The Brazilians have not allowed the Cornell researchers to bring samples out of the country for full analysis. But every soil has it's own wee-beasties, and so far, they all have an affinity with char, the extent of the accelerated growth seems proportional to the metabolic rate of the soils.
Please find below my list of significant research & developments.
Dear Soil Carbon Concerned,
You are receiving this post because of work you have done about Biochar systems, Soil Carbon issues or Biomass combustion systems, .
Biomass should never be just burnt, instead it should be fractionated to it's high value uses.
Biochar systems achieve this, to fill in gaps and hopefully expand your story & research , particularly concerning Christoph Steiner's new work with Biochar and NH3 conservation in composting systems.
Recent NATURE STUDY;Sustainable bio char to mitigate global climate change
www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v1/n5/full/ncomms1053.html Not talked about in this otherwise comprehensive study are the climate and whole ecological implications of new , higher value, applications of chars.
First,the in situ remediation of a vast variety of toxic agents in soils and sediments.
Biochar Sorption of Contaminants;
www.biorenew.iastate.edu/events/biochar2010/conference-agenda/agenda-overview/breakout-session-5/agriculture-forestry-soil-science-and-environment.html Dr. Lima's work; Specialized Characterization Methods for Biochar
www.biorenew.iastate.edu/events/biochar2010/conference-agenda/agenda-overview/breakout-session-4/production-and-characterization.htmlAnd at USDA;
The Ultimate Trash To Treasure: *ARS Research Turns Poultry Waste into Toxin-grabbing Char
www.ars.usda.gov/IS/AR/archive/jul05/char0705.htmSecond,the uses as a feed ration for livestock to reduce GHG emissions and increase disease resistance.
Third,Recent work by C. Steiner showing a 52% reduction of NH3 loss when char is used as a composting accelerator. This will have profound value added consequences for the commercial composting industry by reduction of their GHG emissions and the sale of compost as a nitrogen fertilizer.
Since we have filled the air , filling the seas to full, Soil is the Only Beneficial place left.
Carbon to the Soil, the only ubiquitous and economic place to put it.
Thanks for your efforts.
Erich
Erich J. Knight
Chairman; Markets and Business Committee
2010 US BiocharConference, at Iowa State University
www.biorenew.iastate.edu/events/biochar2010/conference-agenda/agenda-overview.htmlEcoTechnologies Group Technical Adviser
www.ecotechnologies.com/index.htmlShenandoah Gardens (Owner)
1047 Dave Barry Rd.
McGaheysville, VA. 22840
540 289 9750
Co-Administrator, Biochar Data base & Discussion list TP-REPP
Organizations; terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/organizationsCompanies; terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/companyCountry; terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/countryProducts; terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/materials Biochar current Developments in Research, Reports, Legislation & Data Base :
Biochar Soils.....Husbandry of whole new Orders & Kingdoms of lifeBiotic Carbon, the carbon transformed by life, should never be combusted, oxidized and destroyed. It deserves more respect, reverence even, and understanding to use it back to the soil where 2/3 of excess atmospheric carbon originally came from.
We all know we are carbon-centered life, we seldom think about the complex web of recycled bio-carbon which is the true center of life. A cradle to cradle, mutually co-evolved biosphere reaching into every crack and crevice on Earth.
It's hard for most to revere microbes and fungus, but from our toes to our gums (onward), their balanced ecology is our health. The greater earth and soils are just as dependent, at much longer time scales. Our farming for over 10,000 years has been responsible for 2/3rds of our excess greenhouse gases. This soil carbon, converted to carbon dioxide, Methane & Nitrous oxide began a slow stable warming that now accelerates with burning of fossil fuel.
Agriculture allowed our cultural accent and Agriculture will now prevent our descent.Wise Land management; Organic farming and afforestation can build back our soil carbon,
Biochar allows the soil food web to build much more recalcitrant organic carbon, (living biomass & Glomalins) in addition to the carbon in the biochar.
Every 1 ton of Biomass yields 1/3 ton Charcoal for soil Sequestration (= to 1 Ton CO2e) + Bio-Gas & Bio-oil fuels = to 1MWh exported electricity, so is a totally virtuous, carbon negative energy cycle.
Biochar viewed as soil Infrastructure; The old saw;
"Feed the Soil Not the Plants" becomes;
"Feed, Cloth and House the Soil, utilities included !".
