[Terrapreta] Making Soil from Oil

[Duane Pendergast]

Sean,

 

I recall that dry bio-mass is typically around 50% carbon. Perhaps it would
be possible to develop and perfect processes that would be able to approach
that rate of char production. - possibly with volatile content a somewhat
greater percentage weight of charcoal. Maybe it would take some external
energy input to make that happen.   I haven't looked at Dr. Antal's numbers
but suspect he is depending on energy derived from the process.    Eprida's
test apparatus must be providing a lot of data on just what can be achieved
too.

 

Still not a big difference from the 40% Randy mentions as a possibility.

 

Duane 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org
[mailto:terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of Sean K. Barry
Sent: April 20, 2007 2:03 AM
To: terrapreta at bioenergylists.org; Randy Black
Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Making Soil from Oil

 

Hi Randy,

 

I like what you have said so far in this post (below).  However, I want to
point out one factual error 40% yield w/w of charcoal from biomass is NOT
CONSERVATIVE.  40 % by weight is at or even beyond the theoretical maximum
possible yield from any form of biomass (dry or wet).  See the work of Dr
Michael J. Antal, Jr. from the University of Hawaii.  He is a member on this
list.

 

"Someday our "fossil fuels" era may be looked upon as a good thing because
we mined the carbon from under the ground and introduced it back
into the environment to enhance the earth for plant production."  <-- Now
that is a uniquely wild assertion which I like!  You gotta sell British
Petroleum and EXXON on that one, Randy.  How fantastic is would be, if they
could be convinced that they provided the carbon from fossil fuels, which in
the end will save the world.  If you form that argument persuasively enough,
then the oil industry might well join into the production of Terra Preta
just for the glory.

Regards,

 

Sean K. Barry
Principal Engineer/Owner
Troposphere Energy, LLC
11170 142nd St. N.
Stillwater, MN 55082
(651) 351-0711 (Home/Fax)
(651) 285-0904 (Cell)
sean.barry at juno.com

----- Original Message ----- 

From: Randy <mailto:rblack at hillcity.k12.sd.us>  Black 

To: terrapreta at bioenergylists.org 

Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2007 1:43 PM

Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Making Soil from Oil

 

Duane, 

You make a good point on the cycle of forest fires and charcoal. One
thing I have read is the 97% of the forest goes up as carbon dioxide
(and of course other gases), and 3% goes to charcoal and into the soil. 

What I envision in the future is that we manage our forest so we have
less forest fires by harvesting the wood and turn that massive amount of
carbon into charcoal for agricultural purposes. Of course forest fires
play a part in the ecosystem that we would have to replicate (smaller
controlled burns after most of the forest is harvested is a
possibility), and some charcoal would need to be put back into the
forest. But at the conservative rate of 40% charcoal product by weight
from wood, we can sequester a lot more carbon and use it for agriculture
via Terra Preta. Also the forest (if managed well), would grow back and
sequester more carbon and if we returned 10% of the charcoal back to the
forest ecosystem (instead of the natural 3%), what increase in growth
and production would the forest have via the Terra Preta effect. This
also leads to a line of thought about just adding charcoal/carbon to
different ecosystems and what effect it might have down the road 5 or 10
years latter as Terra Preta type effects happen. What growth or
biodiversity might occur and what would nature do with extra charcoal.
Of course this is more Terra Mullata not Terra Preta because we would
not be adding the organic material the helps make Terra Preta.

Someday our "fossil fuels" era may be looked upon as a good thing
because we mined the carbon from under the ground and introduced it back
into the environment to enhance the earth for plant production.

Randy Black



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