[Terrapreta] Request for advisory help re possible bio-char applications, in Swaziland

[Rick Davies]

Hi all

Can anyone on this email list help Craig in Swaziland, with technical advice
(of all relevant kinds)? There seems to be an important opportunity here.

If you can please contact Craig directly (he is not on the terrapreta email
list) but also please cc your email to the rest of us on this email list.

I have pointed out to Craig that I am only an interested bystander, and not
a good source of technical advice on my own.

regards, rick davies
www.mande.co.uk

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Craig Jamieson <craig at bulembu.org>
Date: Sep 15, 2007 1:39 AM
Subject: Biochar
To: editor at mande.co.uk

 Hi Rick,



I saw you were a sponsor at the IAI conference in Australia earlier this
year and that you are interested in applications of pyrolysis / biochar for
the benefit of poor rural communities in Africa and Asia. Have you managed
to find any such projects to get involved in? I am working for a small
charity in Swaziland called Bulembu Ministries (www.bulembu.org) which is
helping to regenerate a rural village in the highlands, that used to be
owned by a British mining company. I came from the UK 6 weeks ago to
volunteer for a few months in the field of agriculture and renewable energy.



The charity owns some forestry and a timber mill, and so has access to 150
tons waste wood per day. I'm wondering about the feasibility of using this
for carbon negative energy – especially as we are also trying to make the
village more self-sufficient in fruit and vegetable production, so we could
use the biochar to improve the soils. Finally, we get visitors and
volunteers coming from all over the world who may be prepared to pay some
money to offset their carbon emissions. These factors of availability of
wastes, proximity to energy demand, agricultural market for biochar and
carbon credits are, I imagine, fairly unusual in one development project and
are all within the control of the one charity. I feel that could swing
things in our favour practically and economically. However, one of my
friends who attended the Australian conference, said that there is still
quite some research needed in this area. I would be interested to know your
considered opinion on this since you obviously have more experience than I
do in this field.



Kind regards,



Craig Jamieson

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-- 
Rick Davies (Dr), Monitoring and Evaluation Consultant, Cambridge, United
Kingdom.
Phone: (44) 01223 841367, Mobile:  (44) 07855 766 354, Skype: rickjdavies,
Fax(to email): 44 (0)870 1640239, Email: rick.davies at gmail.com
Monitoring and Evaluation NEWS at http://www.mande.co.uk
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Homepage at http://www.shimbir.demon.co.uk
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