Free Carbon Condominiums with carboxyl group fats in the pantry and hydroxyl alcohol in the mini bar. The matrix of MYC becomes
a super highway for moisture & nutrients and an internet for chemical communication.Build it and the Wee-Beasties will come.
Microbes like to sit down when they eat.
By setting this table we expand husbandry to whole new orders & Kingdoms of life.
( These oxidised surface charges; carbonyl. hydroxyl, carboxylic acids, and lactones or quinones, have as well a role as signaling substances towards bacteria, fungi and plants.)
This is what I try to get across to Farmers, as to how I feel about the act of returning carbon to the soil. An act of penitence and thankfulness for the civilization we have created. Farmers are the Soil Sink Bankers, once carbon has a price, they will be laughing all the way to it.
Unlike CCS which only reduces emissions, biochar systems draw down CO2 every energy cycle, closing a circle back to support the soil food web. The photosynthetic "capture" collectors are up and running, the "storage" sink is in operation just under our feet. Pyrolysis conversion plants are the only infrastructure we need to build out.
To me, in the long run, the final arbiter / accountancy / measure of sustainability will be
soil carbon content. Once this royal road is constructed, traffic cops ( Carbon Board ) in place, the truth of land-management and Biochar systems will be self-evident.
A dream I've had for years is to base the coming carbon economy firmly on the foundation of top soils. My read of the agronomic history of civilization shows that the Kayopo Amazon Indians and the Egyptians were the only ones to maintain fertility for the long haul, millennium scales. Egypt has now forsaken their geologic advantage by building the Aswan dam, and are stuck, with the rest of us, in the soil C mining, NPK rat race to the bottom. The meta-analysis of Syn-N and soil Carbon content show our dilemma;
www.agronomy.org/publications/jeq/articles/38/6/2295
The Ag Soil Carbon standard is in final review by the AMS branch at USDA. Both Congresional Ag Committees have asked for expansion of Soil Carbon Standard to ISO status.
Read over the work so far;
www.novecta.com/documents/Carbon-Standard.pdfIn my efforts to have Biochar's potential included, I have recruited several to join the list, briefed the entire committee about char when issues concerning N2O & CH4 soil GHG emissions were raised, fully briefed a couple of the 100 members when they replied individually to my "Reply all" briefs. The members cover the full spectrum of Ag interest.
With the Obama administration funding an inter-departmental climate effort of NASA, NOAA, USDA, & EPA, and now even the CIA is opening the data coffers, then soil carbon sensors may be less than 5 years away. I'm told by the Jet Propulsion Lab mission specialists responsible for the suite of earth sensing satellites, that they will be reading soil carbon using multiple proxy measurements in 5 years. Reading soil moisture to 3 foot dept in two year with SMAP, Reading GHG emissions and biomass from the tree tops down next year when the Orbital Carbon Observer (OCO, get it:) is rebooted, to 1 Ha resolution.
Then, any farmer can click "Google Carbon maps" to see the soil carbon accounted to his good work, a level playing field to be a soil sink banker.
The Moon Pie in the sky funding should be served to JPL
Sowing Seeds With New Agricultural Carbon Accounting Tool Carbon dioxide emissions from agricultural activity in the United States can now be tracked with unprecedented resolution because of a method developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory team led by Tristram West.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100602131436.htm Global Clean Stove Initiative:Another significant aspect of low cost Biomass cook stoves, that produce char, is removal of BC aerosols and no respiratory disease emissions. At Scale, replacing "Three Stone" stoves the health benefits would equal eradication of Malaria & Aids combined.
The Biochar Fund :The broad smiles of 1500 subsistence farmers say it all ( that, and the size of the Biochar corn root balls )
biocharfund.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=55&Itemid=75Exceptional results from biochar experiment in Cameroon
State Dept. Release;100 million clean-burning stoves in kitchens around the world.
www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/09/147494.htmWorldStoves in Haiti ; www.charcoalproject.org/2010/05/a-man-a-stove-a-mission/ NSF Awards $1.6 million in grants;
BREAD: Biochar Inoculants for Enabling Smallholder Agriculture
iapnews.wordpress.com/2010/09/03/cornell-university-wins-biocharstove-research-grants/Major Endorsements:Senator / Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar has done the most to nurse this biofuels system in his Biochar provisions in the 07 & 08 farm bill,
www.biochar-international.org/newinformationevents/newlegislation.htmlNASA's Dr. James Hansen Global warming solutions paper places Biochar / Land management the central technology for carbon negative energy systems.
arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/0804/0804.1126.pdfDr. James Lovelock (Gaia hypothesis) says Biochar is "The only hope for mankind"
Charles Mann ("1491") in the Sept. National Geographic has a wonderful soils article which places Terra Preta / Biochar soils center stage.
ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/09/soil/mann-textAl Gore got the CO2 absorption thing wrong, ( at NABC Vilsack did same), but his focus on Soil Carbon is right on;
www.newsweek.com/id/220552/page/3Tony Blair & Richard Branson in the UK and conservative party opposition leader John Turnbull and Abbott in Oz.
Research:NASA’s Space Archaeology; $364K Terra Preta Program
archaeologyexcavations.blogspot.com/2010/08/time-traveling-via-satellite.htmlThis is the finest explanation I have read on the process of biochar testing. Hugh lays it out like medical triage to extract the data most needed for soil carbon sequestration. A triage for all levels of competence, the Para-Medic Gardener to the Surgeon Chem-Engineer.
terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/Characterizing_BiocharsThe Ozzie's for 6 years now in field studies
The future of biochar - Project Rainbow Bee Eater
www.sciencealert.com.au/features/20090211-20142.htmlPhosphorous Solution;
terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/nishioThe Japanese have been at it decades:
Japan Biochar Association ;
www.geocities.jp/yasizato/pioneer.htmUK Biochar Research Centre
www.geos.ed.ac.uk/sccs/biochar/ICHAR, the Italian Biochar Association
www.ichar.org/Field Trial Data Base; The new version of BiocharDB has been released! To see it, please visit
biocharbazaar.org.
Virginia Tech is in their 5 th year with the Carbon Char Group's "CharGrow" formulated bagged product. An idea whose time has come | Carbon Char Group
The 2008 trials at Virginia Tech showed a 46% increase in yield of tomato transplants grown with just 2 - 5 cups (2 - 5%) "CharGrow" per cubic foot of growing medium.
www.carbonchar.com/plant-performanceUSDA in their 3 nd year by Dr. Jeff Novak at ARS
There are dozens soil researchers on the subject now at USDA-ARS.
and many studies at The ASA-CSSA-SSSA joint meeting;
a-c-s.confex.com/crops/2009am/webprogram/Session5675.htmlNikolaus has been at it 4 years. Nikolaus Foidl,
His current work with aspirin is Amazing in Maize, 250% yield gains, 15 cobs per plant;
terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/content/trials-maize-reactivating-dormant-genes-using-high-doses-salicylic-acid-and-charcoalMy 09 field trials with the Rodale Institute & JMU ;
Alterna Biocarbon and Cowboy Charcoal Virginia field trials '09
terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/node/1408 Most recent studies out;
Imperial College test,
This work in temperate soils gives data from which one can calculate savings on fertilizer use, which is expected to be ongoing with no additional soil amending.
www.iop.org/EJ/article/1755-1315/6/37/372052/ees9_6_372052.pdf?request-id=22fb1902-1c23-4db8-8801-2be7e2f3ce1bThe BlueLeaf Inc./ Dynamotive study are exciting results given how far north the site is at 45 degrees, and the low application rates. I suspect, as we saw with the Imperial College test, the yield benefits seem to decrease the cooler the climate. In 2008, a 20% increase in grain yield was shown and for a forage mixture in 2009 a 100% increase in fresh biomass was obtained. Other parameters showing increases with CQuest Biochar included earthworm, nematode and mycorrhizal root colonization, supporting the hypothesis that biochar may serve as a refuge for soil microbes. Surface soil water infiltration was also greater in biochar amended soil.
www.biofuelsjournal.com/articles/BlueLeaf_Inc__and_Dynamotive_Release_2nd_Year_Field_Trial_Results_With_Dynamotive_CQuestT_Biochar-90009.htmlReports:For those looking for an overview of biochar and its benefits, These authors have done a very nice job of distilling a great deal of information about biochar and applying it to the US context:
US Focused Biochar report: Assessment of Biochar's Benefits for the USA
www.biochar-us.org/pdf%20files/biochar_report_lowres.pdf This PNAS report (by a Nobel lariat) should cause the Royal Society to rethink their report that criticized Biochar systems sequestration potential;
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Reducing abrupt climate change risk using
the Montreal Protocol and other regulatory
actions to complement cuts in CO2 emissions
www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/10/09/0902568106.full.pdf+html