[Terrapreta] compost and charcoal

[Gerald Van Koeverden]

We've had a lot of talk about the cost-benefit of applying charcoal  
to large acreages of land.  And also about using compost or manure to  
enrich charcoal before applying it.

What about adding charcoal to the compost pile at the beginning of  
the process?  Has anybody researched the value of adding charcoal to  
the biomass right at the beginning?  A lot of ammonia is released to  
the atmosphere during composting;  would charcoal act as a sponge to  
soak it up and hold it, along with mineral nutrients which are easily  
susceptible to leaching?  In effect, if this is true, charcoal fines  
as part of the composting process would significantly add to the  
potential nutrient value of that compost.

gerrit