[Terrapreta] Sustained Biochar

[Jon C. Frank]

Gerald,

That is a pretty good article on combining various technologies to create
soil quickly.  In the very poorest of soil compost is fine but on a large
scale it is not practical.  Compost provides carbon to the soil for a short
time.  In other words it does not remain in the soil like Terrapreta does.

In combining technologies to build soil quickly I would not emphasize the
compost/compost tea as much.  Rather I suggest increasing available
phosphates and calcium in soil.  As a general rule the combination of
Terrapreta, compost, and volcanic rock powders will not supply enough
calcium.  Calcium and phosphates are critical because they are needed in
order for plants to produce more carbohydrates.  By building soil with a
combination of Terrapreta, remineralizing rock powders, additional rock
powders that supply calcium and phosphates, along with some microbial
inoculants and the judicious use of some commercial fertilizers the plants
will sequester carbon to build humus levels in the soil.  Healthy plants
(high brix) will sequester much more.

Jon
  -----Original Message-----
  From: Gerald Van Koeverden [mailto:vnkvrdn at yahoo.ca]
  Sent: Wednesday, August 29, 2007 9:11 PM
  To: Jon C. Frank
  Cc: Terrapreta
  Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Sustained Biochar


  Jon.


  Though I disagree with the first part of your posting, as far as your
comment on remineralization, your comments hit home.


  A University of Guelph soil scientist - Peter Van Straaten - has done a
lot of work on this issue, including bringing the benefits of
re-mineralization to 900,000 farmers in Aftrica.  Remineralization and
charcoal together have the poetential to make an enormous difference in the
sustainability of soil fertility.


  "http://www.oceanarks.org/annals/articles/world%20soils/index.php"


  On 29-Aug-07, at 5:46 PM, Jon C. Frank wrote:


    The big fear over unburnt methane is overdone.  If it was so bad then
the creation of all the original terra preta soil in Latin America would
have doomed the earth to destruction.  Obviously that didn't happen--nature
coped and we are all here today.  Nature makes unburnt methane all the time
(so do you and I). So what.  Believe me creation was designed in such a way
to cope.  This is one of those "The sky is falling" fears.

    The creators of terra preta did not have all our advanced chemical
industry to utilize the gases the way we can now.  If we can utilize these
gases for energy great--lets use the industrial model and make charcoal
available for soil improvement.

    On the other hand many people, especially in developing countries, do
not have access to expensive pyrolysis units but still wish to improve their
soil by making charcoal without capturing the gases.  This is also great.
Lets also encourage the primitive model to improve the soil.  After all
that's what the natives did in Latin America with great success.

    In whatever way people can, we should be increasing the carbon content
of soil.  The other aspect that needs to be done at the same time is soil
remineralization with rock powders.  The concept is more fully explained at:

    http://www.highbrixgardens.com/restore/remineralization.html

    and

    http://www.remineralize.org/about/context.html

    When the soil is carbonized with charcoal/biochar and remineralized with
rock powders the soil biology greatly increases and the amount of carbons
retained in the soil dramatically increases.  In other words carbon
sequestration significantly enhanced.

    The main goal with making charcoal by either process (industrial or
primitive) is soil restoration on a large scale.  When that happens the soil
and plants will automatically clean up the air.  The best response will come
from people getting much more nutrition in their foods and the increase in
health that results from this.

    Jon  C. Frank
    www.aglabs.com

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