Big Wind Biochar Dump Load Regulation

Comment

Comment by Robert Schultz on May 29, 2009 at 10:02am

PNW-Biochar Proposed Subcommittees for Consideration
Economic Sustainability
Social Sustainability
Environmental Sustainability

Community Issues – Incorporate into social criteria as appropriate
a) Energy security
b) Food Security
c) Rural Infrastructure
d) Intellectual Property
e) Product Safety and Quality
f) Small-to-medium scale
g) Corporate Concentration
h) Rural communities- including quality of life and local hiring etc.

Just a sample of what they are working on in this Google group. Had a discussion with the group leader about grass seed field burning. A field sanitizer was developed in the late 1970's to use propane and bio-gas to burn cut grass stubble, reducing levels of smoke, but still fighting Oregon legislature to prevent banning of burning. Smoke related pileup on I-5 in 1988 killed 7 people and injured 38 others. May use grass straw for feeding livestock, feedstock for ethanol, or biogas generator.

Comment by Eric Koch on May 27, 2009 at 5:11pm

for example: here are two american companies that could communicate on this topic.

http://www.biocharengineering.com/

http://www.northernpower.com/

Northern Power produces a 100kW turbine and a 2.2MW turbine.

Biochar Engineering produces two stand alone models.....this is good...they should keep produceing both of them as long as demand warrents it.

but it would be great if Biochar Enginering could partner and package with Northern Power for an entirely electric powered self feeder that can respond to over-voltage with char production and syngass generation that responds to under-voltage.....basicly a Biochar Line Voltage Regulator

Comment by Robert Schultz on May 27, 2009 at 4:07pm

Just joined Pacific Northwest Biochar Initiative group site on Google groups. Will try to share what I learn between that group and this one.
_________________________________________________________________
The Pacific Northwest is a fertile ground for promoting biochar as an essential tool in the mitigation of global warming and advancing the development of biochar as a soil enhancer. Not only does the PNW have the available biomass to support biochar production, this region has a unique culture of people with the talent and enthusiasm for sustainability-- capable of advancing the production, research and utilization of biochar.

Some topics we hope to address are:

The realities of biochar production, “best bet” technologies/methods and utilization
Protocols and certification of sustainable biochar production and identification of suitable feedstocks
A regional field trial network
Economic analysis and funding opportunities
A Pacific Northwest Biochar conference

Comment by Robert Schultz on May 27, 2009 at 3:45pm

I deleted my re-posting of Erich's comments. He has his own discussion started here now. Thanks, Erich.

Comment by Eric Koch on May 27, 2009 at 11:27am

Thanks Robert,

the benefits of char are many..these should prove invaluable armourment for the movement...

the main benefit i would like to keep fore front here is the ability of char production equipment to serve as an eco-friendly,non-redundant power storage medium for large wind installations....as many chemical and mechanical storage solutions are not quite so elegant,and a solar array, blocking the sun, doesn't lend it self to the concept.

Comment by Robert Schultz on May 27, 2009 at 10:53am

Erich, I posted your comments on my NW Renewable Energy group page. Then re-copied it here complete with working links for the many references, research projects, and websites of interest. This plan takes it well past just a good way to make mulch for your garden.

By the way, I hear BBQ contests and meat smokers are a good source for biochar for your garden, clean, slow burned wood, without petroleum products added like charcoal briquets.

Comment by Robert Schultz on May 27, 2009 at 10:31am

I heard about biochar as a good way to return nutrients to the soil. Being able to use the process to produce energy, syn-gas, and produce large supplies of biotic carbon is a perfect fit for the farmers in the midwest and others areas.

We have had environmental concerns over grass seed growers burning their fields every fall. Persons with breathing problems hate the smoke, grass growers say they need to burn to improve their yields for next season. Currently the grass growers are trying to find a good way to produce less smoke, with controlled burns, and only burn during proper wind conditions. This may be a good solution for grass, and wheat growers in our region.

http://push.pickensplan.com/group/nwrenewableenergygroup

Comment by Eric Koch on May 26, 2009 at 9:26am

BRAVO!!!!...ovations first man standing....that should be chiseled in stone and put on display behind glass...

could you do me a favor Erich,...click above on start discussion and re-post this...i want this to sit right up top,as the thought of it getting buried under the comment wall is unbearable.

