BIOCHAR NEED NOT APPLY (RE: Frontier) FW: I am considering applying
Anderson, Paul
Biochar and CDR discussion groups,
Below is a respectful but negative reply that Frontier (Stripe and Meta and Google and others) will not consider biochar as a Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) method for Frontier funding. ☹ ☹
Such mindsets need to change.
Paul
Doc / Dr TLUD / Paul S. Anderson, PhD
Email: psan...@ilstu.edu Skype: paultlud Mobile & WhatsApp: 309-531-4434
Website: https://woodgas.com see Resources page for 2023 “Roadmap for Climate Intervention with Biochar” and 2020 white paper, 2) RoCC kilns, and 3) TLUD stove technology.
From: Frauke Kracke <fkr...@stripe.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2023 8:16 PM
To: Anderson, Paul <psan...@ilstu.edu>
Subject: Fwd: I am considering applying
Thanks for your interest Paul.
At this point, biochar isn't a priority purchase area for Frontier given questions of carbon efficiency, waste biomass availability, and yield/recalcitrance tradeoffs. In the meantime, best of luck with the project!
Frauke
On Mon, Feb 27, 2023 at 9:35 PM Paul Anderson <outlook_0DE7...@outlook.com> wrote:
Sent from Mail for Windows
- Will Frontier this year consider biochar project as meeting the 1000 year requirement for sequestration?
- If yes, could there be interest in a project such as discussed in Part Two of my document “Roadmap for Climate Intervention with Biochar” that is found at https://woodgas.com/resources ? Please take a quick look and let me know. [ Build to a million tonnes CO2 removal in Kenya. ]
Thank you.
Paul S. Anderson, PhD psan...@ilstu.edu Mobile: +1 309 531 4434 (Illinois USA)
Michael Hayes
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Anderson, Paul
Joe,
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. Nice to have a ray of hope. I hope to someday have some CDR via biochar listed with Puro.earth , so we will be talking directly in the future.
Paul
Doc / Dr TLUD / Paul S. Anderson, PhD
Email: psan...@ilstu.edu Skype: paultlud Mobile & WhatsApp: 309-531-4434
Website: https://woodgas.com see Resources page for 2023 “Roadmap for Climate Intervention with Biochar” and 2020 white paper, 2) RoCC kilns, and 3) TLUD stove technology.
From: Joseph Kochanski <jos...@puro.earth>
Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2023 9:05 PM
To: Anderson, Paul <psan...@ilstu.edu>; ma...@Biochar.groups.io; Carbon Dioxide Removal <carbondiox...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: BIOCHAR NEED NOT APPLY (RE: Frontier) FW: I am considering applying
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Hi Paul, All -
Based on my experience working closely with Frontier, I can tell you the main issue is not as described: it’s that the science needs to evolve to a point where 1000+ years permanence is justified. Even our scientists at Puro.earth will not guarantee that durability because so much can happen in that period of time.
Biochar producers could ostensibly get in with Frontier if/when the biochar is stored in concrete. 2 other possibilities that may work: lock up biochar deep in an old mine or pump it underground as a slurry (geological storage). Keep in mind that Frontier, while important, is but one buyer. Microsoft is very open to mid-term durability CDR solutions and is a big buyer of biochar CORCs. Focus on scale - and credit registration (such as with Puro) - and your odds of success are greatly increased. You also need to apply with Microsoft. Listing on our platform provides more visibility to lesser known but important international buyers of negative emissions.
There is a lot happening in the space right now. All I can say is competition for large quantities of credits is getting more intense every day. Scale and you’ll be rewarded for your work.
Best of luck in your journey,
-Joe
Puro.earth
Joseph Kochanski
Director of Business Development
Puro.earth
--
Anderson, Paul
Rick and all,
About the elephant of biochar with low volumes with prices too high, I agree that that seems to be correct in the affluent countries (US, Europe, etc.) with pyrolysis systems costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.
But in the developing counties with “low-tech” (it is still good pyrolysis) affordable equipment using flame-cap (cavity) technology or TLUD technology, the price is already low and the volume comes from scaling up the numbers. Evidence of that is in my document “Roadmap for Climate Intervention with Biochar” (2023) and my white paper (Dec. 2020). Part 2 of the Roadmap is all about biochar production in Kenya to reach a million tonnes CO2 removal per year using just one waste feedstock (sugarcane field trash) plus employment benefits.
But not even any discussion or challenges (and certainly not business support) about such opportunities.
And the making of hundreds of tonnes PER DAY with TLUD cookstoves (where the energy is of value and the biochar is a co-product) gets zero support or expressions of interest (See the white paper, Section XII (pages 21-27).
My statements are correct. Nobody has challenged any of them. But “low-tech” biochar gets no respect nor assistance. Maybe that issue is a different elephant in the room, or maybe all of the attention is in a different room with the elephant of affluent societies.
