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Chronological Thread  
  • From: TMcD <tmcd49740 AT yahoo.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Charcoal Production - Was: Loss of Soil Carbon After Tilling
  • Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:20:06 -0700 (PDT)

--- On Wed, 10/28/09, Wiener, Benjamin L CPT NG NG FORSCOM
<benjamin.l.wiener AT us.army.mil> wrote:

> Tom, what do you intend to use as a
> heat source to char the wood that doesn't use carbon?
> Nuclear? solar? hydro? At best, in the most efficient
> designs, 40% of the carbon used in the process remains as
> biochar. then add in the fuel costs for transporting
> the wood and then distributing the char, and then you can
> see that it really isn't as "green" as you imagine.



Thank you very much for replying to my post.  I had no sooner posted my first
message when I realized that someone would probably mention the CO2 emissions
from the fuel used to heat the wood.  I can't argue with that. Also, I've
since found out that the fuel used is often produced from the pyrolysis of
the wood, so the CO2 emissions from the fuel burning actually do come from
the wood itself.  This pretty much reduces my post to a technically true
statement from a narrow point of view that fails to be helpful to anyone.

Sorry if I have wasted anyone's time.  I'll do way better in the future, I
promise.

Thanks to Richard Stewart and Ben Wiener for their very astute responses.

Tom










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