[Terrapreta] Economics of biochar

[Rick Davies]

Hi Tom

Thanks for these interesting calculations (below). Two points:

1. Your US$1000/ton estimate for a whole sale price for charcoal fits well
with a reply I received back from Bioregional today, who said they could
sell for UK£500 a tonne. When asked about charcoal fines they quoted UK£300
a tonne

2. Left out of your calculations, I think, is the interesting and perhaps
unique feature of biochar, which is that you can sell the same kg of
charcoal twice! Once as a carbon offset, to people like me, then secondly as
a soil improver to others (and adding to compost would be a verifiable means
of putting charcoal beyond use, as a fuel).

Could you re-do your calculations taking into account both sources of income
that producers of charcoal as biochar could receive? My hope is that it
might help make charcoal sold as biochar a more attractive business
proposition than selling charcoal as a fuel

regards, rick davies



-- 
Rick Davies (Dr),
Monitoring and Evaluation Consultant, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
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