[Terrapreta] the pyrogenic nature of pyrolytic charcoal

[Sean K. Barry]

Hi Gerrit,

How does one measure out and sell "moistened char"?  "Here is a bag of "moist" char, with a "bone dry weight" of 50 lbs?"
What's to prevent the unscrupulous collier from selling you "moisture" at charcoal prices?

SKB
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Gerald Van Koeverden<mailto:vnkvrdn at yahoo.ca> 
  To: Gerald Van Koeverden<mailto:vnkvrdn at yahoo.ca> 
  Cc: terrapreta<mailto:terrapreta at bioenergylists.org> 
  Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2007 9:58 AM
  Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] the pyrogenic nature of pyrolytic charcoal


  Interestingly, this pyrogenic aspect doesn't bother me, as a farmer, at all.  It actually works to our advantage. Unlike for other users of charcoal fines, we don't care that the charcoal has to be moistened first.  In fact, moist char is much nicer to handle than dusty, and certainly less dangerous if stored in a confined space.  Furthermore, this particular quality, might keep the price of the stuff down closer  to where farmers could afford to buy it, and make terra preta a reality in North America...? 


  Gerrit 


  On 6-Sep-07, at 9:09 AM, Gerald Van Koeverden wrote:


    Michael, 


    I know its true.  I took delivery of those two truck loads!


    Gerrit




    On 6-Sep-07, at 4:59 AM, Michael Bailes wrote:





      On 04/09/07, Gerald Van Koeverden <vnkvrdn at yahoo.ca<mailto:vnkvrdn at yahoo.ca>> wrote: 
        Dr. Antal,

                Charcoal produced by pyrolysis, as Adriana Downie writes, tends to
        be highly pyrogenic.  In an earlier message, she described charcoal
        stored in plastic pails as melting the containers.  I know two 
        instances (another company) when such pyrolytic charcoal being
        transporting have started combusting.  This makes storage (under
        nitrogen?), handling, and shipping (flammable materials licensing,
        etc.) rather problematic.  Is the charcoal produced by flash 
        carbonization pyrogenic?  If so, how have these difficulties been
        solved?

        Gerrit

       
      I find this hard to believe unless the char has only just been made and not properly extinguished. 
       Here it is mostly stored in paper bags, so we should have fires everywhere.
      I have seen pallets of them and no spontaneous fires.

      (I have seen spontaneous fires of oily rags in a factory dustbin.)

      There are no government warnings or regulations coving char safety  either. 
      Chemist shops should have little fires on their charcoal tablet counter
       It should also be impossible to put out a bushfire.


      -- 
      Michael the Archangel

      "You can fix all the world's problems in a garden. . . . 
      Most people don't know that"
      FROM
      http://www.blog.thesietch.org/wp-content/permaculture.swf<http://www.blog.thesietch.org/wp-content/permaculture.swf>


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