Comment by Erich J. Knight on May 25, 2009 at 11:57pm

Here's my condensed state of U.S. development progress

Biochar Soil Technology.....Husbandry of whole new orders of life

Biotic Carbon, the carbon transformed by life, should never be combusted, oxidized and destroyed. It deserves more respect, reverence even, and understanding to use it back to the soil where 2/3 of excess atmospheric carbon originally came from.

We all know we are carbon-centered life, we seldom think about the complex web of recycled bio-carbon which is the true center of life. A cradle to cradle, mutually co-evolved biosphere reaching into every crack and crevice on Earth.

It's hard for most to revere microbes and fungus, but from our toes to our gums (onward), their balanced ecology is our health. The greater earth and soils are just as dependent, at much longer time scales. Our farming for over 10,000 years has been responsible for 2/3rds of our excess greenhouse gases. This soil carbon, converted to carbon dioxide, Methane & Nitrous oxide began a slow stable warming that now accelerates with burning of fossil fuel.

Wise Land management; Organic farming and afforestation can build back our soil carbon,

Biochar allows the soil food web to build much more recalcitrant organic carbon, ( living biomass & Glomalins) in addition to the carbon in the biochar.

Biochar, the modern version of an ancient Amazonian agricultural practice called Terra Preta (black earth, TP), is gaining widespread credibility as a way to address world hunger, climate change, rural poverty, deforestation, and energy shortages… SIMULTANEOUSLY!
Modern Pyrolysis of biomass is a process for Carbon Negative Bio fuels, massive Carbon sequestration,10X Lower Methane & N2O soil emissions, and 3X Fertility Too.
Every 1 ton of Biomass yields 1/3 ton Charcoal for soil Sequestration, Bio-Gas & Bio-oil fuels, so is a totally virtuous, carbon negative energy cycle.

Biochar viewed as soil Infrastructure; The old saw;
"Feed the Soil Not the Plants" becomes;
"Feed, Cloth and House the Soil, utilities included !".
Free Carbon Condominiums with carboxyl group fats in the pantry and hydroxyl alcohol in the mini bar.
Build it and the Wee-Beasties will come.
As one microbiologist said on the Biochar list; "Microbes like to sit down when they eat".
By setting this table we expand husbandry to whole new orders of life.

This is what I try to get across to Farmers, as to how I feel about the act of returning carbon to the soil. An act of pertinence and thankfulness for the civilization we have created. Farmers are the Soil Sink Bankers, once carbon has a price, they will be laughing all the way to it.

One aspect of Biochar systems are Cheap, clean biomass stoves that produce biochar and no respiratory disease. At scale, the health benefits are greater than ending Malaria.
A great example;
http://www.unccd.int/publicinfo/poznanclimatetalks/docs/Natural%20Draft%20Stove.pdf

The biochar Fund is also doing amazing work in the developing world;
http://terrapretapot.org/

Also , I would like Rebut the BioFuelWatch folk's recent criticisms with the petition of 1500 Cameroon Farmers;
The Biochar Fund
http://biocharfund.org/
and to explain their program;
http://biocharfund.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=26&Itemid=46

The USDA-ARS have dozens of studies happening now to ferret out the reasons for char affinity with MYC fungi and microbes, but this synergy is solidly shown by the Japanese work, literally showing 1+1=3

Senator / Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar has done the most to nurse this biofuels system in his Biochar provisions in the 07 & 08 farm bill,
http://www.biochar-international.org/newinformationevents/newlegislation.html

Charles Mann ("1491") in the Sept. National Geographic has a wonderful soils article which places Terra Preta / Biochar soils center stage.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/09/soil/mann-text

Biochar data base; TP-REPP
http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/?q=node

NASA's Dr. James Hansen Global warming solutions paper and letter to the G-8 conference, placing Biochar / Land management the central technology for carbon negative energy systems.
http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/0804/0804.1126.pdf

The many new university programs & field studies, in temperate soils; Cornell, ISU, U of H, U of GA, Virginia Tech, JMU, New Zealand and Australia.

Glomalin's role in soil tilth, fertility & basis for the soil food web in Terra Preta soils.

UNCCD Submission to Climate Change/UNFCCC AWG-LCA 5
"Account carbon contained in soils and the importance of biochar (charcoal) in replenishing soil carbon pools, restoring soil fertility and enhancing the sequestration of CO2."
http://www.unccd.int/publicinfo/AWGLCA5/menu.php

This new Congressional Research Service report (by analyst Kelsi Bracmort) is the best short summary I have seen so far - both technical and policy oriented.
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/R40186_20090203.pdf .

