[Terrapreta] Fwd: compost and charcoal

Sun Nov 25 11:53:22 EST 2007

Thank you David,

I don't think that you are quibbling at all. Language has a way of settling
in and being VERY difficult to change. I still have wrestle with the fact
that most people think that tree planting is reforestation.

Anyway, I considered the options and have decided to use the term "Agrichar"
for several reasons:

1) it is friendly to conventional agricultural folk and doesn't set a
polarity or opposition from our movement;

2) it is the term used in Ken Salazar's Senate Bill;

3) it doesn't sound alternative or on the far edge.

I just went back to change text in my current blog missive. Here's an
out-of-context quote showing a distinction of terms,

"But there's a hitch -- the energy market is demanding charcoal as fuel not
as a soil amendment. What will cause farmers to make the longer-term
investment in soil restoration rather than reap immediate profits from
selling agrichar as charcoal?"

My full post is here:
http://lougold.blogspot.com/2007/11/biofuels-are-only-part-of-solution.html

BTW, I really welcome criticism and suggestions about my style, word useage
and concepts. I plan to do a lot of terra preta storytelling and this forum
is one of the places where I'm polishing my approach.

Thanks to all.

lou

On Nov 25, 2007 2:21 PM, <dyarrow at nycap.rr.com> wrote:

> this colorado post points up a serious need to develop and
> conscientiously utilize a careful rhetoric.  what the picture shows and
> the warning is about is those nasty charcoal briquettes.  i wouldn't
> want to cook on them, much less put them in my soil, no matter what the
> pH.
>
> we have a similar confused language regarding sea minerals.  if we talk
> about "salt" or "sea salt," this provokes a negative response based on
> prior understanding and entrenched imaginings of what these words
> represent.  the routine reaction is "won't that will poison my soil."
> "salt" is commonly believed to be refined sodium chloride, and "sea
> salt" is the white powder sold in natural food stores -- both of which
> will definitely unbalance the minerals in soil.
>
> rather, what we are recommending is crude, unrefined sea minerals -- the
> unprocessed residue that remains after water is removed from sea water.
>  this contains all 90 soluble elements in the same ideal ratios that are
> found in blood serum and amniotic fluid.  this careful, complete and
> rather precise blend of all elements together is a nearly ideal mineral
> nutrient supply for most biological cells and organisms.  so instead of
> "salt," we carefully refere to this as "sea solids" or "sea minerals" to
> distinguish it from the other toxic, incomplete and unbalanced crap.
>
> it seems clear our terra preta work requires a similar careful
> development and use of rhetoric.  referring to our product as "charcoal"
> is an invitation to confusion with all the other established ideas and
> commercial products that are lumped under this term.  so perhaps we
> should all make a consistent and concerted effort to avoid using this
> confusing term "charcoal" to describe what we are working with to create
> fully fertile and alive soil.  it seems we are almost there by using the
> words "char," "biochar" and "agrichar," although perhaps we need to
> exercise a more conscious, consistent and uniform semantic discipline in
> public communication.  and even develop a further layer is
> discriminating rhetoric and policy to further distance our product from
> the current crowd of unsuitable charcoals.
>
> i haven't yet done the research to confirm this myself, but i suspect
> even simple, unprocessed commercial charcoal is not the best -- the
> ideal substance -- we want to put into soil.  sometime earlier i
> referred to this conventional commercial charcoal as the equivalent of
> stale bread -- and even over-baked white bread.  yeah, sure it works,
> but it is still a poor substitute for properly made and freshly produced
> char.  what we want is a major qualitative step beyond such a mediocre,
> uncertain product.
>
> and considering we are suggesting putting this char on food-producing
> soil, we might even have to resort to certifying the authentic product
> that is produced according to certain minimum standards and processes,
> much as we have had to create "certified organic."  although having
> helped create the organic certification system in the US, i'd almost
> rather be roasted that go through that protracted, nit-picking,
> semantic-slicing, document drafting madness.  but whatever it takes, we
> will have to define and defend the identity and integrity of our product
> from look-alikes and cheap unsuitable substitutes.
>
> david
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Gerald Van Koeverden <vnkvrdn at yahoo.ca>
> Date: Sunday, November 25, 2007 10:20 am
> Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Fwd:  compost and charcoal
> To: Gerald Van Koeverden <vnkvrdn at yahoo.ca>
> Cc: terrapreta preta <terrapreta at bioenergylists.org>
>
> > Charcoal is Not a Good Soil Amendment in Colorado
> >
> > from      http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4dmg/Soil/charcoal.htm
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On 24-Nov-07, at 10:27 PM, Gerald Van Koeverden wrote:
> >
> > >
> > >>
> > >> Tom,
> > >>
> > >> Thanks for that link about the enhancing effect of charcoal on
> > >> compost by Japanese researchers.
> > >>
> > >> Looks like some revision of the accepted methods of making compost
> > >> might be in order.  The first site I went to on making compost
> > >> specifically advises avoiding charcoal in the compost pile!!
> > >>
> > >> http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/assets/public/assistance/education/
> > >> waste/composting.pdf
> > >>
> > >> The next two advised against using any charcoal ash.  By not saying
> > >> anything positive about using charcoal itself, the message conveyed
> > >> is negative towards using charcoal at all as a composting
> > component.>>
> > >> Gerrit
> > >>
> > >> On 24-Nov-07, at 6:33 PM, Tom Miles wrote:
> > >>
> > >>> See the presentation on charcoal mixed compost at the IAI
> > >>> conference by
> > >>> Shuji Yoshizawa, Satoko Tanaka, Michio Ohata or
> > >>> Meisei University and Shigeru Mineki, Tokyo University of Science.
> > >>>
> > >>> http://www.biochar-international.org/images/Yoshizawa_-
> > >>> _Charcoal_Composting_
> > >>> of_Rice_Bran_Effect_on_Microorganisms.pdf
> > >>>
> > >>> One slide:
> > >>> "Composting from mixture of charcoal and biomass waste (Charcoal
> > >>> Mixed
> > >>> Compost, CMC)
> > >>> Composts made from garbage generated by homes, restaurants and
> > food>>> industries and livestock
> > >>> waste, and its utilization is receiving attention from the
> > >>> viewpoint of
> > >>> recycle of biomass wastes.
> > >>>
> > >>> As wood and bamboo have pores which are the size that are suitable
> > >>> for
> > >>> microorganisms to support, by
> > >>> adding the charcoal from the beginning of composting, the
> > >>> proliferation of
> > >>> microorganisms will be enhanced."
> > >>>
> > >>> Their results were positive.
> > >>>
> > >>> Tom
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>> -----Original Message-----
> > >>>> From: terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org [mailto:terrapreta-
> > >>>> bounces at bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of Gerald Van Koeverden
> > >>>> Sent: Saturday, November 24, 2007 10:42 AM
> > >>>> To: terrapreta preta
> > >>>> Subject: [Terrapreta] compost and charcoal
> > >>>>
> > >>>> 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
> > >>>>
> > >>>> _______________________________________________
> > >>>> Terrapreta mailing list
> > >>>> Terrapreta at bioenergylists.org
> > >>>> http://bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/
> > >>>> terrapreta_bioenergylists.or
> > >>>> g
> > >>>> http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org
> > >>>> http://info.bioenergylists.org
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
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>
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-- 
http://lougold.blogspot.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/visionshare/sets/
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