Bio Char

[Mel Landers]

Hi,

 

I will try to answer most of the the outstanding questions in this letter. But, I cannot find my copy of Suzanne Hecht's article on the life of the Kayapo people at the moment. I will look for it and write a separate letter on that topic.

 

I will also send a little information concerning the importance of raised bed farming to dry land farming conditions such as are found in the Sahel. A thousand years ago, there were people successfully farming the wadis of the Negev desert. They used raised beds.

 

Concerning questions that have been raised today:

 

Dr. Johannes Lehmann of Cornell University is one of the leading dark earth soils researchers. he has done extensive investigation in the use of pyrolysis for the production of charred biomass for its use in the production of dark earth soils. He estimates that the production of one Gigajoul of energy, in the form of biodeisel or Hydrogen for fuel cells, with the pyrolysis process can yield up to 30.6 Kg of biochar. This seems to hold true through the entire range of normal pyrolysis temperatures of 350 to 500 degrees Centigrade. The difference would of course be the feed stock. High lignin biomass would yield more than high cellulose dry matter. He estimates that the world could sequester 9.5 billion tons of Carbon a year with the production of biochar.

 

Of course this just counts the sequestration of Carbon in biochar. If there is humus production from the decomposition of other organic wastes, this can also increase Carbon sequestration. Then there is the fact that much of the Carbohydrate content in soil is made up of the bodies of living micro-organisms. In a soil that is high in organic matter content, that is moist and that is relatively cool, such as you find under mulch, this can add significantly to the amount of Carbon present in the soil. Of course that would be hard to quantify, but impotant non the less.

 

Production of biochar and energy together in the process of pyrolysis is Carbon negative. It sequesters more carbon than it releases back into the environment through the combustion of the resultant fuel. So, this is the most efficient use that can be made of biomass. If materials are limited, pyrolysis is a good option for supplying energy and a valuable soil additive. Biochar not only holds nutrients in the root zone, it also holds water in the root zone. This is beneficial even in arid regions.

 

Jacky is correct concerning the differences in raw materials for the production of charcoal. You can in fact see the pores left in pyrolysed biomass and also the beneficial environment it forms for micro-organisms with electron microscopy. It seems reasonable that biochar from denser materials might have more pores. The main question will be the Cation Exchange Capacity of biochar from various sources. This needs to be known. But, it will be necessary to utilize biochar from as much of the waste stream as possible, whether dense or soft, so hopefully there will not be a significant difference.

 

The dark earth soils of the Amazon River Basin contain powdered charcoal. It has been proven by Tryon in 1948 and Chan et al. in 1999 that finely divided charcoal can form stable humus which, due to slow oxidation and hydroxylation increases the donor/acceptor charges, thus giving the soil strong exchangeable properties. This is the basis of my hope that soft wood char, produced under low temperatures will have a high enough CEC and a long enough life in the soil.

 

There in the Amazon there are earthworms that eat the charcoal. They excrete a mix of charcoal powder and soil that when dry, are partly held together by Van der Wals forces that make the mix more stable. Of course in these soils we are dealing with mature humus that has existed for thousands of years, whether or not it had its origins in decomposed matter or biochar. Reproduction of this mix of biochar and humus will require more than just incorporating charcoal into the soil. It will require the slow decomposition of a portion of the available organic matter.

 

Ingrids question about the value of such a system in a place like the Sahel is important. What has been shown by Dr. Lehmann, Bruno Glaser of Bayreuth in Gernamy and others, is that the low temperature Oxidation of materials that are cut during field preparation,(slash and char) are much more efficient at holding nutrients for the seasons production than the high temperature Oxidation. (slash and burn)

 

I personally discourage the burning of materials cut from fields so that it can be used as mulch. A mulch covered field can retain over 90% of the rain that falls compared to the 10% retained on a bare field, etc. But, there is a definite use for charred material. The question that needs to be answered is from where should this material come. Crop residues are a good source, as are plants cut from unused land or from plantations of fast growing tree species grown especially for that purpose.

