[Gasification] Biochar et al.
David Murphy
djfmurphy at dodo.com.au
Sun Dec 8 01:45:24 CST 2013
Joe, my apologies - a typo. Instead of " a
world which generates now (probably) 20 million
tonnes annually." that should read 20 _billion_
not million !
On 08/12/2013 12:33 PM, Joe Barnas wrote:
> DAVID,
>
> Thankyou for the insightful overview of biochar
> and comparative functionality of Zeolite, of
> which I was not familiar.
>
> However one thing I am focused on is how to
> address catastrophic global climate change and
> for that having billions of gardeners
> sequestering carbon, while building healthy soil
> and hence healthy food is not something that
> Zeolite can provide. It is another tool in
> growing food, yes, but let's not lose sight of
> the long term benefit of promoting biochar. I
> might even try mixing some with biochar just to
> gain the N adsorption benefits.
>
>
> On Fri, Dec 6, 2013 at 2:00 PM, David Murphy
> <djfmurphy at dodo.com.au
> <mailto:djfmurphy at dodo.com.au>> wrote:
>
>
> Greetings Biochar/Gasifier people !
>
> Everybody & his dog seems to have something
> to say about
> charcoal/biochar/biochar-compost mix and so
> on.Well, here's another dog to bark his piece !
>
> Biochar is often seen as the great
> agricultural panacea, but _it is
> not_.Biochar is a name given to plain
> ordinary charcoal to indicate that it is
> destined for use in soil improvement, but
> basically it is still plain ordinary
> charcoal, just crushed into smaller
> particles. In some circumstances it is a
> very beneficial tool but it is not magical
> as some proponents seem to think. Just
> remember, all charcoal has a bio-origin - wood.
>
> In some Ag. trials in Australiait
> significantly improved crop volume (treble
> in one case) but in other instances, nothing
> worth writing home about.It depends on what
> the soil is like to start with.
>
> Charcoal is stable.That means it does not
> take part in any composting system (which is
> one primarily of bacterial digestion) and it
> is indigestible so that when offered as a
> dietary supplement (in poultry food for
> example) it passes through the digestive
> system physically unchanged but will adsorb
> a high proportion of the gases and some
> toxins produced in the process of digestion,
> because that is what charcoal does. For this
> reason, it's adsorption capability, poultry
> will generally do better on a little charcoal.
>
> Quite a few pages could be filled on the
> beneficial services provided by charcoal as
> it travels through the digestive system, but
> it does it as charcoal only and as nothing
> else. By all means use a little in the
> feed, you can only benefit.
>
> The only physical way to change the nature
> of charcoal is to burn it. That is why it
> lasts in soil (or wherever it is) for
> thousands of years.
>
> It has an incredibly high surface area of
> 360 m^2 (varies) and is a mass of minute
> tunnels which in turn means a very high
> volume and gases become trapped in these
> tunnels.It does not _ab_sorb, it _ad_sorbs
> and traps only.The difference between absorb
> and adsorb is the same as the difference in
> liquids of suspension and solution.Clay
> particles will be in suspension, sugar and
> salt go into solution.
>
> Charcoal is useful in an aerobic composting
> system because again of the entrapment of
> air in the tunnels.A composting system goes
> well if there is enough oxygen bearing air
> available to the bacteria which are a
> significant part of the system.The more air,
> the higher the population of bacteria (other
> factors being OK). The charcoal itself is
> inoperative, and doesn't change, nor is it a
> catalyst, it simply provides a service. It
> will only provide a haven for soil
> benevolent bacteria if there is something
> trapped in the tunnels which the bacteria
> can eat.
>
> Charcoal is a good adsorber of gas and
> liquid simply because that is what it
> does.Zeolite on the other hand, can have an
> even higher surface are per gram and has a
> propensity to entrap gases, most
> particularly nitrogen in it's various forms
> -- as gas -- ammonium for example -- and in
> liquids as a salt of NO_3 .It actually draws
> them in (like a magnet attracts ferric
> objects) where charcoal just takes it as it
> comes. It is easy to see also why
> charcoal is so effective as a filter, but if
> you have a solution rich in nitrogen, run it
> through Zeolite and the N will be removed.
> Add some to the litter in poultry grower
> sheds, there will be fewer mortalities
> because the ammonia which sometimes will
> asphixiate small birds will be absorbed.
> Zeolite will take N out of solution,
> charcoal will not. There's 40 natural
> forms of Zeolite and more than another 150
> can be synthesised, so choose carefully for
> the one most appropriate to your problem.
> Zeolite can perform an amazing range of
> actions. Once used and applied as
> fertiliser, Zeolite subsequently will
> release the N slowly and remain in the soil
> as a balancer of N. Too much, it will take
> it in (so that the soil pH is not lowered)
> and release it as required.
>
> Charcoal's great stuff though, it's easy to
> make and holds answers to a lot of problems
> - but not all !
>
> David Murphy.
>
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>
>
> --
> Joe Barnas
> Portland, OR
> 541-525-1665
>
>
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