Re: [biochar] Re: Dryland biomass prospects
Erich Knight
I was going to start a whole new thread on African Green Developments (Pty) Ltd. , and I may yet, if I get more information from the director of African Green.
http://www.greenpower-worldwide.com/self%20sust%20projects.html
http://www.greenpower-worldwide.com/Agro%20Forestry%20Summary.pdf
After he called me on Skype, he told me of his plans to expand his successful agro-forestry system to some 1 million Ha.
Presently his farming operations comprise 205,000 Ha. He plans to expand this by 60,000 Ha per year.
Three months ago, he started doing BioChar trials, planning on a total of 50,000 Ha, and is presently producing 15 tons of BioChar for soil and pellets from his combined heat and power infrastructure. He also mentioned getting World Bank carbon credits.
I'll let you know when I receive further info. I do like this man's ambitions to build these ecologies across Africa.
Cheers,
I don't know about Oputunia but Agave has to possibility of providing multiple products. Leaves (swords) provide natural fiber, which can be made into ropes/ bags/twine, or made into char. The pulp from the leaves which can be fermented into silage for cattle. The liquid from the leaves contains a natural surfactant which i believe is being used for vaccine production. The stem (heart) can be fermented to make tequila, mezcal, or Ethanol.I have toyed with the idea of agave production as the first stage in a multi stage project to recuperate wasteland in Central America. Moving land into oil producing tree crops, but allowing farmers to make money from year 1. I would need some research on markets for each product but there are huge areas in Central America that are currently unproductive and could be brought into production like this.--On Mon, Aug 18, 2014 at 8:06 PM, Erich Knight erichj...@gmail.com [biochar] <bio...@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
I think that what Hans-Peter & Ithaka are doing is the best example. Feeding 4 ounces of char/day to cattle, that's 90 lbs/year, a herd of say 23 cows, dropping about 1 ton C per year.Such slow and steady soil building, could be progressively spread, after several cropping cycles the land ready for more demanding crops.Per Hector; "Agave sequesters 8.5TCO2 per year", very impressive.That converts to;
1 Ton Carbon per Acre!, per year.
Progressive integration of all Agriculture's loads & sources of energy, nutrients and minerals, builds profits & soil-C simultaneously.
Cheers,Erich
Erich J. Knight
Shenandoah Gardens
1047 Dave Berry Rd. McGaheysville, VA. 22840
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540-289-9750
On Mon, Aug 18, 2014 at 6:33 PM, ARTURO VELEZ agavep...@gmail.com [biochar] <bio...@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
[Attachment(s) from ARTURO VELEZ included below]Thanks Erich!Oxford University did a LCA of Agave tequilana to ethanol years ago(doc attached). Maybe the answer is there?I don't remember much, but think they calculated one hectare of agave sequesters 8.5TCO2 per year.
and that's about it...*****I am almost ready establishing the productive chain for the first trial of Opuntia-to-biojet fuel (ATL). I'm so excited!I'll keep you posted.Best,Arturo2014-08-18 11:40 GMT-05:00 Erich Knight <erichj...@gmail.com>:
I look forward to hearing great thing from your collaborations.Hi Arturo ,It's about time that CP showed interest in your arid biomass production potential.
I have encouraged them at every opportunity to look at what you & Nikolaus F. have demonstrated in tropical & semi-arid regions with high yielding biomass cropping systems. For productivity, Nothing can compare for these 100 million Ha of marginal land.
I speculate this solar driven, carbon sugar exudate pumping system should show increases of SOC deposition of at least 1 ton C/Ha/yr.Can you give us a hard number for soil-C increases?
To become the "first Trillion dollar" company, they can't ignore this feedstock and land reclamation potential.
Big Biomass Cheers,ErichOn Sun, Aug 17, 2014 at 7:18 PM, Lloyd Helferty <lhel...@sympatico.ca> wrote:Arturo,
"Opuntia is ~91% water"... therefore I suspect that gasification is not going to work very well with something that has that much water...
If there are dry residuals from some process related to the production of agave-derived ethanol, then there might be a solution.
Then one could use the digestate (leftovers) from the biogas production to make high value fertilizers ~ if it is combined with the biochar that comes from the gasifiation of any other dry waste products from the harvest or processing of optunia or related crops.
Is intercropping used?
Maybe consult with someone like Tom Miles (CC'd).
