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  • From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] Gardening with Biochar FAQ / FrontPage & active charcoal
  • Date: Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:54:32 -0500


A magnificent work:


Gardening with Biochar FAQ / FrontPage
http://biochar.pbworks.com/FrontPage


"From the International Biochar Initiative:

Biochar is a fine-grained charcoal high in organic carbon and largely resistant to decomposition. It is produced from pyrolysis of plant and waste feedstocks. As a soil amendment, biochar creates a recalcitrant soil carbon pool that is carbon-negative, serving as a net withdrawal of atmospheric carbon dioxide stored in highly recalcitrant soil carbon stocks. The enhanced nutrient retention capacity of biochar-amended soil not only reduces the total fertilizer requirements but also the climate and environmental impact of croplands. Char-amended soils have shown 50 - 80 percent reductions in nitrous oxide emissions and reduced runoff of phosphorus into surface waters and leaching of nitrogen into groundwater. As a soil amendment, biochar significantly increases the efficiency of and reduces the need for traditional chemical fertilizers, while greatly enhancing crop yields. Renewable oils and gases co-produced in the pyrolysis process can be used as fuel or fuel feedstocks. Biochar thus offers promise for its soil productivity and climate benefits."

"Biochar enthusiasts generally agree that raw biochar needs to be processed further prior to being added to the garden. Composting, or soaking with compost tea, is commonly used to charge the pore volume with beneficial organisms and nutrients. Soaking in a nutrient rich solution (examples are urine or fish emulsion) prior to composting is accepted practice."

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Activated carbon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activated_carbon

Activated carbon, also called activated charcoal or " Activated coal" is a form of carbon that has been processed to make it extremely porous and thus to have a very large surface area available for adsorption or chemical reactions.[1]

The word activated in the name is sometimes replaced with active. Due to its high degree of microporosity, just one gram of activated carbon has a surface area in excess of 500 m2, as determined typically by nitrogen gas adsorption. Sufficient activation for useful applications may come solely from the high surface area, though further chemical treatment often enhances the adsorbing properties of the material. Activated carbon is usually derived from charcoal.



  • [permaculture] Gardening with Biochar FAQ / FrontPage & active charcoal, Lawrence F. London, Jr., 01/07/2010

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