Appropriate Technology

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <venaurafarm AT bellsouth.net>]

On 11/15/2011 12:48 AM, christopher nesbitt wrote:
> Lawrence,
>
> Thats absolutely not true. Biochar is about making heat from
> pyrolysis, heating biomas to get the biomas to off gas, burning in a
> non oxygen environment. The heated gasses can then be burned, and the
> heat from that be used for things that we need heat for, cooking,
> space heating, water heating, running a sterling engine, etc. The
> "bad" gases are burned off, and what is left behind is the carbon,
> which has a lot of surface area for your soil bacteria and fungi. Its
> like an apartment building for mocrorganisms, and greatly aids in
> fertility. The carbon applied to the soil is very stable, and will be
> effectively removed from the atmosphere for a long time.

I agree.

I was simply referring to the tendency of industry to compromise quality 
and safety in favor of big profits from converting questionable biomass 
material, possibly industrial waste of some kind into biochar,
selling it for as much as possible and wussing out if it results in 
pollution affecting end user or the environment. Don't know what 
materials these might be but with a little research you might find 
materials that might be otherwise be landfilled or stored on site 
somewhere long term resulting in offsite pollution...

Can municipal waste, i.e. garbage, paper, cardboard, landscape 
trimmings, leaves and the like be processed into biochar then used 
alongside mulch and compost, also produced in municipal or county 
landfills, in municipal, county, state and federal landscape plantings 
in parks, along highways and around buildings?

I am a big advocate of making and using biochar as long as it is done
using processes that recycle most or all the flammable gases and emits 
little or no smoke; this for the sake of the person making the biochar 
as well as for everyone else downwind and the environment. Of course 
uncountable numbers of wood stoves are used each year, most of which 
pollute. Still, it would be good to set a precedent by promoting clean 
biochar making from the start. So, are there homebrew stoves that can 1) 
produce space heat when needed 2) cook food or heat water 3) make 
biochar. Seems water heating and biochar making could go hand in hand,
using water heating coils with storage in tanks overhead by convestion;
gravity flow for deliver when and where needed.

Biochar is a miracle material but making it is no trivial matter.

LL

> We are working on developing a home stove at low cost for families
> who burn wood for cooking here in southern Belize. This is an
> alternative for rural people who cannot afford the natural
> gas/propane/butane/fossil fuel that people in more developed
> countries use. We have a design that uses a 55 gallon drum and a
> welded old propane tank. Total cost? About USD75, less than the price
> of two full tanks of propane, and it gives heat for cooking, has
> fairly complete combustion, and leaves us with carbon to bury in the
> soil. This is not an industrial byproduct, or a way to make money. It
> is a way for small farmers to improve their soils while sequestering
> carbon (generated in natural gas/propane/butane/fossil fuel run
> stoves, for example), while getting the heat they need to do their
> cooking.
>
> Again, I suggest anyone considering the merits, or lack of, of
> biochar, to read Albert Bates book, "The Biochar Solution". That is
> one way to become an informed person on the subject.
>
> Christopher
>
>
>
> On Nov 14, 2011, at 11:01 PM, Lawrence F. London, Jr. wrote:
>
> > On 11/14/2011 5:31 PM, John D'hondt wrote:
> > > They don't yet know how it works? But they are already telling
> > > everybody how to make it? Burning the planet to cool it? If it
> > > were not for the very name which comes under the heading of
> > > "new-speak" in Brave New World more people might wonder if it
> > > worked at all as do I. Bio means life and char means coal and
> > > freedom is slavery and war is peace.
> >
> > Its all about using an industrial (probably wasteful and polluting
> > processes) byproduct to create another product to market for high
> > dollar.
> >
> > It does not make any sense to char biomass to make charcoal that
> > then must be pulverized and field spread (often using fossil fuel)
> > when all that needs to be done is to allow weeds to control weeds,
> > crimp or roll them to make a semi living mulch that controls weeds,
> > adds seeds and organic matter to soil to increase OM and eventually
> > humus while significantly building soil quality and productive
> > capacity.
> >
> > Thumbs up for notill agriculture (and minimum till).
> >
> > LL _______________________________________________ permaculture
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>
>
> _____________________________ Christopher Nesbitt
>
> Maya Mountain Research Farm San Pedro Columbia, Toledo PO 153 Punta
> Gorda Town, Toledo BELIZE, Central America
>
> www.mmrfbz.org
>
>
>
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