PNW update

[John]

PNW update
It’s been about 3 months since the North American Biochar conference
and you may have noticed it’s been a little quieter than usual on the
listserv…Meanwhile, the work developing biochar has carried on and I
am pleased to report these advances to you today.

First of all, Philomath, Oregon now has a gasifier! This prototype
runs on woody biomass and will serve as the thermal drive (600MMbtu)
for a pyrolysis retort. I am now devoting time every week to the
project and am very pleased to be working closely with the timber
industry here in our area. The groundwork for characterizing biochar
and testing in agriculture is being laid right along with the
operation of this gasifier.

To this end, we are pleased to see the work of Dr. Markus Kleber of
Oregon State University. At his mid-tenure presentation, we learned
that his team is developing techniques to characterize, classify and
understand the chemical mechanisms of biochar produced by different
feedstock at varying temperatures. Not all char is created equal and
Markus’ work is adding significantly to the growing body of literature
on biochar…and is practical for real projects. I recently had a very
productive meeting with the Crops and Soils department at OSU and we
are now trying to develop the funding for a graduate student to
investigate both the production and utilization of biochar. We are
hopeful that this will lay the framework for a biochar program at
OSU. They were open to trying to develop an inter-institutional
collaboration with other Sun Grant Universities in the region.

Another piece of news that I am pleased to share with you all is that
the PNW Biochar Initiative has been formally invited to join the
American Council on renewable energy (ACORE) and I accepted their
proposal that I become a Vice Council for the organization.

This group can significantly influence how biochar is perceived in
our nation’s capitol, as a source of renewable energy, carbon
sequestration and soil health. I was in Washington DC a few weeks ago
meeting with ACORE, USDA and IBI. I also spent a day on “The Hill”
dropping off information sheets and telling the story of biochar to
congressional staffers—I had particular luck with DeFazio and
Schrader’s offices. It was clear in my meeting with USDA that they
are committed to continuing their rigorous investigation of biochar
and that it is in fact one of their priorities.

I have also been taking part in the IBI’s effort at developing
sustainability protocols. They are using the PNW Sustainability
Protocols adopted from the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance as a
platform to build on.

I am journeying back to D.C again tomorrow to give a presentation at
ACORE’s annual Member’s Day. I will be staying on for their Phase II
policy conference. Wish me luck; I hope to make our region proud.

One last thing-- I really think we need to take the PNW Biochar
Initiative to the next level by establishing a board of directors and
acquiring non-profit status. We have a really fantastic brain trust
with in this group and it is almost an obligation that we continue
this endeavor and drive the investigation and utilization of biochar.

I will let you all know what happens in D.C.

John Miedema
Biochar Enthusiast

[Mark Coleman]

Hi John,

Thanks for all of your efforts on the policy and technical fronts.  USDA has been very supportive of biochar and bioenergy development in general and you should continue your  interactions with them.  They tend to be most interested in ag feedstocks because of obvious connections.  The woody end of things should be supported, by agreement, through the Forest Service, but the funding levels and commitment are low in the that agency.  Nonetheless, if you are visiting DC I would encourage you to make a stop at their office to encourage their continued effort.  Our project represents on of the only forest applications of biochar and, of course, we feel that mobile pyrolysis units have huge potential to solve the wildfire hazard fuel problem and for utilizing forest harvest residue that is at present flared as a nusance.  Following are a couple of contacts with the Forest Service that I would encourage you to follow up with sometime.

Thanks, mark

Contacts:
Marilyn A. Buford
National Program Leader, Silviculture Research
USDA FS R&D
FMS, Stop Code 1115
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington DC  20250
Phone:  703-605-5176
Cell:  571-643-8964
FAX:  703-605-5133
mbu...@fs.fed.us
Express Mail:  FMS, 4th Floor RPC, 1601 N. Kent St., Arlington, VA  22209

Edward Gee
Phone: 202-205-1787
email ea...@fs.fed.us
Woody Biomass Utilization Team
Sidney R.Yates Federal Building
3rd Floor Southwest
201 14th Street, S.W. at Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20250

 Marcia Patton-Mallory
        Phone       970-295-5947
        Fax         970-295-5885
        Title       Bioenergy and Climate Change Specialist
        Staff       RMRS- WFLC
        Office      Research And Development (WO), Office of the Deputy Chief

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