“BIOCHAR NEED NOT APPLY” is accurate because the decision makers (and the money handlers) are not paying attention.
Paul
Doc / Dr TLUD / Paul S. Anderson, PhD
Email: psan...@ilstu.edu Skype: paultlud Mobile & WhatsApp: 309-531-4434
Website: https://woodgas.com see Resources page for 2023 “Roadmap for Climate Intervention with Biochar” and 2020 white paper, 2) RoCC kilns, and 3) TLUD stove technology.
From: ma...@Biochar.groups.io <ma...@Biochar.groups.io>
On Behalf Of Rick Wilson via groups.io
Sent: Friday, March 17, 2023 1:28 AM
To: ma...@biochar.groups.io
Cc: Joseph Kochanski <jos...@puro.earth>; Carbon Dioxide Removal <carbondiox...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [Biochar] BIOCHAR NEED NOT APPLY (RE: Frontier) FW: I am considering applying
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Group,
The elephant in the room is that we can’t produce biochar at a low-enough cost that comes even close to make economic sense for any of these applications.
Instead of discussing all the things we can do with this material, the discussion needs to be around how we can get the cost down.
On the revenue side, how can we get the yields up, say from 20 to 40% (half the carbon in the biomass is lost as CO2 during pyrolysis) so the value of carbon credits starts to be significant.
Rick
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Anderson, Paul
Brian,
One question is: How much of the carbon in Terra Preta soils is elemental carbon, and not the organic carbon of living soils?
Note: you have changed the topic but not the subject / thread.
Paul
Doc / Dr TLUD / Paul S. Anderson, PhD
Email: psan...@ilstu.edu Skype: paultlud Mobile & WhatsApp: 309-531-4434
Website: https://woodgas.com see Resources page for 2023 “Roadmap for Climate Intervention with Biochar” and 2020 white paper, 2) RoCC kilns, and 3) TLUD stove technology.
From: brianc...@yahoo.com <brianc...@yahoo.com>
Sent: Friday, March 17, 2023 7:02 AM
To: Joseph Kochanski <jos...@puro.earth>; Carbon Dioxide Removal <carbondiox...@googlegroups.com>; Anderson, Paul <psan...@ilstu.edu>
Subject: Re: [Biochar] BIOCHAR NEED NOT APPLY (RE: Frontier) FW: I am considering applying
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Could the Brazilian study of the Terra Preta soils' age demonstrate to Frontier and all the 1000+ year life of biochar in soil?
Brian
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Anderson, Paul
Nando,
Please add in a few more considerations to your discussion items:
1. No need to make “good biochar” (the biochar for soil and plants) if it is going to be deep buried. That means that low-temperature biochar can be used. Almost only torrefied, but torrefied is still too strong/hard to grind up to be able to inject it. I would call it “Biocharcoal” that is intended for burial”, not biochar for soils. Some call it “biocoal”.
2. If buried, ALL of the carbon atoms in biocharcoal/ biocoal are sequestered, even those that are defined as “volatile or mobile or not-recalcitrant” THAT ALL gets to be counted as carbon with 1000+ yr sequestration, not just the fixed or stable elemental carbon.
3. There are already enthusiasts (with proposals and projects) for the burial of wood as it naturally exists. That has even more carbon in it, but has much higher volume to be buried and is not friendly for handling and burial.
So, what you propose could be quite appropriate with biocharcoal / biocoal while the carbon sequestration (CDR) funders continue to decline to help with biochar into soils. Then maybe SOMEDAY the value of biochar to strengthen soils and food supply will have sufficient recognition to deserve and receive financial support.
Partly in jest, then the world can dig up the buried biocharcoal and pyrolyze it further to make true biochar to re-bury in soils.
If this thread continues, maybe it should be renamed Biocharcoal or biocoal. But personally I think that biocharcoal efforts would distract us from the real work needed for biochar.
Paul
Doc / Dr TLUD / Paul S. Anderson, PhD
Email: psan...@ilstu.edu Skype: paultlud Mobile & WhatsApp: 309-531-4434
Website: https://woodgas.com see Resources page for 2023 “Roadmap for Climate Intervention with Biochar” and 2020 white paper, 2) RoCC kilns, and 3) TLUD stove technology.
From: ma...@Biochar.groups.io <ma...@Biochar.groups.io>
On Behalf Of Nando Breiter via groups.io
Sent: Friday, March 17, 2023 6:39 AM
To: ma...@biochar.groups.io
Cc: Joseph Kochanski <jos...@puro.earth>; Carbon Dioxide Removal <carbondiox...@googlegroups.com>; Chris Neidl <cne...@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Biochar] BIOCHAR NEED NOT APPLY (RE: Frontier) FW: I am considering applying
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Paul & Joe,
I've come across a small group in the US calling themselves Unfracking that are looking into filling abandoned gas and oil wells with biochar and utilizing biochar in the cement used to cap the wells. The biochar / cement combination is intended to prevent the cement caps from cracking and leaking methane, which occurs in at least 25% of the well caps put in place. I've seen figures from this group indicating that between 80 and 400 tonnes of biochar would be needed to fill these wells.
