Re: [biochar] Activating Biochar--Water modulation
Erich Knight
11.3 tons/acre of biochar, can increase Glomalins and a host of non fungal Wee-Beasties, NNP plant exhudates & litter, all this SOM contributes to crumb structure, WHC, percolation, infiltration, transpiration, aerosol nucleation & rain, cloud albedo etc. etc.
an analogy to Kurt Vonnegut, Life has triumphed over entropy for billions of years.
Erich J. Knight
Shenandoah Gardens
1047 Dave Berry Rd. McGaheysville, VA. 22840
540-289-9750
USBI 2016 Presentation;
"The Civilization of Soil",
Hall Marks of The Unintended & Intended Anthropocene
Policy & Community Chairman
2013 North American Biochar Symposium
Harvesting Hope: The Science & Synergies of Biochar
October 13-16, 2013 at UMASS Amherst
http://pvbiochar.org/2013-symposium/
Please help me with some arithmetic!
Assume one-inch of water added to a cropland (natural or irrigation). That’s 6,272,591 (in2/acre) X 1-inch or 6,272,591 in3/acre; when divided by 1,728in3/ft3=3,630 ft3 of water/acre; which when multiplied by 62.3lbm/ft3=226,147 lbm-water/acre; which is equivalent to 113 tons-water/acre (all measurements Imperial).
The question: what mass (and corresponding volume) of Biochar would be required to buffer 113 tons of water in the vapor phase? Unless some laws of nature have been altered, liquid water will always be denser per mole than saturated vapor at temperatures and pressures common to commercial agriculture. At the limit, as surface area becomes larger, the mass of char must be diminished until it becomes ephemeral. Even then, the best we can hope to achieve is an amount of liquid water equal in volume to the grain of Biochar that it displaces.
When discussing the value of water to a specific biome, it’s common to discuss not %moisture but Aw, or “water activity”. If moisture is bound, then it is not available to microbial life-cycle processes. That jar of strawberry preserves is quasi-stable sitting on my counter top because its 65% sugar content binds its high moisture content and thus reduces its Wa. In general, water (or any other liquid) cannot pass freely from liquid to vapor and back again without an energy budget. Structured clays such as zeolite give-off heat as they are hydrated and require heat for desiccation, at constant pressure. I suspect that Biochar may operate similarly. Entropy (disorder) increases in the system. No free lunch.
Back to the question: Let’s assume that our char has a bulk density of 0.1 and that 1-pound would adsorb 10-lb of water, somehow(!) So, to buffer that 1-inch of water we need 113 tons X 0.1 = 11.3 tons/acre of biochar. I think that these assumptions are idealized, however.
Then again, maybe there’s an analogy to Kurt Vonnegut's Ice-nine or, the special properties claimed by the Dihydrogen Monoxide folks!
Mark
From: bio...@yahoogroups.com [mailto:bio...@yahoogroups.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2016 10:26 AM
To: bio...@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [biochar] Activating Biochar
The measure of available water use in plants is Plant Available Water. Its measured by a pressure plate device. Its the de facto standard amount soil scientists. Not surface area.
Not an option. A fact. Do a google search.
I suggest you analyze the biochar samples for PAW that you have characterized with your surface area technique (that you market), and see if there is a correlation with surface area.
Please share.
Rick
From: "Hugh McLaughlin hsmclaughlin@verizon! .net [biochar]" <bio...@yahoogroups.com>
To: "bio...@yahoogroups.com" <bio...@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2016 4:41 AM
Subject: Re: [biochar] Activating Biochar
Kelly,
The broad sweeping generalizations of Dr. Wilson should be viewed as his opinions or those of the organizations he is/has been affiliated with - and are not cast in stone.
The micropores relate to adsorption, which is poorly measured but correlated by surface area in carbonaceous microporous media like biochars and activated carbons. The micropores, during desiccating conditions, are not flooded but are the site of vapor phase moisture adsorption/desorption, which stabilizes soil humidity and facilitates the effectiveness of soil microbiology. If flooded, which also happens for portions of most growing seasons, the micropores serve to detoxify soil water and buffer soil organic matter levels, including adsorption of humic and fulvic acids, which enhance CEC and later provide residual carbon sources during periods of fallow for the soil microbiology (in the absence of actively growing crops providing extrudates).
Hugh McLaughlin, PhD, PE
CTO - NextChar.com
On Thursday, July 21, 2016 1:31 AM, "Rick Wilson rww...@yahoo.com [biochar]" <bio...@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
Hi Kelly,
What are you trying to achieve with your biochar? Is this an soil application? If so, surface area of biochar does not matter much?
Surface area is mainly driven by micropores, so if you are trying to adsorb gas, its very helpful. For soils, its not very important. As soon as you try to hold volumetric water, or in-organics, only Macro and Meso-porosity matter, which don't contribute to surface area much.
Rick Wilson
From: "Kelly Burnham kbur...@protonpowerbioenergy.com [biochar]" <bio...@yahoogroups.com>
To: bio...@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, July 19, 2016 9:42 PM
Subject: [biochar] Activating Biochar
Hello All,
In our search for applications for our biochar, I would like to know if anyone in this community is aware of any work being done to increase the surface area of their biochar through activation by either acid washing, steam reforming or some other method.In addition to an abundance of biochar we'll have a lot of pyroligneous acid to make use of but I expect the pH is not sufficient for activation.
Thanks in advance.
Kelly
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