permaculture

[Rael Bassan <rael@ripco.com>]

Much richness in the terrapreta.bioenergylists.
They have posts on charcoal-making and using it for mulch including:

>>
Robert Flanagan's Biochar Stove: Carbon Negative Cooking
 October 30, 2007
[Didn't mention emissions, but gotta be better 
than current cooking processes...]
http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/terrabiocharstove
...a tabletop charcoal-maker, which also is a 
single-burner cookstove. Now, climate-conscious 
housewives can proudly have a carbon negative 
kitchen to capture carbon with every meal and pot 
of tea. A wide variety of fibrous organic 
matter—cornstalks, nut shells, bamboo, wood 
chips, straw—can be stacked in the box, then 
ignited at the burner. The stove can be reloaded 
with more fuel to use for cooking as long as 
needed. A recent demonstration of the stove with 
corncobs ran for 25 minutes and boiled 10 liters 
of water before charcoal remaining was taken out.

>>
Charcoal mulch worked better than clear polythene
http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/rhscharmulch
...prairie grass establishment by direct sowing 
is possible in the south of England, especially 
when soil temperature is elevated by either 
charcoal or clear polythene mulching. Overall the 
charcoal treatment was most successful as this 
mulch also reduced weed cover early in the first half of the summer.

Rael

Rael Bassan
Chicago Coordinator
2007 Urban Ecovillage Gathering Committee
1020 W. Lawrence Ave. #1216
Chicago, IL, USA, 60640-6535
773-756-5033
http://ecovillagingchicagoland.blogspot.com/