[Terrapreta] Non Fuel Uses of Charcoal

[Tom Miles]

Michael,

 

Thanks for the UK paper. 

 

It's clear from the Japan market study that charcoal is used for a variety
of purposes in Japan, just as it was in Europe and the US before the second
world war. As I look beyond the work in Brazil I find that some of the best
examples of contemporary use of charcoal in agriculture come from Japan
(Ogawa). In that context it is not surprising that they may have a better
understanding of the properties of different charcoals, or charcoals derived
from different sources, and how they can be used. But the actual application
seems to be either limited or not publicized much since 2005. The CDM
project in Indonesia (reported in 2004) was one-of-a-kind. The Yamato Town
(Eco-Town) in Chiba with its own charcoal plant hasn't been reported on
lately. As you say it is difficult to tell how much charcoal is actually
used in agriculture there.  

 

Japan consumes approximately 160-200,000 tons of charcoal per year. In 1998
64% was imported. Approximately half is used for fuel and half for non fuel
uses. Europe apparently has a similar balance of fuel and non-fuel uses with
about the same consumption of 200,000 tpy. Mexico produces 200,000 tpy.
Brazil produces 12 million tpy, mostly for metallurgical use. The US
produces 900,000 tpy of which 95% goes into briquettes. On this list we have
seen that a major charcoal producer (Kingsford/Chlorox) is willing to
deliver agricultural products to suit if there is a market.

 

An infrastructure to support higher value products should help reduce the
cost of lower value uses such as terra preta. Japanese inspired non-fuel
uses also sell in Europe. See Pet Esthe's charcoal shampoo and charcoal
conditioner for pets. http://www.petesthe.com/en/charcoal_en.html (You need
charcoal pet shampoo in Australia)

 

A US company that is peddling the far-infrared ray feature is Greenyarn
http://www.greenyarn.com/eco.htm Their Eco-fiber "contain nano-particles of
bamboo-charcoal." Their Eco-cotton is used in their ($5) soft cloth mask.
"Greenyarn's Eco-cotton contains the same benefits as Eco-fabric. It is
anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, deodorizing, absorbs and emits far-infrared
radiation, thermal regulating, prevents static build up." " Far infrared
radiation can improve blood circulation and help metabolism. Improved blood
circulation enables the minerals to be absorbed into the skin faster, making
this mask more effective than other facial masks."
http://www.greenyarn.com/beauty.htm

 

So far the most heavily promoted use of charcoal I have seen for modern
agriculture is the Rice Husk Charcoal that was promoted by the US FAO
Integrated Plant Nutrition Systems  (IPNS) for rice cultivation in Southern
Asia. http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/?q=fadinapipns If you look at the
IPNS training manual for Sri Lanka paddy rice charcoal is included in
recommendations as part of the organic manure mix. The bulk of the "organic
manure" is made up of rice straw, cow dung or poultry manure, and green
manure. The mix is supplemented with fertilizer. The objective of the
program is to reduce chemical fertilizer inputs. I believed the FAO IPNS
program is still being promoted in Asia by the Food and Fertilizer
Technology Center (FFTC) for the Asian Pacific Region and others.

http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/?q=taxonomy/term/417/9

       

Tom

  

 

From: terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org
[mailto:terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of Michael Bailes
Sent: Sunday, April 22, 2007 11:30 PM
To: terrapreta
Subject: [Terrapreta] Non Fuel Uses of Charcoal

 

Thanks Tom,
An interesting list. The Japanese have some specialty charcoals too made
from particular trees but  I can't remember what they are used for. 
 I wish we had more access to Japanese Charcoal Research. They often start a
research paper with  "It is well know that charcoal does x, y, z ,etc"
without bothering to reference it.
 They are doing  a ten year study on Tea trees which I think is in its 4th
year; using only 100g of char per tree, per sq metre, per year. Already
there are huge, observable, measurable results in growth! 

People who buy pyrolysis machines/technology need to know there is a market
for the end product. The fact that there is NO market for charcoal  in
Australia is holding back the roll out of modern pyrolysis technology here.

