[Terrapreta] CO2

[Sean K. Barry]

Hi Bakary,

I think your work is tremendously beneficial.  I hope you can continue to see and observe those benefits personally.  I think you are doing wonderful work for people by what you are doing.  You must try to document your observations and share them with this group.
We can all benefit from what you learn.  There is, I believe, a great agricultural miracle that can happen in Terra Preta soil.  It is the reason, I believe, why people ever formed Terra Preta in the Amazon Basin in the first place.

I do not now see any potential dangers with charcoal amendments in soil.  The large scale production of charcoal (which you are not doing) does have the possibility of exacerbating certain other problems, though, namely the advancing rise of green house gas concentrations in the atmosphere and the consequent global climatic changes that could ensue.

Humans have changed the Earth's atmosphere.  The consequences of our past actions will land on us over the next many years, perhaps centuries.  God willing, we can learn to survive the changes.  It will be warmer.  Plant growth just has to increase.  Nature wants to use the CO2 and the warmth.  The productivity of "living systems" of plants and soil will just naturally adapt.  This may take a long time.

What you are doing is an adaptation too.  I think it is the correct one to make.  We all must do what we must do to survive.  We need to continue to use the resources of our world to service our needs.  Charcoal into soil looks like one of those things we need to do to keep the land productive with food crops.  Our advancing population will need to continue to eat.

You are doing tremendous, courageous, and generous work for humankind.  Keep it up, let us know how it goes, and ask any of us for help when you need it.

Regards

SKB
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Bakary Jatta<mailto:bjatta at gmail.com> 
  To: terrapreta at bioenergylists.org<mailto:terrapreta at bioenergylists.org> 
  Sent: Friday, September 21, 2007 9:14 AM
  Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] CO2


  Greetings to all esteemed list members.

  The list is so active that it is very difficult to digest all the
  submissions. There has been a request for a simple recipe of producing and
  applying TP. Very good if that becomes a focus. Most of the world's people
  would probably do something about sequestering CO2, increased food
  production, and conserve the planet's environent, if they are aware of the
  urgency and magnitude of the problem to start with and if they have the
  means to do so.

  At least the list members have  the opportunity to be more informed. Having
  a different focus and possible entrenched ideas may delay coming up with
  some of the simple answers that are available for doing something big, or
  small, as individuals.

  As an individual I am not in a position to produce tons of biochar, but I do
  produce some by pyrolisis using a 200 liter drum. A piece of pipe at the
  bottom lets the volatile gasses provide the heat to continue the process
  after starting with an external fuel supply. My feed stock is agricultural
  waste and the trimmings from a modified agroforestry system. Don't ask for
  proof or research results, my mind is made up that my trees are using up
  some CO2 and continue to do so as I keep trimming them.

  Then we have this problem of soil erosion and leaching plus a host of other
  problems. Soil erosion is checked by using Vetiver grass on properly spaced
  low contour bunds.
  This grass has been successfully used world wide and the technology is
  simple for any normal person to apply. The roots grow straight down to a
  depth of 3 meters. It sequesters CO2 continously and increasingly from three
  months after the first establishment. It probably out-performs trees but I
  am not going to argue if anyone says no.
  Of course, as it filters the runoff water, it deposits the debris and
  topsoil from the higher ground and thereby increases soil fertility and
  multiplies soil organisms. Don't ask for proof, I am observing it
  personally. Not the micro size, but I like those worms!

  Now remains the leaching and losing all that water into the soil in a matter
  of minutes after a cloud burst. Organic material seems to melt away quickly
  during the rainy season. In the dry season the termites take care of the
  rougher stuff. Some of the mulch like the Vetiver grass lasts longer. No
  doubt the mineral content of the effluent from the Biogas digester also
  leaches out but the soil organisms must be protected from high heat and
  drought. Some species of living mulch may survive the dry season and
  termites. But I think I have to make biochar production a priority if I want
  a long term improvement on this site. Just warn me if there is proof that
  there is any danger of applying bio char. I doubt I will be able to overdose
  the soil with it at my level of production.

  Now doing all this is very time consuming and my neighbors are definitely
  going to spend the extra time and energy doing this unless there is a
  significant increase of production noticeable. Anyone with money here will
  hire the tractor and apply the chemical fertilizer. They want results now
  and even if they know the long term consequence, they are not likely to
  change. I hope the members of the list are going to come up with answers
  that are applicable to the peasants of the world and deliver the message to
  them as well. There are sooo many of them. Their number can make a
  difference to the planet. Personally I don't think the 'developed world'
  will as they are tied up with the world economic system that leaves the
  'poor' outside looking in.

  I hope our friend from Swaziland gets good advice. Nice country there, would
  not want it to get sacrificed too like most of the third world.

  Bakary Jatta



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