[Terrapreta] Low Temp Chars

[Allan Balliett]

Earlier, The Man from Videotron, Frank Teuton said:

>As I understand it the point of the New Green known as Black is to tap the
>biomass potential for fuels and return part of the materials to soils to
>achieve better soils and carbon negativity. The recommendations to char at
>relatively low temperatures and to not allow random offgassing of byproducts
>are in the vein of environmental concerns...the low temps allows more oils
>and other materials to stay with the char with biological benefits to soil
>life, but also to allow the preservation of better char structure, ie, more
>complex habitat for the soil foodweb. The edible materials that stay in low
>temp char are relatively rapidly consumed, as I understand it...but the
>structure of low temp char should be its structure for hundreds of years or
>more.
>
>Adding high temp char to soil may be a nice thing to do for carbon
>sequestration reasons, but it doesn't have the 'win-win' character of adding
>better quality char to soils, as I understand the argument.

As one who is very impressed by the archaeological record of terra 
preta, I'm wondering what the science is on high hardware char. Is 
there any or is this just a reasonable theory, an effort to 
differentiate by-products?


I know it's being said, but I haven't seen any proof. Has anyone?

Or were traditional charcoal making methods making this low temp char 
with smoldering banked fires?


I'm new to the list, hopefully, this there is an obvious answer to 
this question:

Has anyone found a reliable source of affordable charcoal fines? I'd 
appreciate a referral.

Thanks

-Allan Balliett
Fresh and Local CSA
www.freshandlocalcsa.com

PS You can find a copy of portions of my recent interview with 
Charles C. Mann at 
http://www.acresusa.com/magazines/archives/0407InterviewMann.htm