 It is rarely used in BBQs (gas is so cheap) and the main market is for
highly refined, activated charcoal; usually for scientific, medical or water
purification. It is a very small market. I priced 3K of horticultural
activated charcoal (used to mop up pesticide and fertiliser spills at AUD
$150.00 ! 

I found an excellent British paper on the uses of charcoal. It can be used
in some amazing things including pet food!
Interestingly my long suffering gastroenterologist has suggested I eat
charcoal tablets!! 

The full article is here but I have copied the relevant growing Horticulture
bits in this email 
http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en
<http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=cache:I0TgdV-gQ_UJ:www.visitt
hemoors.co.uk/uploads/publication/978.pdf+>
&lr=&q=cache:I0TgdV-gQ_UJ:www.visitthemoors.co.uk/uploads/publication/978.pd
f+ 

Best wishes
Michael Bailes
Horticulture 

Charcoal has been used for horticultural purposes for at least two thousand
years,

archaeological research has come up with evidence of charcoal being used as
a soil

ameliorator in the Amazon basin around the time of Christ. (Do a web search
for "Terra preta" for more information)

Green keepers of golf and bowling clubs used charcoal extensively as a top
dressing but 

in recent years this has been substituted by sharp sand, the reason may have
been that 

the demise of the British charcoal industry caused a shortage in supplies of
the correct 

grades. Fine charcoal powder used on lawns (golf) absorbs and eliminates
excess

amounts of fertilizer and chemicals present in the soil 

. 

Charcoal was widely available from horticultural sundriesmen up until the
late 1960's,

for use mainly in bulb fibre where the pots do not have drainage holes. The
charcoal was

said to keep the compost 'sweet'.


Orchid growing employs the use of charcoal and specialist growers of
carnations and

pinks find charcoal to be invaluable.

It has been reported that charcoal may act as a means of eradicating moss in
lawns. 

Trials have been carried out and the results are currently being analysed.
(We should be lucky to have THIS [problrm!-m)

Research has shown that growing mediums that have charcoal present, are able
to buffer

the effects of sporadic watering, by reducing the frequency of watering
whilst helping to

prevent 'damping off' 
Charcoal also reduces the leaching of fertilise in free draining soils as
the charcoal's porous carbon structure enables the nutrients to be held for
slower release to the plants 
.

The inclusion of charcoal in open seedbeds showed that it facilitates the
uptake of

nutrients. Calcium uptake almost doubles, with significant increases in
potassium,

magnesium and phosphorus, the pH increases slightly and there is an obvious
increase 

in organic matter.

 

Charcoal has been recommended as part of the treatment for the eradication
of a fungal

disease, Cylindrocladium that infects Box hedges.

Charcoal has proved to be an ideal renewable substitute for perlite and
vermiculite,

compost additives used to increase aeration and aid drainage, but both
finite resources.

They  reported that the main reason for the decline in the use of
horticultural charcoal was that it is a dirty material to handle. If uses
can be found that have clear horticultural benefits and minimum handling,
then we believe that a considerable market exists. For example, charcoal
would make a good additive to grow bags, where 

the contents aren't handled much and there are problems with erratic
watering.

The currently favoured water retaining gels are not liked by all growers

and there are doubts about how well they actually release the water they
have absorbed "Petunias in

hanging baskets tested in greenhouses showed no benefits when
water-absorbing

polymers were used. And plants grown in media containing water-absorbing
polymers

required watering just as often as plants grown in potting soil containing
no water-

absorbing polymers. Also, their usable life is limited by the amounts of
salt or fertilizers

in the soil

". Hence, charcoal could be used where watering may be a problem, e.g.

hanging baskets, or where it is hard to change the compost, e.g. in large
tubs. 

Charcoal could be incorporated into locally produced 'green compost'. No
further 

processing, other than simply grading would be required and transport costs
would be

low. We have had preliminary discussions with Scarborough Borough Council
about

adding fines to their Green Compost and they hope to do some simple trials
in hanging 

baskets. 




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