 

This is the tactic we will focus on here, using the moringa tree. It has other profitable uses and can be converted through pyrolysis into energy and biochar following extraction of growth hormone and Omega 3 faty acids.

 

mel

 

 

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[Jacky Foo]

Source: http://www.iobbnet.org/drupal/node/view/986#comment-3396
clikc on link to view image
++++++
earthworms and powdered charcoal dust
Submitted by Jacky Foo on Tue, 14/08/2007 - 10:11.

Hi Mel

At home (Stockholm) I use the pit compost method (dig a pit of about
1/2 meter deep and then fill it up with organic matter from my garden
and layer it with soil whenever I put something into it. I will now
layer it also with charcoal dust. It makes much sense to do it this
way.

Pit compost method works well in Kenya and where I am also associated
with a project with an NGO that cares for disadvantaged children. It
is more practical than compost piles as it is easier to throw things
into a pit (1 meter diameter) than to make a pile that is 2 or 3
meters long.

The pit also enable earthworms to colonise and eat materials whenever
they are added. It will also enable the NGO to use dry toilets and
contents can be emptied daily into the pit. After the pit is filled,
they can grow a papaya tree. It is also easy to locate where the pit
is dug depending on what will be grown when it is filled. A pit can
also be dug in the middle of a vegetable plot as it will be within
arms reach to throw things into.

The only change is to use charcoal dust.

The source of charcoal will be from the kitchen. The NGO in Nairobi
has a slow burn stove which is used to cook food for 210 children.
After each cooking session, instead of letting remaining fire wood
burn off, remaining wood can be showered with water to kill the fire.
There should be some charred materials there which can then be
collected and used.

Q: In a household in Nicaragua, what would be their source of charred
materials for their compost pile ?

-----
Jacky Foo
http://www.iobbnet.org

[Daniel Nagengast]

> Mel and all,

This is all very interesting . Thank you for the information and your
time.

Do any of you have thoughts about the incorporation of bio char into
traditional compost production, rather than in situ on the fields? The
reason I ask is that would allow more mechanization it seems to me. It
would upgrade the value of the compost by increasing its longevity as a
beneficial soil amendment, (thousands of years!?), but allow one to
concentrate activity at the composting site, and then field application
and incorporation could take place in one or two passes. It also seems
like we've rudimentary composting infrastructure and understanding in
place. Adding biochar is a slight tweak.

And that touches off another thought. Could bio char be added to
slurries, like municipal sewage or hog waste and knifed in? Would that
be beneficial? Not that I am interested in either of those for our
farm, or the farms I work with, but the thought of slurry application
and knifing occurred to me, and I was wondering what you all thought.
If there were to be extensive bio char production via pyrolysis of
switch grass for example, I doubt in the short term, that hand
application and bed building would take place. It might be wise to
return much of the bio char to the switch grass fields, but then how
would you incorporate it, in an established perennial field, other than
through knifing.

Just a thought.

Dan N.

> >
>
Dan Nagengast
785-748-0959
785-748-0609 fax
nage...@earthlink.net
www.kansasruralcenter.org

[Mel Landers]

Jacky Foo wrote:

The source of charcoal will be from the kitchen. The NGO in Nairobi
has a slow burn stove which is used to cook food for 210 children.
After each cooking session, instead of letting remaining fire wood
burn off, remaining wood can be showered with water to kill the fire.
There should be some charred materials there which can then be
collected and used.

 

This would be a good source of charred material. But, I would suggest not totally inturrupting the oxidation of the wood. The key is to slow down the process and exclude  most of the Oxygen from the fuel. It would be best to cover the wood with a pot and let it turn to charcoal. Killing the fire will result in much of the wood remaining intact. That would then need to decompose in the compost pile.

 

What I am suggesting is similar to a pit composting, but with the exclusion of much of the Oxygen from the decaying biomass by a layer of soil. This is in order to let anaerobic organisms produce the maximum amount of humus possible. This is what I am trying to impress on everyone; that the humus is every bit as important as the charred material for the success of the dark earth soils. Most of the investigations, so far, are focussing solely on the charred material to the exclusion of the humus.

