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Anonymous said

16 February 2012
What nonsense?,.... Dr. Rattan Lal sees no nonsense.

Regular biomass combustion systems struggle to be CO2e neutral, Thermal conversion systems conserve the elemental carbon in the biomass by only burning the hydro-carbon gas & bio-oils, or converting them to tank-ready fuels.
The general life cycle analysis is: every 1 ton of biomass yields 1/3 ton Biochar equal to 1 ton CO2e, plus biofuels equal to 1MWh exported electricity, so each energy cycle is 1/3 carbon negative.

FAO on Conservation Agricultural:
"In general, soil carbon sequestration during the first decade of adoption of best conservation agricultural practices is 1.8 tons CO2 per hectare per year. On 5 billion hectares of agricultural land, this could represent one-third of the current annual global emission of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels (i.e., 27 Pg CO2 per year)." http://www.fao.org/ag/ca/doc/CA_SSC_Overview.pdf

Adding just 1 Ton of Biochar per hectare, (800 lbs / acre), would cover 100% Current Annual Fossil CO2 Emissions.

Work by C. Steiner, at U of GA, 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 an organic nitrogen fertilizer. http://www.ibi2010.org/wp-content/uploads/BiocharPoultrySteiner.pdf

Personally, the one most rewarding moment of the year was after returning from my talk to the EPA chiefs in Montreal, I sent the text to the climate change office at DOE with a cc to Dr. Rattan Lal at OSU, the most cited soil scientist in the world, ( or as Dr.Jeff Novak at ARS joked; "In the universe" :). Dr. Lal replied to me with thanks and was impressed, commending me on conceptualizing & articulating the concept. Your humble gardener was On cloud 9 for weeks.
A report , text & links are here;
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/biochar-policy/message/3233

Instigation of,in situ, Biochar Hg remediation with DuPont ran a close second, A 95% reduction of Hg uptake in the food chain was most impressive. On the email train I have going with this DuPont & ORNL collaboration, Dr. Antal of U of HI added contacts to Dow's counter part environmental engineer to Richard Landis at DuPont, I hope to spark them to join in this ORNL collaboration..

finely Re-Instigation of field trials at the Rodale Institute with Dr. Robert M East and Dr. Elaine Ingham
http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/20110802_whats-the-big-deal-with-biochar#comment-14706

Erich J. Knight
Chairman; Markets and Business Committee
2010 US BiocharConference, at Iowa State University
http://www.biorenew.iastate.edu/events/biochar2010/conference-agenda/agenda-overview.html

EcoTechnologies Group Technical Adviser
Shenandoah Gardens (Owner)
1047 Dave Barry Rd.
McGaheysville, VA. 22840
540 289 9750

Anonymous said

16 February 2012
No wonder the writer of the foregoing prefers to remain anonymous - most of what appears is nonsense.
Firstly, the object of carbon sequestration is admirable - but the essence is lost amongst a load of gobbledegook. Yes, soil carbon is liberated when land use change occurs - but this is temporary. When the biomass is grown, carbon is captured both in the foliage and the root structure, thus replacing the carbon that was lost. The foliage is then used to replace fossil fuels, be it by production of biofuels or use of the biomass as an energy resource. THIS is where the savings occur - by not using fossil fuels (which have already sequestrated carbon) to produce the energy!
Burying the char back into the ground defeats the object of the exercise.
The misconception of total carbon liberation has been usd by so-called environmentalist and scientists - and bureaucrats - to hinder the progress of more informed alternative fuel producers.
There has been so much hype appearing, contradictory to the use of common sense and realisation of the problems to be faced by our descendants. Promises appear daily of second, third generation biofuels and are treated as the Holy Grail - at the expense of existing technology. A hundred years ago, we had a sustainable society. Now, population growth and a state of rampant consumerism has taken over - and we are to blame.
Dismiss academic rhetoric - use your common sense instead.
Terry de Winne

Anonymous said

26 January 2012
Big Wig consortiums like Catchlight Energy LLC, a joint venture of Chevron Corp and Weyerhaeuser Co, with Kior , and AlipaJet, SynGest & Honeywell, A Virgin Airline & Dynamotive & GE Wedding, GE also backed CoolPlanet Biofuels, with BP, Conoco & Google go to show that main stream corporations are showing much more than just interest in Biochar thermal conversion systems.

