[Stoves] New paper on atmospheric Black Carbon

[Carefreeland at aol.com]

Kevin and all, 
    I'm sure you can remember when rock coal could be  bought by utilities 
for $5- $10/ per ton by the barge load, $25/ ton for a small  dump truck 
load of fireplace lump coal. It wasn't that long ago. I remember my  landscape 
buddies buying road de- icing salt for similar prices from Ohio River  docks 
in the 1980's .  It's hard to believe the price of most fuel (  and other 
commodities) is so high now. 
    Nat Gas, produced from shale is now becoming  DIRT cheap. It's 
unfortunately being flared on a massive scale in North Dakota  just to get at the 
oil there. When the Bakkan oil wells run out, they will still  be producing 
gas for hundreds of years. The new wet gas wells just drilled this  year here 
in the Ohio Utica shale are some of the most productive in the world.  The 
first big discovery, Chessapeake's,  Buell well, produced 9  million cu ft./ 
day. It single handedly DOUBLED Ohio's entire state  gas production at the 
time. Gulfport Energy announced a 29 million cu ft./ day  well discovery in 
December after two others nearly that big. Many Marcellas  shale wells are 
shut in instead of producing gas, due to the low prices.  Half of the 
Marcellas shale wells have untapped Utica shale below the Marcellas.  LNG pumps are 
already being installed in the South as we speak to replace diesel  fueled 
semi's. LNG, CNG and propane WILL  rapidly replace a lot of  bulk 
transportation fuels, particularly, smoky diesel fuel. 
    Who would burry charcoal, instead of replacing rock  coal, when 
metallurgic coal is running $100- $200+ per ton? The positive effect  is better, 
because besides the atmospheric benefits, the elimination or  reduction of 
mountain top removal, open pits, or underground mining, are even  better goals. 
I think the carbon credit should apply here as well. Besides why  should we 
not conserve the rock coal for the distant future if ever needed? 
    I've crossed West Virgina and Pennsylvania quite a  number of times 
making hot shot deliveries lately. The coal lobby is posting  bill boards 
everywhere criticizing "Obama's war on coal".  The truth  be known, more jobs 
have been created drilling and producing natural gas there  from Marcellas 
shale, then have ever been lost reducing coal mining. Coal mining  is mostly 
done now by a very few men with giant power hungry  machines. Coal is being 
replaced more by natural gas  than anything due to low price and abundance, not 
the EPA. 
    Charcoal should by buried only when the economics  of the agriculture 
benefits outweigh the benefits of replacing fossil fuels.  This has to be 
weighed on a case by case basis. 
 
    Dan Dimiduk 
    
   
 
 
In a message dated 1/18/2013 1:49:16 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
kchisholm at ca.inter.net writes:

Dear  Crispin

Thanks very much. Your $6 per tonne CO2 carbon credit provides  an 
excellent 
perspective on the relative value of Carbon Credits, in  comparison to the 
value of charcoal/biochar as fuel. Certainly, it is far  more sensible for 
a 
charcoal producer to sell his charcoal as fuel, for  about $200 per tonne, 
than to sell it for $20 per tonne, for the carbon  credit payment.

The case for biochar is very interesting. Given that  the charcoal has a 
value of say $200 per tonne as fuel, it would have to  have a value of 
about 
$180 per tonne as biochar, plus the $20 Carbon  Credit to justify use of 
the 
charcoal as biochar, rather than as  fuel.

An Australian Government study found that biochar would be  economic for 
Farmers if its price was about $50 or less per tonne.  Regrettably, I don't 
have a reference to that Report. Perhaps someone on  the list can provide a 
reference to it, or, provide references to other  reports showing that 
charcoal is worth more as Biochar, than it is as  fuel.

Thanks again for your helpful  perspective.

Kevin


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