OLC Peer Learning Session - BioChar

[dave...@tilth.org]

We have an opportunity to visit a biochar facility in Philomath. I am looking at either 7/29, Monday or 7/30, Tuesday, from 12noon - 1:30. Please let me know as soon as you can if you are interested and which day(s) will work for you. Here are some more details on the presentation:

 

Biochar Presentation: John Miedema

BioLogical Carbon, LLC

 

As the Director of Biomass Energy for Thompson Timber in Philomath Oregon, John has built and now operates an integrated pyrolysis and gasification facility on site at a log-chipping yard. John is also the founder of the Pacific Northwest Biochar Initiative and has been taking a leadership role in biochar advocacy and research since 2008.

 

Biochar is the baking of woody biomass, to create charcoal that is ground up and added to the soil. The biomass is cooked in an oxygen-starved kiln, (a pyrolysis process) where the volatile hydrocarbons are burned or driven off. These vapors can fuel the incineration process.

 

The charcoal is a carbon-enriched black solid with a structure that resists chemical and microbial degradation. It is then ground up, and applied to the soil, creating edge-effects for micro-organisms, and adding porosity and water retention to the soil.

 

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Dave Alba
Organic Land Care Program Manager, Oregon Tilth
dave...@tilth.org
www.tilth.org
541.745.8798

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