[Stoves] Carbon credits for biochar

Thu Jan 12 14:08:39 CST 2017

Paul:

Sorry for a delayed response.

My 20+ years old charge that the CDM process - in turn based on IPCC
Guidelines for GHG inventorying - is based on "expert-selected species for
expert-selected computational methods from expert-selected sources net of
expert-selected sinks" - is re-confirmed by your post.

I wish you all success in getting biochar recognized in some "avoided
kgCO2e" fashion.

I haven't looked at CDM rules in ten years, but there may be some
"sequestration" computations available from the REDD projects. I don't know
if there are any yet under CDM. (This may answer Frank's question -- two
different mechanisms may apply at the FCCC.)

You will also do a great service by doing what is called "price discovery".

Here is perhaps a stupid question --- if you put 1 tCO2e in the ground per
year as char, is that net of all CO2e emitted from the stove? Or do your
stoves have to show a low fNRB in order to get any avoided CO2e from
combustion? What is the baseline for both cooking emissions (today) and
char emissions (100 years, say)? What do you have to prove for "permanent
sequestration"? (Not that anybody else has to prove permanent effect, only
that during project lifetime.)

I have no knowledge of the fate of char in soil.

A silly idea perhaps -- you can design bids for your CDM and char/REDD
certificates (assuming REDD applies), and offer the first buyers discounted
price on future certificates. I did some auction modeling for Montreal
Protocol some twenty years ago, but a better economist and scientist is
needed for REDD auctions!! (There has been some literature on CER auction
models, but my knowledge is way too rusty.)

Start with a reservation price for CDM at $7/tCO2e and char at $10/tCO2e.
Is that enough revenue per stove to cover the fob plant production cost?

Nikhil

> Frank, Stovers, and Charists.
>
> I am responding to Frank's question that is below.
>
> No carbon credits are given for biochar because that is the way the
> current carbon credit system is structured for that Deganga project (link
> is given below).  That is beyond the control of that project.
>
> HOWEVER, I am organizing a similar Champion TLUD stove project in East
> Darjeeling District, West Bengal, India (exactly on the border with
> Bhutan).  That project has new rules about its carbon credits.  And I am
> stating that the incorporation of biochar into soils is eligible for carbon
> credits.  I will be presenting this at the ETHOS session Saturday evening
> 28 January. in the Seattle area.
>
> Note:  Carbon credits are essentially an intangible commodity that can be
> linked to specific acts, such as the irreversible, scattered burial of
> appropriate carbon into soil.  Will someone pay to have that char-burial
> (making it unburnable) occur?   THAT is the same as paying for voluntary
> carbon credits.
>
> When (not if) that "unburnableness" of char is possible in a reasonably
> documented manner, would someone pay for that to happen?  I think that some
> people will A) pay for the carbon-negative burial of the equivlaent of 1
> tCO2; or B) pay to have biochar into soil; or C) pay to accomplish both A
> and B; or D) pay as a donation to a real biochar project in an impoverished
> country; or E) pay for any other reason (such as "they like Paul
> Anderson.")
>
> It takes about 250 kg (quarter ton) of dry un-treated (raw) biochar to
> make 1 tonne CO2eq., and that amount of char comes from 1 TLUD stove used
> daily in one household during one year (based on India field data, not just
> laboratory calculations).  I think that such an amount that is PERMANENTLY
> SEQUESTERED should be worth TWO carbon credits, but that will need to be
> debated and resolved.
>
> I intend to place that amount of char on the market for US$20, being the
> price for EITHER one Biochar Credit or two Carbon Credits.  I think that is
> a fair price.   What do you think?  Can the price be higher?
>
> The East Darjeeling project will also be selling single Carbon Credits for
> $10.
>
> Will anyone purchase it (as 2 carbon credits and they do not care about
> the char as long as it is made unburnable) (or as one biochar credit) and
> donate it to a serious biochar project in the local area?
>
> THAT is a serious question.   And I ask it to everyone who is reading this
> email.  $20 for biochar.  And there will be tens of thousands of those
> "Biochar Credits" every year.
>
> Remember, this is BOTH a Biochar Listserv topic (obviously) AND a Stoves
> Listserv topic (as it relates to how to finance the stoves that we want to
> disseminate.)   To be discussed on the lists separately.
>
> I will be discussing this further, providing information as fast as I
> can.  I will see your responses, but I have work to do and will let others
> lead the discussions / debates.     (Please be sure that all discussants
> have read the Deganga TLUD report.   Otherwise, the above statements and
> their comments will not make sense.)
>
> Paul
>
> Doc  /  Dr TLUD  /  Prof. Paul S. Anderson, PhD
> Email:  psanders at ilstu.edu
> Skype:   paultlud    Phone: +1-309-452-7072 <(309)%20452-7072>
> Website:  www.drtlud.com
>
> On 1/8/2017 11:08 PM, Frank Shields wrote:
>
> Thanks Paul,
> I searched for the Deganga study and found it to be interesting. One
> statement in the report i do not understand:
>
> "3. The produced TLUD char cannot generate credits if it is burned by the
> household or used as biochar for soil amending.”
>
> “cannot generate credits if it is burned by the household” - thats makes
> sense.
> “or used as biochar for soil amending”? - that makes NO sense.
>
> Amazing number of hurtles that you must have overcome to set the program
> in motion.
>
> http://www.drtlud.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/TLUD-Case-
> Study-Deganga-2016-09-30.pdf
>
> Thanks
>
> Frank
> Frank Shields
> Gabilan Laboratory
> Keith Day Company, Inc.
> 1091 Madison Lane
> Salinas, CA  93907
> (831) 246-0417 cell
> (831) 771-0126 office
> fShields at keithdaycompany.com
>
>
>
> franke at cruzio.com
>
>
>
> On Jan 8, 2017, at 8:43 PM, Paul Anderson <psanders at ilstu.edu> wrote:
>
>  Deganga study
>
>
>
>
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