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IBI Bulletin Board for Member Projects and Other Information |
The IBI encourages its membership to share experiences and ideas through this website. The entries below are from members wishing to share their projects and research. Please contact them directly to connect with them or if you are interested in contributing to the discussion. To submit a project for posting, please email Thayer Tomlinson by clicking here and include your project write up and your preferred contact information. Your contact information will be posted with your project write up so that other members can contact you directly by clicking a link. IBI will post all projects within a week of their submission. Additionally, if you have photos of your projects and research and would like them posted to the IBI site, please send those with a caption and photo credit information to the email listed above.
Please do not send advertisements for products or use member's contact information for unsolicited emails. |
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From Kyle Young regarding char in Mexico
Respond to: katbambu@hotmail.com
I live in Arizona and work in Sonora, Mexico with the Fundacion Apoyo del Infantil (The Save the Children Foundation) on agricultural projects involving bamboo. Iv'e not come across any information regarding the water retaining capacity of biochar. It seems the porosity of biochar would aid in retaining water in the soil for a longer period. Is this true? I'm also interested in using bamboo (the fastest growing woody plant on earth) to make biochar.
My project is to use ancient celtic earthen oven designs that recycle smoke into the combustion chamber for complete combustion (needing no chimney) to create biochar using the direct method. Any thoughts on that? These ovens can be made from local clayish soils by anyone with some rudimentary masonry skills and knowledge of the ovens mathematical configuration.
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From Michael Moore looking for others working in Nicaragua and Costa Rica on Biochar
Reply to: mmoore@mtu.edu
I am working with two small farms in Southeastern Nicaragua, near San Carlos, and the people I work with are increasingly interested in biochar materials and projects. I've been able to do research and collect material resources here in the U.S., and would like to make contact with others working in Nicaragua or Costa Rica. I like very much the Sustainable Harvest International model, further down this IBI Projects page, and will be contacting them, too.
Research-wise, my work involves the social and cultural aspects of these kinds of collaborations, including various forms of action research and collaborative ethnographies. I'm interested in the roles that the social sciences, liberal arts, and humanities disciplines might play in sustainability broadly, and carbon-negative projects such as biochar in particular. |
From Jennifer Barker regarding SolWest Renewable Energy Fair
Respond to Jennifer at: info@solwest.org
I am the director of SolWest Renewable Energy Fair (July 25-27, 2008), which offers workshops on renewable energy and sustainable living every summer in eastern Oregon. I would love to have someone come and speak at SolWest on biochar, or do a demonstration. We can't pay for speakers, but we can offer several perks, including possible display space (nonprofit only).
EORenew/SolWest Fair
PO Box 485 • Canyon City OR 97820
541-575-3633 • www.solwest.org |
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I was wondering whether charcoal briquettes used in BBQs would be suitable for use as a bio char (eg in Australia we have a brand called Heat Beads). Some of these products have petro-chemicals in them so I would imagine it would be unwise to use those. However, if they are not manufactured using petroleum products would it be safe to use in a garden?
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Biochar was featured at the annual board and staff meeting of NGO Sustainable Harvest International in Honduras on January 27, 2008. IBI Member Julie Major from Cornell University lead a workshop where field extension agents working across Central America, as well as local small farmers will learn about the benefits of soil management with biochar. Some demonstration plots were also set up in the field. For more information, click here.
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From Peter Schmidt regarding carbon enriched compost and wine growing
Reply to: schmidt@mythopia.ch
We are going to begin in 2008 a carbon-project in a Swiss vineyard in order to improve the auto-defence of the wine-plant, to fix toxic-elements of earlier plant-treatments (esp. copper) and last but not least to improve the climate balance of the vineyard. Has anybody worked already with carbon enriched compost in wine and fruit growing? Is somebody working already on carbon-projects in Switzerland? |
From Rob Wyly regarding TENDER FOR A DESIGN OF A BIOCHAR COOKER - OR SUPPLY OF PRE-MADE COOKER
Respond to: robfox@adam.com.au
I have just won limited government funding from an Australian government horticultural college to trial biochar, and have been granted access to a large planting area and resources for test plantings. The funding and resources granted is for work to be undertaken over the next two years (at minimum, can be extended depending on results) and will be undertaken by myself and a number of lecturers and a few interested students - and with some persons with soil related Ph.D.'s also providing general guidance.
So we have the (limited) funds, a lot of land on campus, the resources and the people in place - but we are missing something quite important - biochar!
My problem is in Australia there is no ready supply of biochar, and import restrictions prevent imports.
I have had the suggestion that small scale cookers if fueled by gas with temperature gauges at each gas head and some inside the cooker would be able to produce various grades of biochar (depending on feed stock) with enough accuracy such that successful mixes could be replicated by repeating the temperature settings at the gas heads (and checking the internal cooking temperatures are about the same). While such a set-up is not optimal in scientific terms, it would be enough for us to get started cooking up semi- controlled biochar and running tests in green-houses, shade-houses and in the field.
