[Gasification] Biochar et al.
David Murphy
djfmurphy at dodo.com.au
Sun Dec 8 20:25:13 CST 2013
Greetings Paul !
No problem with your criticism/correction. But
as I understand it (and I'm no expert) "oils ain't
oils" and Biochar ain't just biochar".
Depending on the soil analysis a good soil doctor
would produce a prescription biochar, which would
mean different temperatures etc as you
descdribe. The topic is complex and I
certainly can't describe it in a few linesand
neither am I qualified to. It's a bit like
worms. Some people say to me "Tell me all about
worms". I've written 3 books (Best Sellers) on
the topic and haven't covered it properly yet.
DJM.
On 09/12/2013 10:16 AM, Paul Judd wrote:
> On 07/12/13 09:00, David Murphy 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 litterin 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 Nslowly 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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> BioChar is not "ordinary charcoal".
> Charcoal is usually made at temperatures above
> 1000C and all volatiles are removed.
> Bio-char is made a lower temperatures, 400~600C
> just above spontaneous combustion temperature of
> organic material (wet or dry). It contains tars
> and a different structure withing the hollows
> than `ordinary charcoal`. It is the structure
> and the tars that make a good home for soil
> micro organisms. It also holds water and
> minerals better than charcoal.
>
> See http://www.biochar-international.org/ for
> more detailed information and projects.
>
> Local Australian groups:
> http://biocharproject.org/
> http://www.bioenergyaustralia.org/
>
> --
> Paul Judd B.App.Sc. Secondary Metallurgy, Dip Electrotechnology Renewable Energy, Dip Sustainability
> Trainer and Sustainability Advisor
> PAJeco Sustainable Education
> Sustainability: Learning to live today but leaving enough to live tomorrow
> http://www.pajeco.com.au
> paul.a.judd at pajeco.com.au
> +61415518134
>
>
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