Humus is probably as important as the bio-charr in the production of dark earth soils.

Jacky Foo <jack...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Daniel Nagengast]

I would also try to think of useful ways to harvest the heat from your
covered coals. Maybe boiling drinking water to sanitize it. I hate
wasting energy.

Dan

>> Luggage? GPS? Comic books?
>> Check out fitting gifts for grads at Yahoo! Search
>> >>
>>

[Jacky Foo]

Source: http://www.iobbnet.org/drupal/node/view/986#comment-3402
click on link to view 3 images
++++

charred materials from slow burn stove
Submitted by IOBB Editor on Tue, 14/08/2007 - 19:55.
Thanks for the comments from Mel and Dan.

The picture (left) is the slow burn stove that the Kenya NGO has. This
is a popular design and stove for kitchens that does cooking for
larger volumes of food. It is more than 1 meter high and probably a
meter wide. The pot (right) is large (see comparative size of water
tap that is beside it).

As suggested, if the air hole at the bottom of the stove could be
closed and another pot of water put on top, it would produce both
boiled water and charred materials.

A good suggestion. THANKS

regards
jacky

[Mel Landers]

High Daniel,

 

You wrote.

Do any of you have thoughts about the incorporation of bio char into
traditional compost production, rather than in situ on the fields? The
reason I ask is that would allow more mechanization it seems to me. It
would upgrade the value of the compost by increasing its longevity as a
beneficial soil amendment, (thousands of years!?), but allow one to
concentrate activity at the composting site, and then field application
and incorporation could take place in one or two passes. It also seems
like we've rudimentary composting infrastructure and understanding in
place. Adding biochar is a slight tweak.

And that touches off another thought. Could bio char be added to
slurries, like municipal sewage or hog waste and knifed in? Would that
be beneficial? Not that I am interested in either of those for our
farm, or the farms I work with, but the thought of slurry application
and knifing occurred to me, and I was wondering what you all thought.
If there were to be extensive bio char production via pyrolysis of
switch grass for example, I doubt in the short term, that hand
application and bed building would take place. It might be wise to
return much of the bio char to the switch grass fields, but then how
would you incorporate it, in an established perennial field, other than
through knifing.

 

Please, bear with me while I explain that, although mechanization is desirable, its application to the present composting infrastructure is not. The aerobic production of compost is not such a good idea after all. Even the addition of charred material cannot extend the life of compost. It is, by its very nature, a short lived substance. I will begin with reasons for growing grains on raised beds and progress through several related topics before getting to the use with perennial crops...

 

I have heard the question asked so many times that I have come to expect it when I introduce Nicaraguan farmers to raised beds. "But, how can you grow enough plants to get an adequate harvest?" People who grow corn and beans have no idea that these crops were originally grown on raised beds.

 

Farmers in California have a different initial reaction to the thought of using raised beds. There, the mechanization of raised beds is as common as the plowing of multiple sections in Kansas. The technology is in common use wherever fruits and vegetables are produced. But, it doesn't seem to have occurred to grain producers that there would be any benefit to planting on raised beds. There most certainly are benefits though.

 

Slightly closer spacing on the mulched beds makes up for the loss of space in the ditches. There is increased production, rather than decreased production.

The lack of compaction leaves the roots intact.

100% of the rain is held by the ditches between the beds.

During heavy rains, major roots are held up above the water where they can get Oxygen.

There is no erosion, especially when tied ridges are used.

The cool, moist beds harbour thousands of species of micro-organisms now missing from traditionally managed land.

This cool, moist environment is also beneficial to plant roots.

The mycelia of mycorrhizal fungi are left intact, allowing them to deliver nutrients directly to the plants. These are destroyed by cultivation

This and the increased SOM eliminate the need for the application of expensive, destructive amendments.

Weed control is much simpler due to the low germination rate and photosynthetic opportunities for plants under the mulch. This also eliminates use of other toxic chemicals.

