[Stoves] Principles - draft from 2011

[Jock Gill]

Tom,

Thanks for the note.  Please feel free to edit the DRAFT to reflect this excellent input.  Else I will find the original Pages file once I get back to Boston and will attempt to make the changes you suggest.

As for Ph, my understanding is that the Ph of char is only marginally important as it will change quickly when mixed with soil, by far the larger determinant,  and with the effects of rain. Is this also your understanding?

Cheers,

Jock



Jock Gill
P.O. Box 3
Peacham,  VT 05862

Cell: (617) 449-8111

:> Extract CO2 from the atmosphere! <:

Sent from my iPad

On Apr 6, 2013, at 12:26 PM, Tom Miles <tmiles at trmiles.com> wrote:

> Jock,
> 
> Thanks for the resurrecting the principles draft. These are helpful
> observations about the products of pyrolysis and gasification but I think
> you have provided a narrow definition of desirable biochar qualities.  
> 
> Your tests suggest discarding char that is hydrophobic (floaters), not
> charred (brown bits), ashy (not neutral pH), smelly (creosote), or oily
> (soap test). These are useful tests for characterizing the qualities of the
> char but there is no reason to discard it because of these qualities. Just
> use the chars appropriately. The floaters may serve to bulk a soil that may
> be compacted. The incompletely charred material can also be used as an
> amendment. It will eventually break down. Ashy char has more value as ash
> than as char. I haven't seen a char yet with neutral pH. You may mean to say
> that ashy char is likely to have a high pH and should be used appropriately.
> From what I have seen char that is oily or smells of creosote can be used to
> growth abundant and healthy plants. 
> 
> Tom          
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Stoves [mailto:stoves-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of
> Jock Gill
> Sent: Saturday, April 06, 2013 8:27 AM
> To: Discussion of biomass cooking stoves
> Subject: [Stoves] Principles - draft from 2011
> 
> Perhaps these will be of interest to those working on "standards".  There is
> far more to stoves than simple "performance" characteristics.  In the best
> of all possible worlds, stoves are able to contribute much more than clean
> stack gasses.  It would be desirable to look at the full spectrum of
> potential benefits when evaluating stoves. In the developed economies at
> least, the saying is that "benefits sell".  The implication is that features
> are not as powerful a motivations for adoption.
> 
> <Principles.pdf>
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