same is likely 
true for the relationship between chars and many 'nutrients'...)

  As I also wrote recently in an unrelated thread, "I actually suspect 
that by combining... (all of these other things) with Biochar (and "soil 
microbes/fungi" etc), that we might be *making our lives **_/easier/_* 
[rather than more complicated] -- in terms of actually achieving 
"fertility benefits" through the addition of these amendments...  
Although the */science/* of actually 'teasing it all apart' to 
understand _/exactly/_ what is going on in terms of the complex 
interactions that are taking place between the soils, minerals, plants 
and biology will probably get _*more* complicated_ and thus more 
expensive/difficult to perform.
   In my mind, this complexity does _not_ /necessarily/ mean that we 
will not be able to achieve /*quicker results*/ in terms of "food 
security" ~ and Climate security [mostly via /adaptation/], however.

  As I concluded, I wrote that, "a LOT more learning needs to be done to 
understand the various influences all of these amendments are actually 
having on the soils and the biology -- and the best techniques for how 
to restore 'balance', 'vibrancy' and perhaps also (some modicum of) 
'stability' to the LIVING FRACTION of the soils -- especially from the 
additions of Biochar."

   As David Yarrow wrote once, "/ultimately, this Biochar thing isn't 
really about chemistry or carbon; it's about *biology*/".
Don't forget: Nature offers us some extraordinary design solutions -- 
honed by 3.8 billion years of rigorous testing.
  To me, what Biochar is really all about is our attempts at >making 
permanent *humus*< _/faster/_. Humus is an amazing soil conditioner. 
Only 5% humus can transform lifeless 'rock dust' into a rich loam.  It 
has abilities to both bind sand and granulate clay.

  Have you watched the film, "/HUMUS: Forgotten Climate Aid/"?
   The film documents the use of Biochar to help, "unravel the secret of 
/sustainably fertile soil/ and find solutions for building up humus".  
(The film documents the many years of work that have been done in the 
Styrian "Eco-region of Kaindorf" [Germany], and features many notable 
Biochar proponents like Dr. Christoph Steiner and others who use 
"agrocraft"** -- to build "targeted humus" ~ even in relatively Fertile 
soils. [!] )

** Agrokraft GmbH was created by the /Bavarian Farmers Association/ to 
explore concepts and technologies like hydro-thermal carbonization 
(HTC), with the support of the /*Max Planck Institute for Colloids and 
Interfaces*/ in Potsdam (near Berlin).

  "Agrokraft" is also often referred to as "/Climatefarming/" ~ an 
attempt at reproducing "Terra Preta-like" soils.

Regards,

   Lloyd Helferty, Engineering Technologist
   Principal, Biochar Consulting (Canada)
   www.biochar-consulting.ca
   48 Suncrest Blvd, Thornhill, ON, Canada
   905-707-8754
   CELL: 647-886-8754
      Skype: lloyd.helferty
   Steering Committee coordinator
   Canadian Biochar Initiative (CBI)
   President, Co-founder & CBI Liaison, Biochar-Ontario
   National Office, Canadian Carbon Farming Initiative (CCFI)
   Partner of Toronto Urban Ag Summit www.urbanagsummit.org
   Manager, Biochar Offsets Group:
            http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=2446475
    Advisory Committee Member, IBI
   http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1404717
   http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=42237506675
   http://groups.google.com/group/biochar-ontario
   http://www.meetup.com/biocharontario/
   http://www.biocharontario.ca
    www.biochar.ca

"It is the path, more than the arrival at the destination, that is important"
  - Gandhi

On 2012-10-21 6:04 AM, Crispin Pemberton-Pigott wrote:
>
> Thanks Ron for this forward. Very informative.
>
> Dear Su Ba
>
> This is the second (different) positive-response use I have heard for 
> undifferentiated stove char. As a water averaging soil ingredient it 
> makes perfect sense. It is why we always used puffed (popped) 
> vermiculite.
>
> The other application is for purification of water which can use the 
> small amounts produced by stoves.  The char is treated with a 
> nanosilver particle solution and becomes biologically active (kills 
> bacteria). Lloyd Helferty connected me to a guy in the UK who knows 
> how to do this.
>
> Regards
>
> Crispin
>
> Su Ba and biochar list  (and adding "stoves")
>
>     I am impressed.   Thanks for the (very complete) report.  Very 
> nice to hear there were no problems.
>
>     Could you describe a bit more technical details about your TLUDS?  
> First use when?    Homemade?    Presumably made of tin cans?  Sizes?  
> Any insulation?  Any  preheating of any air?  If controlling primary 
> air - how?  How many uses before wearing/burning out?  Etc.
>
> Ron
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> *From: *"Su Ba" <kaufarmer at yahoo.com <mailto:kaufarmer at yahoo.com>>
> *To: *biochar at yahoogroups.com <mailto:biochar at yahoogroups.com>
> *Sent: *Saturday, October 20, 2012 4:07:48 PM
> *Subject: *Re: [biochar] Used Tractors ...biochar  on homestead
>
> Ron, I cannot give you the type of answer you are hoping for. I 
> produce food, not run experiments  using various percentages of char, 
> different formulations, and using controls. In addition, I use a 
> number of soil amendments including char, mulch, compost, crushed 
> bone, crushed coral, lava dust, and generally any animal and green 
> waste that comes available. None of my field is amended by biochar 
> alone. I also make and use foliar sprays when plants show need.
>
> Having said that, I saw visible improvement in the areas that I 
> started using biochar. The plants were visibly more lush and withstood 
> dry conditions better. My own reasons for adding biochar is that it 
> tends to even out the soil moisture retention capabilities of the 
> soil. The areas that became boggy now drain better. The areas that 
> moisture levels fluctuated wildly now tend to flatten out somewhat, 
> staying much more evenly moist. In my own situation, I found that 
> leaving the char chunky ( 1/4 to 1 inch) works just fine.
>
> I had noticed that plants looked more lush when planted into ground 
> that had a fresh application of char. Thus it is now my routine to 
> till in a light application prior to each new planting.
>
> The char I produce is made with a homemade TLUD stove adapted for 
> cooking. I created a series of them in a line so that I can move from 
> one to the next in order to cook for more than 40 minutes at a time 
> when needed.
>
> I use tree waste as fuel. Twigs and branches that I put through the 
> shredder. I mostly burn ohia, eucalyptus, and coconut husks. But any 
> tree trimming are used when available.
>
> When I started using char, I use to quench the coals in water. Just 
> recently I changed to using using urine, and when that is not 
> available, then fermented fish waste. I cannot say yet if that has 
> made a visible difference in the crops. But it hasn't appeared to be 
> hurting them.
>
> Negatives?  It takes time. I have to gather and shred the fuel. But a 
> benefit is that I do not have to
>
> purchase much propane. Another negative is that my TLUD stoves burn 
> out, so I need to improve the design and materials. I do not grind the 
> char, so I don't have the dust problem that others talk about. I have 
> not noticed any negative effectives on the crops themselves.
>
> I hope this information helps you.
>
> ...Su Ba
>

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