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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] Biochar questions

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  • From: Marty Kraft <martyk@allspecies.org>
  • To: Healthy soil and sustainable growing <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Biochar questions
  • Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:45:59 -0600

It seems to me that if you chipped it you would have chips for several years that slowly returned their carbon to the atmosphere as CO2. Some would go into your soil and be returned as CO2 in a few more years. If you made biochar and put some in your beds you could see for yourself what effect it had on the soil. The carbon you put in the ground as biochar is likely to be there for hundreds of years and at least that bit of carbon will not be causing climate change. Given our situation we need to find out if this option is helpful.

The process as i understand it is simple. I don't consider these directions, just a description of the process as i understand it.

The designs for retorts are fairly simple, a barrel within a barrel, the outside barrel having a lid with a stack in the middle. The inner barrel is filled with dried plant material or even dung. It is turned upside down in the outer barrel so it will lack oxygen and char instead of burn. Put fuel around the inside barrel and light it from the top. When the fire gets going good put the lid/stack on top which will cause the gasses and smoke to ignite, cleaning up what is going into the atmosphere. You have to quench it afterward so that the char doesn't turn to ash and release its carbon to the atmosphere. Before you put it on the soil you should mix it with compost to fill the many bonding sites on the char so it doesn't pull minerals from your soil.

There is a lot of information available if you search for it. In the next couple of weeks i hope to have a simple unit up and running.

Marty Kraft
Kansas City
On Nov 10, 2009, at 6:20 AM, Don Bowen wrote:

I have been clearing a 60 ft square section of scrub brush and small
trees where I plan to build a shop. The result is a huge pile of
branches that at first would make a good habitant but as the pile grew
that became impractical. I have been thinking of either burning it to
make biochar or passing it though a chipper.

Which would be better for the soil, biochar or chippings? There is so
much of this stuff that it would make a huge bonfire.
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