This is only a partial list of the benefits of using mulched beds.

 

Mechanization is not only possible, it is also desirable. Experiments with knifing in materials would be a good idea. But, please keep in mind my insistence that charred material, by itself, is not the solution to damaged soils. Humus is just as important. And, the beds themselves offer their own valuable benefits to the production of all crops, including grains.

 

It is worth taking time to read the document I sent out about humus. It is just as applicable to temperate zones as it is to the tropics. The focus of researchers, so far, on the charred component of dark earth soils is detracting from the importance of the humus. And, humus has been absent from Northern hemisphere tilled soils for centuries.

  

Let me relate a story from a year ago here in Nicaragua. An extension agent from the U.S. asked me to assist with a school garden project. I arrived on the project several months after it was begun and we quickly built a small plot of a couple hundred meters of raised beds. (I dug most of them myself, despite suffering from a hernia and being old. He had to return to the U.S.) I mulched the beds and planted them with a large variety of crops.

 

Sitting at the edge of the field was a three bin compost shed, completed on his first visit to the site months before. I slaved away over the next few months filling it and turning the compost in order to fulfil his wishes that the project participants be able to learn the composting process. But, before he left last May I asked him how many local people he thought might be able to afford to build one of those compost sheds.

 

After a few moments of thought, he realised that almost no one would be able to afford one. I was not trying to be mean. I just wanted to magnify the impact of my next comment. That was that, the mulch covering all of those raised beds would eventually decompose right where it lay, without any expense or further effort on the part of the producer. (in this case myself) It is said that, here in the sub-tropics, earthworms will till the soil two times each year, given the right environment. Mulch provides the food, moisture and cool conditions they need.

 

Composting has become a major component of organic production, despite the great amount of energy expended to produce a small supply. Fast composting does release nutrients quickly. But, it is only in the minds of people, who have been raised with highly soluble fertilizers, that this is a desirable outcome. True, the incorporation of charred material would hold those nutrients in the soil. But, why not slow down the decomposition process and make the nutrients available over a longer period of time? Why not allow for the production of humus as well? Highly aerobic composting does not allow for the production of humus.

 

Incorporation of slurry would be beneficial, as long as it was tested to keep out heavy metals. The use of dark earth soils with perennials is a perfect mix, because the benefits last for such a long time. Incorporation of the materials in beds prior to planting will preclude most of the need for equipment passing over the field for many years to come. The bio-char produced by switch grass, for example, would then be used to construct another set of beds and so on. Eventually, you would return to the original beds and increase the amount of dark earth soil in them, or you could produce beds on other producer's farms.

 

mel

Daniel Nagengast <nage...@earthlink.net> wrote:

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[Jacky Foo]

On Aug 14, 3:21 pm, Daniel Nagengast <nageng...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> If there were to be extensive bio char production via pyrolysis of
> switch grass for example, I doubt in the short term, that hand
> application and bed building would take place.

I have been checking the web for information on how to make charcoal
or "bio char" from agricultural residues and non-wood materials. I
found a few but would like to hear if anyone in this seminar has
experience in building a simple charcoal kiln.

One such kiln (high tech) with detailed building instructions is the
Iwasaki charcoal-making kiln
http://homepage2.nifty.com/sumiyaki/esub4.htm

regards
jacky

[Mel Landers]

I just looked at the web site from india dealong with the pyrolysis of cane leaf. They have some good photos of small scale charring systems.

 

mel

Jacky Foo <jack...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Jacky Foo]

Hi

can brew coffee residue be used as a "charred material" ?

regards
jacky

[Jacky Foo]

On Aug 14, 8:27 pm, Mel Landers > wrote:
> Farmers in California have a different initial reaction to
>the thought of using raised beds. There, the mechanization
>of raised beds is as common as the plowing of multiple
>sections in Kansas. The technology is in common use
>wherever fruits and vegetables are produced. But, it doesn't
>seem to have occurred to grain producers that there
>would be any benefit to planting on raised beds.
>There most certainly are benefits though.
>
> Slightly closer spacing on the mulched beds makes up
>for the loss of space in the ditches. There is increased
>production, rather than decreased production.

