permaculture

[Thomas Allen <thallen@nwlink.com>]

Here in Seattle, SeaChar seachar.org has held several stove workshops  
to make pyrolyzers. They've made them in sizes ranging from #10 tins  
to 35 Gal. oil drums. I made one from a 5 gallon bucket with a #10 tin  
riveted to the bucket lid for a chimney. I have watched Art Donnaly  
bring a 3-gal. pot of water to boil for pasta in less than 10 minutes.  
With a flat plate on top he makes tortillas and elephant ears at local  
events about as fast as people can eat them. The stoves make no smoke  
and leave behind charcoal that you can do with whatever you like.

Rich Haard, Prof. emeritus WWSU in Washington State, has done field  
trials of the biochar made from such stoves, as has Art Donnaly. The  
result for crop production in normal, un-abused soil is inclusive in  
our maritime temperate climate at 48 deg. North.

On Dr. Haard's advice I applied activated charcoal to soil  
contaminated with herbicide from straw mulch, probably aminopyrlid. I  
posted about this last spring. I could not grow pulses at all and  
other plants were stunted. After the charcoal application (which I was  
careful to amend with aerated worm tea and fungi) I have successfully  
grown beans and outsized cardoon, chard and kale. Otherwise the garden  
has been generally productive since.

Draw what conclusions you will from this.

--Tom Allen
Seattle


On Nov 15, 2011, at 7:11 PM, christopher nesbitt wrote:

> We are working on a new design, and I will be updating our web page,  
> soon. Will share pictures as soon as I get a camera!
>
>
>
> On Nov 15, 2011, at 7:46 AM, Jay Woods wrote:
>
> > On Monday, November 14, 2011 11:48:12 PM christopher nesbitt wrote:
> > > Lawrence,
> > ...
> > > 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.
> > I checked your website for more information (esp., construction)  
> > without any
> > luck. Can you guide  me on this?
> >
> > In addition, I need to set up a solar water pump (in the few  
> > gallons per day
> > range). Do you have any further information beyond the name  
> > "Outback Power"?
> > (I assume that this is http://www.outbackpower.com/ people.)
> >
> > > 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
> > > > _______________________________________________
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> > > > Garden Hand Tool Sourcelist and Biointensive Gardening Guide
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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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>
>
>
> _____________________________
> 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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