[Terrapreta] compost and charcoal

[Kevin Chisholm]

Dear Gerrit

This sounds to me like a great idea, with no downside.

I have seen references to the fact that char reduces soil NO2 emissions. 
It might do this by adsorption of teh NO2, or it might help create 
different "soil mechanics" that result in retention of the NO2 as NO4.

Additionally, there might be a significant absorption of what would 
otherwise be "manure tea", that might leach away.

Please keep us posted on anything else you might find.

Best wishes,

Kevin

Gerald Van Koeverden wrote:
> 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
>
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