[Terrapreta] volatile matter and char

[Greg and April]

Maybe it would take years and maybe not.

Early testing can be done at a faster rate in greenhouses, that can weed out or show things to follow up on at a faster rate than what nature might otherwise give you - granted there is a margin for error in such testing, but the fact that it has a chance of quickly showing the more promising avenues of study at a quicker rate then normal makes it a worth while endeavor.

As added bonuses, is that a greenhouse can simulate any climate, and can rule out possible external factors ( such as unusual odd weather variations ) as well.


Personally, I believe that modern Terra Preta technology is probably going to be mass used and perfected in green houses before the average farmer will use it.


Right now, we are facing so many variables with Terra Preta, that trying to rule them out one at a time, is going to be a monumental challenge - but, just passing over the wrong one's because they don't sound right - may be a fatal flaw to the entire effort. 


Ion exchange resins, that are used in water purification, are an organic polymer ( which to my thinking sounds like a type of VM ) - who is to say that some of this ion exchange activity is not a part of how Terra Preta works.    Given that some TP sites are located in area with toxic levels of aluminum ( the book 1491 ), I have a strong hunch that at least some ion exchange is going on.

Can we afford to dismiss things out of hand?    I don't think so.    The Amazonians certainly didn't have high tech devices to say what VM were or were not present - and given the low tech method of charcoal production, they most certainly had quite a bit of VM present, unless the wood type used has low levels of VM to begin with.
 

Personally I favor using char as part of animal litter then composting the entire mass - such could make char useable in less than a year even in temperate climates.


Greg H.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Richard Haard 
  To: Greg and April 
  Cc: Terra Preta 
  Sent: Sunday, December 23, 2007 23:12
  Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] volatile matter and char




  SNIP

  Greg- with a test of charcoal in soil in the temperate north , a test may take many years to prove concept. Edward confirms my suspicion of this as well as my interesting CEC data from our field tests 4 years ago when compared to this season's work. 


  If CEC is a functional test then also is ability of charcoal to accept microbes as habitat by accepting water. Then also related to these features may be the VM in a negative way. 


  I believe we do not need to know what is the chemistry of VM  but to look for methods to make fresh charcoal to accept hydration. If you spill diesel in soil in moderate amounts there will be microbes that will degrade this material over time. As Ogawa recommended to pretreat charcoal with compost/or fertilizer is very similar to what my neighbor Larry has been doing with his Weber and meat juices with urine.

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