Kauai biochar / indiegogo

[Ben Discoe]

Anyone know what's going on with Kauai?

 

Last I heard, I thought Kauai was (hopefully) getting an Australian biochar unit.

The biomass-to-energy plan seemed to be moving forward (despite loud NIMBY complaints) but the char component never seemed to be nailed down.

 

Now, another (?) biochar firm from PA is doing an indiegogo campaign.

I thought it was amusing that they say they'll "plant an Albizia" for you.  AFAIK, Kauai is already overrun with weed Albizia, which is why the biomass / biochar plans were such a compelling idea in the first place.

 

-Ben

 

From: C Peter Eckrich [mailto:eckr...@comcast.net]
Sent: Saturday, June 08, 2013 5:30 PM
To: 'Ben Discoe'
Subject: BioChar

 

Ben,

 

I have your name / address as a person with a possible interest in a sustainable “BioChar” production project.  We need your help.  Check it out our Kauai campaign, comments welcome.  We will be thankful for any support, BUT most important, passing this link along to the folks in your network who share a passion for an environmentally friendly and sustainability business model.  In your “request”, ask that they pass it along to their network.  Peace!

 

Peter

 

Here is a clickable link:      http://igg.me/at/Kauai

 

 

Please visit our “Campaign” site on Sustainability …   Short Link is:  igg.me/at/Kauai

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pyrolysis Tech LLC

P.O. Box 207

Gladwyne, PA  19035

610-649-8400

http://pyrolysistech.com/

 

[Josiah Hunt]

Hi Ben,

The "Australian unit" (Black is Green, BiG char 1500) has landed and is now producing biochar from albizia.  It's been about 6 weeks since we finally got it running.  Haven't gone live with the story yet.  

The only energy we are currently producing from this initial biochar production facility is heat.  Soon that heat energy will be utilized by Paniolo Feed, the grass-drying/cubing-for-cattle-feed operation located at the same site.  

This is all housed in the middle of Hawaiian Mahogany Inc's purpose planted forest of albizia intercropped with Rainbow Eucalyptus (E. deglupta).  The eucalyptus is for timber to supply local markets and the albizia was planted to increase fertility of the forest, helping the euc's to grow larger faster.  The guinea grass naturally growing underneath this canopy was found to be surprisingly fertile, so much so that they will supposedly be able to supply nearly 1/3 of the states demand for cattle feed from this single 1,800 acre forest.  

The albizia are being thinned to allow better growth of the eucalyptus, those albizia thinnings are the sole feedstock for the biochar operation thus far.  

The indiegogo campaign you mention below will be utilizing this same forest.  Planting an albizia tree does sound pretty funny, I agree.  I think for people outside of Hawaii it will carry a much different significance though - perhaps an opportunity to take part in something they find interesting.  

Below is an image done by the Lexicon of Sustainability project that shows the BiG char unit and explains a bit about the operation. 

A Hui Ho,

- Josiah

On Jun 12, 2013, at 5:43 PM, Ben Discoe wrote:

Anyone know what's going on with Kauai?

 

Last I heard, I thought Kauai was (hopefully) getting an Australian biochar unit.

The biomass-to-energy plan seemed to be moving forward (despite loud NIMBY complaints) but the char component never seemed to be nailed down.

 

Now, another (?) biochar firm from PA is doing an indiegogo campaign.

I thought it was amusing that they say they'll "plant an Albizia" for you.  AFAIK, Kauai is already overrun with weed Albizia, which is why the biomass / biochar plans were such a compelling idea in the first place.

 

-Ben

 

From: C Peter Eckrich [mailto:eckr...@comcast.net] 
Sent: Saturday, June 08, 2013 5:30 PM
To: 'Ben Discoe'
Subject: BioChar

 

Ben,

 

I have your name / address as a person with a possible interest in a sustainable “BioChar” production project.  We need your help.  Check it out our Kauai campaign, comments welcome.  We will be thankful for any support, BUT most important, passing this link along to the folks in your network who share a passion for an environmentally friendly and sustainability business model.  In your “request”, ask that they pass it along to their network.  Peace!

 

Peter

 

Here is a clickable link:      http://igg.me/at/Kauai

 

 

<image001.jpg>

Please visit our “Campaign” site on Sustainability …   Short Link is:  igg.me/at/Kauai

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pyrolysis Tech LLC

P.O. Box 207

Gladwyne, PA  19035

610-649-8400

http://pyrolysistech.com/

 

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[Ben Discoe]

Thanks for the update Josiah!  Delighted to see the beautiful poster and great to hear that the project is several weeks into producing biochar.

