[Terrapreta] Making Soil from Oil

[Duane Pendergast]

            Dear Dr. Karve,

 

I'm not quite sure why you suggest that "growing forests is a better way of
carbon sequestration".  If carbon dioxide in the atmosphere really is a
problem, then we need to seek long term means to manage it. I understand
that growing forests reach a sort of steady state where little if any
additional carbon is sequestered. Nature tends to burn forests occasionally,
probably converting some of the wood to charcoal. The regrowth of forests
thus establishes a soil sink over generations of forests. The terra preta
concept seems key to human enhancement of this process of growth, regrowth
and carbon sequestration over generations of humans and forests to build
soil and manage atmospheric CO2 content, although John Cowan's concerns
about grand dreams are fully justified.

 

Naturally, humans give high priority to events occurring in their own
lifetime. Here in Alberta, Canada, the life time of forests is apparently
similar to that of humans, as fires are fairly frequent. It would seem that
would provide some additional incentive to investigate the potential of the
terra preta concept here. Some commentary on my website is intended to stir
some interest - unsuccessfully so far as I know.

 

http://www.computare.org/commentary.htm   - second article "September 26,
2006 - Carbon sinks in northern Alberta"

 

Many are concerned with the potential destruction of land in northern
Alberta from the development of the oil sand deposits there. Indeed, Google
shows a massive scar there, and the oil recovery has barely begun.  It seems
there is great potential, with our fast growing forests, to undertake a
grand terra preta research and development project funded by oil companies
as a part of their land reclamation initiatives. The terra preta concept
that we might be able to "make soil from oil" is no where more fitting than
here.

 

Sincerely,

 

Duane Pendergast

 

   

 

-----Original Message-----
From: terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org
[mailto:terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of adkarve
Sent: April 18, 2007 6:41 PM
To: Terrapreta at bioenergylists.org
Subject: [Terrapreta] John Cowan's comments

 

Dear John,

I am a hundred percent with you. Charcoal is a valuable fuel. A small
quantity of charcoal added to the soil as an amendment would be acceptable,
but making charcoal and burying it in the soil just as a means of carbon
sequestration would not be acceptable. Growing forests is a better way of
carbon sequestration. Charcoal is highly porous. It is my hunch that it not
only offers extra surface for microbes to settle on, but also a place where
they can survive in the dry season. I have also aired my view, that the
microbes degraded soil minerals because they needed the mineral ions for
their own metabolism. Plants learned the trick of feeding the microbes with
organic matter, so that their numbers increased and they thus made more
nutrients available to the plants. 

Yours

Dr.A.D.Karve, President,

Appropriate Rural Technology Institute,

Pune, India.

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