All policy incentives should be restructured to Establish Soil Carbon as the Universal Measure of Sustainability for all biofuel systems. To pay farmers, as Australia does, the full value for building soil-C. Curing the illness of externalizing the cost of fossil carbon by sequestering it to attain the highest continuing benefits. The cited ills of of biofuels' Carbon foot print, food security & sustainability issues cascade away with integrated bio refining of carbon, nutrients and energy.

The Paleoclimate Record shows agricultural-geo-engineering is responsible for 2/3rds of our excess greenhouse gases. The unintended consequence, the flowering of our civilization. Our science has now realized these consequences and has developed a more encompassing wisdom. Wise land management, afforestation and the thermal conversion of biomass can build back our soil carbon. Pyrolysis, Gasification and Hydro-Thermal Carbonization are known biofuel technologies, What is new are the concomitant benefits of biochars for Soil Carbon Sequestration; building soil biodiversity & nitrogen efficiency, for in situ remediation of toxic agents, and, as a feed supplement cutting the carbon foot print of livestock. Modern systems are closed-loop with no significant emissions. The general life cycle analysis is: every 1 ton of biomass yields 1/3 ton Biochar equal to 1 ton CO2e, plus biofuels equal to 1MWh exported electricity, so each energy cycle is 1/3 carbon negative. [1] [2] [3]

Beyond Rectifying the Carbon Cycle;
Biochar systems Integrate nutrient management, serving the same healing function for the Nitrogen and Phosphorous Cycles. A 50% reduction of NH3 loss when composting. Ag manure char absorbs phosphorus for nutrient credit income, CHP, Biomass Crop & energy grants and when carbon comes to account, another big credit. The compounding soil benefits; reduced nitrogen loss & soil Nitrous-oxide
emissions and a 17% increased water efficiency are documented in trials across soil types and climates. The production of ammonia and char from biomass and other third generation companies aiming for drop-in fuels, can free agriculture from fossil energy. [4] [5]

The Agricultural Soil Carbon Sequestration Standards are the royal road for the GHG Mitigation; This stakeholder effort with the USDA & EPA, Reviewed by both Congressional Ag Committees, who asked for expansion to ISO status, the goal now is to get the world on the same soil carbon page. [6]

Economic at all Scales;
Local economic stimulus is at all scales of development, from the Global Clean Cook Stove Initiative, to base load manure systems, to industrial biomass power production. Replacing "Three Stone" stoves with biomass stoves, the health effects equal the eradication of Malaria & AIDs combined. Delivering carbon credits to developing countries would further economic stimulus. [7]

The Major Endorsements include:
Dr. Jim Hansen, Dr. James Lovelock,
Nobel laureates; Al Gore and Dr. Mario Molina,
Politicians; Tony Blair, Tony Abbott, Secretaries Salazar & Vilsack,
Environmentalist; Tim Flannery, Bill McKibben, Richard Branson & his Carbon War Room.

The photosynthetic "capture" collectors are up and running all around us, the "storage" sink is in operation just under our feet, conversion reactors are the only infrastructure we need to build out. Carbon, as the center of life, has high value to recapitalize our soils. Yielding nutrient dense foods and Biofuels, Paying Premiums of pollution abatement and toxic remediation and the growing Dividend created by the increasing biomass of a thriving soil community.

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.

Thank you for your efforts.

See all cited links here;
"Five Minutes with Lisa Jackson et al"
http://tec­h.groups.y­ahoo.com/g­roup/bioch­ar-policy/­message/32­33

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