Given the current "Crisis" atmosphere concerning energy, soil sustainability, food vs. Biofuels, and Climate Change what other subject addresses them all?

This is a Nano technology for the soil that represents the most comprehensive, low cost, and productive approach to long term stewardship and sustainability.

Carbon to the Soil, the only ubiquitous and economic place to put it.
Cheers,
Erich J. Knight
Shenandoah Gardens
540 289 9750


Biochar Studies at ACS Huston meeting;

Most all this work corroborates char soil dynamics we have seen so far . The soil GHG emissions work showing increased CO2 , also speculates that this CO2 has to get through the hungry plants above before becoming a GHG.
The SOM, MYC& Microbes, N2O (soil structure), CH4 , nutrient holding , Nitrogen shock, humic compound conditioning, absorbing of herbicides all pretty much what we expected to hear.

578-I: http://a-c-s.confex.com/crops/2008am/webprogram/Session4231.html

579-II http://a-c-s.confex.com/crops/2008am/webprogram/Session4496.html

665 - III. http://a-c-s.confex.com/crops/2008am/webprogram/Session4497.html

666-IV http://a-c-s.confex.com/crops/2008am/webprogram/Session4498.html


Company News & EU Certification

Below is an important hurtle that 3R AGROCARBON has overcome in certification in the EU. Given that their standards are set much higher than even organic certification in the US, this work should smooth any bureaucratic hurtles we may face.

EU Permit Authority - 4 years tests
Subject: Fwd: [biochar] Re: GOOD NEWS: EU Permit Authority - 4 years tests successfully completed

Doses: 400 kg / ha – 1000 kg / ha at different horticultural cultivars

Plant height Increase 141 % versus control
Picking yield Increase 630 % versus control
Picking fruit Increase 650 % versus control
Total yield Increase 202 % versus control
Total piece of fruit Increase 171 % versus control
Fruit weight Increase 118 % versus control

HOMEPAGE 3R AGROCARBON: http://www.3ragrocarbon.com


Also:

EcoTechnologies is planning for many collaborations ; NC State, U. of Leeds, Cardiff U. Rice U. ,JMU, U.of H. and at USDA with Dr.Jeffrey Novak who is coordinating ARS Biochar research. This Coordinated effort will speed implementation by avoiding unneeded repetition and building established work in a wide variety of soils and climates.
http://www.EcoTechnologies.com

Hopefully all the Biochar companies will coordinate with Dr. Jeff Novak's soils work at ARS; http://www.ars.usda.gov/pandp/people/people.htm?personid=24434


I spoke with Jon Nilsson of the CarbonChar Group, in their third year of field trials ;
An idea whose time has come | Carbon Char Group
He said the 2008 trials at Virginia Tech showed a 46% increase in yield of tomato transplants grown with just 2 - 5 cups (2 - 5%) "Biochar+" per cubic foot of growing medium. http://www.carbonchar.com/plant-performance


Most recent studies out;

Imperial College test,
this work in temperate soils gives data from which one can calculate savings on fertilizer use, which is expected to be ongoing with no additional soil amending.

http://www.iop.org/EJ/article/1755-1315/6/37/372052/ees9_6_372052.pdf?request-id=22fb1902-1c23-4db8-8801-2be7e2f3ce1b


The BlueLeaf Inc. and Dynamotive study are exciting results given how far north the site is,and the low application rates. I suspect, as we saw with the Imperial College test, the yield benefits seem to decrease the cooler the climate.
The study showed infiltration rates for moisture are almost double. The lower leaf temperatures puzzles me however, I thought around 21C was optimum for photosynthesis.

BlueLeaf Inc. and Dynamotive Announce Biochar Test Results CQuest(TM) Biochar Enriched Plots Yield Crop Increase Ranging From Six to Seventeen Percent vs. Control Plots
http://www.usetdas.com/TDAS/NewsArticle.aspx?NewsID=13603

The full study at Dynomotives site;
http://www.dynamotive.com/wp-content/themes/dynamotive/pdf/BlueLeaf_Biochar_Field_Trial_2008.pdf


Low Tech Clean Biochar;
http://holon.se/folke/carbon/simplechar/simplechar.shtml

Comment by Eric Koch on May 25, 2009 at 11:51pm

Thanks so much for all the input...i'm going to try to post a condensed state of U.S. development progress and direction in the next week or two..

of course any one should feel free to beet me to it....i've got off topic deadlines closing in on me at the moment...over and out for now.

rulgert

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