[Terrapreta] charcoal VM content

[danny day]

I believe we will find that the VM % content can be the same in chars but
you will get very different growth response. It is likely that (1) the
greater the diversity of organic molecules within the VM, the greater the
resulting soil microbial diversity (2) the VM diversity gradient and pore
size across the specific char particle sized for the soil application which
will increase soil aggregation and fertility and (3), the biology that is
applied with the char is stabilized by that diversity.

We produce our pyrolytic syngas and char under pressure with superheated
steam flowing through the biomass transport auger and then on to the
reformer for hydrogen production.  This char produced this way can have
exactly the same VM content as a static kiln but has a very different in
effect on the soil biology.  The design was to make a system where we could
control the exit point temperatures without substantially effecting the
hydrogen production (ie we could speed up the transport auger and maintain
steam to carbon ratios entering the reformer).  The effect of a forest fire
on a tree produces a char unlike that in a normal kiln.  Steam rich
pyrolytic gases from the trees interior are flowing under pressure through
the charred exterior. The gases (smoke) condense and are re-volatilized.
The steam gasification of charcoal seems to be a natural phenomena and
biology has likely adapted to it.

In the forest behind our lab, UGA conducts controlled burning.  I collected
a sample of an entire charred cross section of a pine tree 12-15cm
diameter.  The sample spent a few weeks in a plastic bag just inside the
door of our lab.  One bright sunny day I noticed a large beetle (2-3cm in
length) scratching at the outside of the bag. It was 5 meters from the
closest grass and 10 meters from the fence line of dense foliage ( a lost
beetle I thought), I scooped the beetle up and took him out to the fence. I
had gathered the samples to photograph them, so with such good light, I
placed a large piece of cardboard down under our overhead door entrance to
the building and emptied the sack onto it.  I went to get the camera.  Phone
calls always seem to interrupt but I finally got back out to the sample ,
half an hour later to find the beetle back.  But now he was clawing at the
wood, lifting pieces 10 times his size and rolling them around until he
found a section  he wanted.  He started ripping sections of char off digging
into the charred tree.  Then, he stopped and started munching happily away.
It was a beautiful sight and reminded me how much we have to learn from
nature. The bacteria in his digestion system changes the charcoal just as
those from worms, ants and other soil life.  I am not sure that we can say
there is a perfect charcoal but I think the soil life will tell us when we
are getting close.

Also, as we look for the best char, lets don't lose sight of the need for
those organic molecules we are keeping as well as driving off; they are our
petroleum replacements.

-- 
Danny Day
President
EPRIDA
404-202-6105 Cell
706-316-1765 Office
http://www.eprida.com
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