The goal of the Unfracking project seems to be 3 fold
1) lobby for legislation, beginning in the US in particular, to ensure that orphaned gas and oil wells are
a) capped - incredibly this is not a legal requirement in all US states, apparently many wells are abandoned and left wide open to leak methane and toxins into the environment, and
b) capped in a manner that will not begin leaking in 5-10 years as the cement develops fissures and cracks
2) utilize biochar to fill orphaned wells, which at a minimum will provide a 1000 +++ year storage location, and depending on how the biochar is made, (particle size and degree of carbonization), this may help to both plug the well and sorb methane and other gases leaking
3) fund and/or catalyze research to optimize the above scheme
Comparing the durability of biochar, exposed to oxygen and microbes, and the geological storage of CO2 underground or as calcium carbonate, is of course not a "fair fight". A fair comparison would put biochar in a storage location where oxygen cannot get to it.
CO2 cannot form without oxygen; the incontrovertible evidence is in the chemical formula. Underground storage of CO2 may leak, particularly in the 1000 year time frame if nobody is maintaining the cap on the well. Biochar cannot leak, and oxygen will not penetrate more than about 30 cm from the surface if biochar loaded into underground storage is compared to the depth to which oxygen is able to penetrate into top soil, if there is no cap.
I could be missing something, but I see a simple argument here that biochar stored underground is much more reliably durable than underground CO2 storage. I suspect it is very likely to last as a carbon sink for as long as the earth lasts.
Storage location matters. Biochar is very likely to be a much more reliable carbon store underground compared to CO2, and it certainly is a vastly more reliable carbon store in soil compared to injecting CO2 into soil.
On a practical basis, maybe we need a methodology on Puro.earth for the geological storage of biochar. Joe, I'm not the person to take that forward, so I'm looking for advice from you on how this might practically be accomplished, particularly because of my involvement with the nascent Unfracking group.
I was completely shocked to learn last week that there are 200,000 orphaned gas wells in Pennsylvania alone, and again, that in certain US states, a small company can drill a gas well on private land, find it is not sufficiently productive, and just abandon it to leak methane into the atmosphere.
The scope of this issue is very large, as this Guardian article highlights. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/06/revealed-1000-super-emitting-methane-leaks-risk-triggering-climate-tipping-points My thought is that if we can bring attention to this issue and get it addressed in our backyard, there is a better chance to get it addressed worldwide. My thought is that a biochar methodology for underground storage on Puro.earth might help bring attention and solutions to this issue.
Personally, I would rather see biochar utilized in soil, particularly if it is made from a feedstock that contains meaningful amounts of phosphorus. I think it makes more sense to replenish depleted soil organic carbon from a sustainability perspective. But as the Guardian article linked above points out, getting methane emissions under control is probably the most urgent task at the moment to prevent runaway global heating.
--
Nando Breiter
http://biochar.info
CarbonZero Sagl
Astano, Switzerland
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From: <carbondiox...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of "Anderson, Paul" <psan...@ilstu.edu>
Date: Friday, March 17, 2023 at 11:14 AM
To: "brianc...@yahoo.com" <brianc...@yahoo.com>, Joseph Kochanski <jos...@puro.earth>, Carbon Dioxide Removal <carbondiox...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [CDR] RE: [Biochar] BIOCHAR NEED NOT APPLY (RE: Frontier) FW: I am considering applying
Brian,
One question is: How much of the carbon in Terra Preta soils is elemental carbon, and not the organic carbon of living soils?
Note: you have changed the topic but not the subject / thread.
Paul
Doc / Dr TLUD / Paul S. Anderson, PhD
Email: psan...@ilstu.edu Skype: paultlud Mobile & WhatsApp: 309-531-4434
Website: https://woodgas.com see Resources page for 2023 “Roadmap for Climate Intervention with Biochar” and 2020 white paper, 2) RoCC kilns, and 3) TLUD stove technology.
From: brianc...@yahoo.com <brianc...@yahoo.com>
Sent: Friday, March 17, 2023 7:02 AM
To: Joseph Kochanski <jos...@puro.earth>; Carbon Dioxide Removal <carbondiox...@googlegroups.com>; Anderson, Paul <psan...@ilstu.edu>
Subject: Re: [Biochar] BIOCHAR NEED NOT APPLY (RE: Frontier) FW: I am considering applying
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Could the Brazilian study of the Terra Preta soils' age demonstrate to Frontier and all the 1000+ year life of biochar in soil?
Brian
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