Regards,
Lloyd Helferty, Engineering Technologist Principal, Biochar Consulting (Canada) www.biochar-consulting.caOn 2014-08-14 4:54 PM, ARTURO VELEZ wrote:
<snip>THX, Lloyd,
I'm in talks with Ausagave to produce a sample of agave-derived ethanol for Byogy to test convertion into biojet fuel. We will produce the ethanol from A. tequilana and A. salmiana (1st generation ethanol). I may also include a sample of opuntia-derived ethanol. Both crops yield more ethanol-per-hectare than sugarcane.
For biogas production, opuntia can be harvested by month 6 and yields 600 to 1,000+ tonnes of biomass per hectare per year. Opuntia is ~91% water.
Opuntia is a GREAT feedstock for biogas production. Please compare:
Do you think opuntia would be a GREAT feedstock for gasification, too?
If your answer is yes, I'll start looking for a company interested in gasifying some opuntia.
Cool Planet will soon come down to MX for a sample of agave and opuntia to test witht their technology.
All the best,
Arturo
2014-08-14 10:04 GMT-05:00 Lloyd Helferty:
Chris,
You wrote, "far too 'OTT' re. impacts". What does "OTT" stand for?
P.S. It might actually be that the ILUC impact in these "vast under-utilised semi-arid areas" will be positive ~ and could be given "Credits", for "afforestation". I recall Arturo Velez in Mexico saying that the Agave growers are part of the National Confederation of Forestry Producers of Mexico, and with these plantations one could even claim that the overall "ecosystem carbon storage" would go up with such types of plantations being seeded (not only the above-ground biomass, but also the upper soil profile).
There might even be opportunities provided by the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto protocol, which allows such biomes to receive carbon trading credits. [!]
Regards,
Lloyd Helferty, On 2014-08-14 7:47 AM, Chris Hodrien wrote:
Neil, I would think that in these vast under-utilised semi-arid areas the ILUC impact was near-zero, but I have no idea how you would calculate it. The ILUC concept was devised for intensively-farmed overcrowded EU, and even there is hotly controversial, with various experts claiming the Eurocrats have done their sums all wrong (far too 'OTT' re. impacts), so I should just 'park' the ILUC bit.
Chris.
From: Tony Day
Sent: 11 August 2014 20:24
To: Neil Crumpton; Lloyd Helferty
Cc: Clav...@yahoogroups.co.uk; Fred Starr; Chris Hodrien; John Jesson (B&W)-HOME; John Davison (IEA GHG); Malcolm McDonald; Steve Browning
Subject: Re: Dryland biomass prospects
Neil,
Some very impressive numbers. I share your enthusiasm. Please advise, however: have your figures on net emissions taken into account fuel, water, fertiliser use, etc plus the impacts of Indirect Land Use Change?
It is better you get these questions from colleagues rather than opponents.
Re your last paragraph: You can typically sequester around 55% of total carbon throughput via a synthetic methane plant at near zero capture and compression cost. Therefore, any fuel mix containing more than 45% biogenic carbon will put you into carbon negative territory.
Best wishes,
Tony Day
M 0791 256 0740Subject: Re: [Claverton] Re: Photo of recent fire damage to Ferrybridge FGD plant
From: Neil.Crumpton
Date: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 18:14:49 +0100
CC: Claverton; claverton.starr; chodrien; john; john.davison; luscinia; stephen.browning; tony.day.1
To: lhelferty
Lloyd,All very interesting - this kind of info/ vision needs presenting to politicians, investors and movers & shakers far more.
You mention that Mexico has over 100 million Ha of marginal land suitable (1 million km2). I number-crunched a carbon-negative mid-Century global energy scenario based on 2.5 million km2 of dryland biomass BECCS (essentially agave/opuntia at 50 dry tonnes/ha/year > gasification+CCS > syngas > aviation fuel + bio-SNG). Pyrolysis is presumably better for aviation fuel, then residue for gasification / biochar ? eg : http://www.vtt.fi/files/projects/2g_2020/elliott.pdf
Anyway, the results (see summary below) are pretty awesome if big global-scale climate solutions (and storable / ship transportable RE resources) are really wanted - nothing can compare. On top of that, liquid bio-fuel or bio-SNG production in the dryland countries could be enhanced by using otherwise stranded CSP resources.
I keep lobbying UK ministers (in various ways) on the point that the UK should show global leadership on carbon-negative / BECCS fuels NOT new nuclear. For example, HMG could bring in an clear carbon-negative fuel /power production incentive (eg Drax conversion CCS + White Rose CO2 pipeline) and support opuntia/agave plantation initiatives in dryland Commonwealth countries or bilateral agreements with say Mexico etc. Some good news is that there is an SNG clause added to the UK Energy Act now so biomass gasification with CCS should benefit.
Neil
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