[Terrapreta] About Message Ron Larson Mon, 26 Mar 2007

[Ron Larson]

Yury (cc stoves and (added) terrapreta list members):  Responding notes interspersed (as before, maybe appearing in bold) below.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Yury Yudkevich" <charwood at rambler.ru>
To: "Ron Larson" <rongretlarson at comcast.net>
Cc: <stoves at listserv.repp.org>
Sent: Friday, March 30, 2007 12:18 AM
Subject: Re: About Message Ron Larson Mon, 26 Mar 2007 


> Dear Ron,
> I am glad  to meet you again in the virtual world even. You have 
> understood correctly all. I spoke about charcoal. There is a Russian 
> habit to name charcoal simply "coal". I regret. 
        [RWL1:   Yours is not the only language apparently where this unfortunate confusion may exist.   I even see the problem in the English language.
                     I am delighted to hear that your previous "coal" can be interpreted as "charcoal" or "biochar".   I have read a good bit of "terra preta" literature - but your earlier comments were the first time I have read that the former Soviet Union (or any group in Europe) practiced placing charcoal dust in the ground - especially for productivity reasons.  If more can be learned, it could be very important, as one sometimes reads that the excellent soil productivity found in the Amazon might be limited to that geographical region.  Learning more of the Russian experience might be able to help promote the technology and save much time for everyone around the world in the needed soils research.]

>  I was not engaged in 
> processing ground specially and is not confident, that I can be useful. 
> I know about it under reports at different conferences and to contacts 
> to people doing it as professional. I regret, that this direction has 
> lost financing 15 years ego. I am not confident, that it is possible to 
> compensate it today to the full. The big charcoal factories  in Soviet 
> Union eliminated all the dust and  trifle charcoal. 
    [RWL:  I am sure you know enough to be very helpful on "terra preta" topics.  Do you mean that the involved groups did or did not use smaller charcoal in their soil applications?]

>It was beetles on 
> spherical mills in addition also was sent on factories of fertilizers 
> and factories of forages for pigs and a bird. I do not know a proportion 
> and structures of these factories.
        RWL:  The words "beetles",  "spherical mills", "forages", "pigs" and "a bird" are known but not clear in this context.


> The language problem was a serious artificial barrier between Russia and 
> the West during of Soviet time. We existed in the separate world and 
> crossed were seldom. We were able to read the English technical 
> literature. Other knowledge were not required. The new generation 
> Russian knows two - three European languages, but they are interested 
> only in the finance and incomes. I am afraid, that the high engineering 
> level created Russian in artificial isolation, is lost. 
    RWL:  You are an example that "high engineering level" is not lost.  
            In my first real solar job in 1974, I was sent to our CIA office where one or two full time people were carefully following Russian solar (renewable energy) literature.  All solar researchers  at that time (our national solar research budget was growing from about $1 million/yr to $4 million/yr about then) were well aware that the Russians were far ahead of the US on most solar topics.]

> Absence of state 
> financing has destroyed many strong institutes. I think, that 
> destruction of some scientific schools, loss for all mankind.
    RWL:  Our President Reagan was able to accomplish the same for the US solar/RE program in  1981.  I am pretty sure that the Germans and Japanese have overtaken the US]

> I think, your experts can charge to look and transfer Russian 
> publications about use charcoal in fertilizers and forages.
> Forum our site it is open for letters in English. I translate those 
> letters which have the common interest. I place Russian translation near 
> to the original letter. I transfer answers in both sides. I have the 
> predilections and positions. I can not agree with the author and I can 
> reject his letter. I try to keep objectivity.
> I shall answer any your questions willingly.
    RWL:  This is wonderful.  I believe an improtant first question is whether any of your list members can identify any past evaluative work on your national "charcoal-in-fertilizer" program.  Perhaps we on our end can find funding for translation efforts.  But if anything can be placed on your site, we can probably now learn a great deal using the automatic computer translation schemes.  I believe that a large potential market can appear for charcoal intended for this combined climate/soil benefit.]

> I recollect our meeting in 
> India with pleasure. I remember your help when I have come to stoves. I 
> well remember your big work as the organizer and the commentator those 
> years. It was interesting and very qualitative.
> You were tactful, benevolent and suffered my awful language always.
> Thanks.
> Yury
    [RWL:  You are very kind.  It was a great pleasure to finally meet in person and  to be able to talk for a few days in Pune.  It is my recollection that you were somehow involved (with Alex English) in the pyrolysis design that is still going very well through ARTI and Dr. Karve.   Certainly the largest units shown on your web site look very similar.  Perhaps soon the computer translation programs will make these cross-language exchanges go even more smoothly.  Thanks again.
       Ron]
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