As I do now have confirmed funding I am after either:
(1) a proper design for a biochar cooker, where the design is of a cooker that has already been built and works, or
(2) an already manufactured unit that has already been built and works
and in both cases working along the lines above.
If anyone or firm is willing to tender me a price for such a design or a made up unit please let me know.
We are willing to pay for such a unit or design, but I stress we are after a small cooker at this stage, just to get us started and into growing trials - and please remember my funding is limited.
If a made up unit is intended please consider the sea freight costs and insurance costs to Port Adelaide, Australia.
We have extensive well equipped mechanical engineering shops and expert lecturers in all facets of manufacturing, materials and metal fabrication, so a made up unit could be supplied in parts and assembled here to reduce freight costs. We can also fabricate any cooker so long as the design is professional and detailed.
It is essential any design is of a cooker or made up cooker which is proven to work.
Subject to further discussion and analysis of benefits, we might be prepared to provide detailed growing test data in return - which may help a potential budding biochar oven manufacturer with useful test results to help their business along. However, unless we must enter into a commercial arrangement with an oven manufacturer, we will be posting test results to share with the biochar community - and we look forward to the results of other member's work on a community database so we can post our results.
Also any suggestions, help, comments as to this endeavor is most welcome anytime - we need all the help we can get to make this biochar project work over the next two years, and further biochar knowledge in my home city: Adelaide, Australia. |
From Andrew Fynn
Respond to: andrewfynn@emailaccount.com
I am looking to set up a project that comprises keyline design, biochar, and use of myccorhizal formulas to accelerate plant growth and maximize yield and C sequestration.
What crops are most suited to produce biochar in a Central and Northern Californian context?
Are any of them native to West Coast?
Can biochar be used in conjunction with grasses that will feed cattle, and thus allow for the intensive grazing practised within the 'holistic management' developed by Alan Savory (www.holisticmanagement.org)--further increasing C sequestration?
What are the best portable biochar models available?
How many plants are there in the world currently?
Would it be feasible to build a small pilot plant? How much would it cost? |
From Antonello Boverio, Switzerland
Reply to: antonello.boverio@gmail.com
How do you perform pyrolisis? What is "low temperature"?
Do you take this into account for carbon-neutrality calculations? |
From Xavier de Lamo, Spain:
Reply to: xavi.delamo@gmail.com
I'm a Spanish ecologist very interested in the huge possibilities that biochar has in waste management, carbon sequestration and reduction of environmental pollution. I would like to know if there are people working on this issue in Spain and (if it is possible) their names.
I'm very interested in the possibilities of using organic waste as a "raw material" for producing biochar. Do you know if there are some studies on that, and if so, can you send me some references? |
From Rodney James White, Australia:
Reply to: rod_16@bigpond.com
Firstly, is biochar technology public domain or has the biochar process been patented? If so who owns the intellectual property rights?
The fuel I intend to use will be suburban green waste (grass and tree clippings, food scraps and pet scat), will that be sufficient? Also for later expansion can sewerage be used?
I am looking to use the batch system of digester, is it compatible pyrolysis?
Thank-you for your time and I look forward to your reply.
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From Sean Wilson, Australia:
Respond to: Sean.Wilson@calvarycc.qld.edu.au
My classmates and I are doing a science project on renewable energy. We decided to use bio-mass and found terra preta. After some research we have found that our school can use the following per year:
- 100-200 kg of sheep and alpaca manure.
- 500-1000 kg of leaf litter.
- 3,000 kg of Sawdust and Chicken Manure.
- 40,000 kg Possible Chicken Manure.
We also have a possible 40 sheds each contributing 40,000 kg of chicken manure. The area we could use the bio-char on is:
- 1.5 ha of Grass (School Oval)
- 1.5 ha of Farm (Fruit trees, Vegetable Gardens, etc.)
So my questions are:
How much bio-char would we need to produce per year to cover this area?
How much organic waste (mainly chicken manure) would we need per year?
How big does the bio-char machine have to be?
How can we get one? (The school is located in Brisbane, Australia.)
How loud is it?
How much would it cost to set up the bio-char machine?
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Pilot Project in Mongolia from Karl Frogner, USA:
I have recently been charged by a small international peace group with setting up a pilot project in Mongolia to test a low production, high replication approach utilizing low technology bio-char production by 3rd world agrarian poor to ameliorate atmospheric CO2 build up and for income augmentation through carbon offset credits. The group has neither the manpower, expertise, nor funds to carry out such a project in-house, so I am organizing a cooperative/networked approach. In addition to the Mongolian site, interest has been shown in organizing sib projects in NE Thailand, Samoa, Hawaii, Wisconsin and Georgia. We are now organizing a network of people with requested expertise or funding that would be interested in advising, research or application. We are still in the initial stages so my net is broad, including the areas of adaptive pyrolysis equipment design, biomass growth and management, optimum product balance, cooperative product aggregation and marketing; in short, most aspects are needed at one or more of the various sites. If anyone is interested, contact Karl by email at: kjfrog@hawaii.rr.com.
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