I found a nice video clip at
http://www.blog.thesietch.org/wp-content/permaculture.swf
where mulched raised beds were used as the starter to green the
desert.

If mulched beds can do that, more could be done if you combine it with
charred materials.

I enjoyed it and I think you will too.

regards
jacky

[Mel Landers]

Thank you Jacky for this video. It, in itself has made the whole seminar a tremendous success, as far as I am concenrned. I will save it and use it alot! This video proves that mulched raised beds are a viable solution to farming on dry land.

 

I have attached a letter discussing this in Word format with photos inserted.

 

I will copy the text below incase anyone a cannot open the document. If so, I will send photos as well.

 

  Mulched Raised Beds in the Desert

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

           An arial view of a 1,000 year old terrace covered with raised beds in the Negev Desert

 

The video shared by Jacky foo, of the success of mulched raised beds in the barren Jordan River Valley, is living proof that mulched raised beds can enable farmers to grow crops under desert conditions. The above photo is from the document I submitted last week concerning growing crops in desert conditions. These beds would have had to be covered by mulch in order for them to have produced crops.

 

In the video, a system is presented, which uses deeply mulched beds such as the one pictured below in a method I call the "Mayan Method." This is the main method I used on my farm for twenty years. It is very productive and quickly improves the soil. This one is on a training center I built here in Nicaragua. This one is built atop a raised bed of soil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you are interested in reading the explanation about this method, it is at http://members.tripod.com/melvinlanders click on the Introduction button below the "Mayan Method" sign to begin. Sorry, there is only one photo of beds and they are deeply covered in sweet potato vines. All my photos of the beds were on film and were damaged by moisture. This was the first Native American Method I learned. At the time I wrote the web page, I did not know for certain that the Maya had actually used deep mulch beds. I later found out that they had actually used them.

 

The video also mentions the harvesting of water by the

raised beds. This is very true. If you build "tied ridges"

along the ditch every five meters or so, you can harvest

100% of the rain that falls. Tied ridges are small ridges

of soil that connect the beds. There is one shown in this

photo I took this morning at the upper edge of the picture.

notice the little lake that has been formed by the rain

between two beds that have not been used since last year.

although there was no fresh mulch applied this year, the

weeds that have poked through are still stunted. Sorry

about the lens cap in the way. I was n a hurry and did not

notice the defect

 

Please forgive me for harping on this point, but everyone keeps talking about adding only the biochar to soils. The dark earth soils would not be the productive soils they are without the humus. Just adding bio-char is not the answer. If it were, I could have decided against this seminar, and concentrated on other priorities. The humus is vital to the functioning of these soils. Without it and the compost produced below the mulch, you lack thousands of species of necessary, beneficial micro-organisms; not to mention the earthworms that would starve in a soil with nothing but biochar.  

 

Please, notice the mulch between these tomato plants. This

photo was also taken this morning. It shows how far away  

I am from having production data on the dark earth bed.

These tomato plants were just recently planted in that bed.

They are looking healthy though. Yesterday, a friend asked

me why his tomato plants turned yellow, drooped down and

began to die off.

 

After a few questions, I determined that the plants had been damaged by tomato Blight fungus. I asked him if he had followed my instructions to place an organic mulch around his plants. The obvious answer followed. If he had done as I suggested, his plants would still be healthy and productive. The rain falls at terminal velocity. When it impacts the soil, it compacts it, but not without removing a layer in the process. The rain drop explodes upon impact. This explosion carries soil up into the air with the droplets. The fungal spores contained in these droplets land on leaves and infect the plants. Mulch prevents all of this by preventing the impact with the soil.

 

The photo below shows the solution to the problem of dry soil. It is also the solution to overly wet soil and to the problem of erosion, weeds, etc. etc. add dark earth and you have the most productive soils possible, in tropical forest or in the arid desert.

 

 

Jacky Foo <jack...@gmail.com> wrote:

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