So, let me see if i understand, there are three (potential) overlapping projects, all using the same Albizia acreage:

1. The BiGChar unit, which is making char (yay!)

2. The proposed "Kauai Carbon & Power LLC" / Pyrolysis Tech LLC project, which would use "propriety pyrolysis technology in a plant that will convert 70+ tons (dry basis) of Albizia wood per day into carbon, gas, and oil fractions", presuming they find funding, with some char as a by-product of the biofuels.

3. "Green Energy of Kaua‘i" which last year received "a $72.9 million loan guarantee to build a $90 million state-of-the-art facility" to generate electricity, trumpeted by KIUC and the mayor, which would not only use Albizia from the specific area, but also use them from anywhere on the island they can be harvested economically.  Presumably it would gasify completely without producing char.

-Ben

On Thu, Jun 13, 2013 at 5:50 PM, Josiah Hunt <josia...@me.com> wrote:

Hi Ben,

The "Australian unit" (Black is Green, BiG char 1500) has landed and is now producing biochar from albizia.  It's been about 6 weeks since we finally got it running.  Haven't gone live with the story yet.  

The only energy we are currently producing from this initial biochar production facility is heat.  Soon that heat energy will be utilized by Paniolo Feed, the grass-drying/cubing-for-cattle-feed operation located at the same site.  

This is all housed in the middle of Hawaiian Mahogany Inc's purpose planted forest of albizia intercropped with Rainbow Eucalyptus (E. deglupta).  The eucalyptus is for timber to supply local markets and the albizia was planted to increase fertility of the forest, helping the euc's to grow larger faster.  The guinea grass naturally growing underneath this canopy was found to be surprisingly fertile, so much so that they will supposedly be able to supply nearly 1/3 of the states demand for cattle feed from this single 1,800 acre forest.  

The albizia are being thinned to allow better growth of the eucalyptus, those albizia thinnings are the sole feedstock for the biochar operation thus far.  

The indiegogo campaign you mention below will be utilizing this same forest.  Planting an albizia tree does sound pretty funny, I agree.  I think for people outside of Hawaii it will carry a much different significance though - perhaps an opportunity to take part in something they find interesting.  

Below is an image done by the Lexicon of Sustainability project that shows the BiG char unit and explains a bit about the operation. 

A Hui Ho,

- Josiah

Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/biochar-hawaii.

[m a]

i bought bio char from Josiah, i planted one long row of coffee trees with  biochar mixed with compost and another row parallel without bio char. and just compost.  its been 2 years now. i see no difference in the rows. both are the same hight, the same size. one row consistently received bio char and compost the other row consistently received just compost.

this bio char is greatly overrated. i will not be buying it again.  a certain prof at the ag dep at the university told me they have seen inconclusive results using bio char with their own tests.

seems like a lot of hype and not much to show for it, at least not on my farm.

green thumb down.

[josiah hunt]

Dear M A,

Biochar can often be overrated, it seems like a ever present disease of our society to chronically become over-enthusiastic, then unrealistic, then polarized in our judgement when the results are not what they were hyped to be.

I don't mean to place you in the category of the over hyper, rather a victim of the epidemic.

I think it is safe to say that on your farm, with that specific application the results were insignificant.

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.  It is just as valuable to hear the unsuccessful stories as it is the successful ones.  I don't recognize the email name.  If you are horribly unhappy with the purchase, let me know, I'll do my best to set it right.

- Josiah

[m a]

Not a victim just dissapointed in the obviose  zero value of bio char as an amendment to soil value/product output.

Set it straight by letting others know this stuff is no magic bullet, and may do absolutely nothing for their soil. 

My findings are that of seasoned farmer not a weekend gardner and certainly not that of a victim.

And yes unsubscribe me, i am done with my little biochar experiment. Just wanted you to know how it Didn't in any way benefited my trees.

Aloha
Mm

[Tom Miles]

Mm. Thanks for speaking up. I don’t think we know much about when biochar doesn’t improve compost.  

 

There is much to lean from projects that fail. It is just as important to know when not to use a particular soil amendment as when it is beneficial.

Regards,

 

Tom Miles

www.biochar.bioenergylists.org