[Terrapreta] Cost of charcoal amendment to soil.

[Tom Miles]

My intent with the costs is just to establish some relative value. I've been
using $200/ton as a char cost in the US just as a reference number for a
producer. Retail distribution costs are usually 100% of the wholesale costs.
If a wholesale cost/price is$200/ton it gives us an idea of the total cost
of materials. If you buy lump charcoal in 20 lb bags for $6/bag (100 per
ton) you are paying $600/ton.  Depending on what you apply, how much and how
you work it in the total cost of charcoal could be quite expensive. Labor
and equipment can cost much more than the material. 

 

Tom

  

 

From: terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org
[mailto:terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of Michael Bailes
Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2007 8:55 PM
To: Sean K. Barry
Cc: terrapreta
Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Cost of charcoal amendment to soil.

 

 

 

 Tom Miles also mentioned $260/ton.  That seems an average price.  As for
rate of application ... 1.4% being something like 16 tons/acre springs to
mind.  But, I have also seen 4 tons/acre.  I think it's a crap shoot until
you know more about what else needs to go in with that amendment and how the
soil/plant growth responds.

 

  The ancients layered this stuff down, year after year, a few millimeters
up to maybe a centimeter a year.  They charred first the jungle trees, then
the plant wastes that were left standing after cropping.  



Good point
BEST Energies are hopeing to produce car at around AUD$150 a tonne (US$100?
Metric tonne) depending on what it is made from. 
If they can do that with chicken litter car or rice hull char you are
getting free fertiliser for you money (free silica with the rice char).

There is an interesting 10 year experiment going on in Japan at the moment.
They are putting only 100g  to a sq.metre of char (bamboo) onto Tea plants.
 Already, only 4- 5 years into the experiment, they are getting very
significant increases in growth of the char treated plants. The research
should be searchable on the web 

 


-- 
Michael Bailes.

"I know the answer!
The answer lies within the heart of all mankind!
The answer is twelve?
I think I'm in the wrong building."
         -- Charles M. Schulz 

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