[Terrapreta] Earthen Kiln Conjecture

[Robert Klein]

Thank you Mark

I would really like to organize a bunch of field trials to test out all variations on the method to help figure out the most efficient.

I would also like to organize a tropical field in the Phillipines that gets one crop every fifteen years to see if it possible to produce fertile soil there.

That should give us all our answers in a year or so.

bob


----- Original Message ----
From: Mark Ludlow <mark at ludlow.com>
To: arclein at yahoo.com
Sent: Monday, April 14, 2008 2:42:40 PM
Subject: RE: [Terrapreta] Earthen Kiln Conjecture

   
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Gee, Robert…
   
 I really like the corn stover kiln. SKB is acting like the
Mind Police, in my opinion. And a bit naïve, also.
   
 Best,
 Mark
   
 
From: terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org[mailto:terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of Sean K. Barry
Sent: Monday, April 14, 2008 2:22 PM
To: terra pretta group; RobertKlein
Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] EarthenKiln Conjecture
 
  
 Hi Robert,
 
 
 
Again with this
post.  Whatever the Indios did to make charcoal out of whatever they used
DOES NOT MATTER TODAY!  When are you going to grasp this? 
Recommending to make charcoal in earthen kilns (in the open air) made from corn
stalks is a bad idea.  There is no way to do this without massive releases
of Methane-CH4, which has been discussed ad-nauseum with you as a significant
potential problem with this plan.  Also, just like there isn't enough corn
grown in the world to make enough ethanol to supply the world's thirst for
transportation fuel, there IS NOT ENOUGH CORN STALKS IN THE WORLD to make the
amount of charcoal we need to form enough Terra Preta and/or make any kind of
difference on agricultural food production or global climate mitigation.
 
 
 
Move on.  Your
past one idea (Earthen Kiln Conjecture) is too limited and problematic to be a
solution or of any value to us, Robert.  That's my opinion and widely held
in this group, I think.
 
 
 
Best Regards,
 
 
 
SKB
 
 
 
 
 
----- Original Message ----- 
 
From: Robert Klein 
 
To: terra pretta group 
 
Sent: Monday,
 April 14, 2008 1:14
 PM
 
Subject: [Terrapreta] Earthen Kiln Conjecture
 
  
 
Ihave reposted anarticle by David Bennet with Lehmann on Terra Preta publishedin 2005. This outlines the most criticalinformation as well as describing the originalscope of the Indian civilizationitself. It isat:http://globalwarming-arclein.blogspot.com/2008/04/earthen-terra-preta-kilns-and-pollen.htmlAgainthislays out the limiting factors and fully supports my earthen kilnconjecture,particularly the following quotation.“There has been some pollen analysis. Itsuggests manioc and maize were
being grown 2,000 to 3,000 years ago. In the pollen bank, these crops didn’t
pop up sporadically but in large numbers.”
Ihave also polished my description of the protocol and amactivelypromoting  field trials.Firstly,the maize or corn exists in anenvironment that mitigated against its use forpurely food production. There werealternatives far better suited. to the non terra preta environment,startingimmediately with manioc which I think is a rainforest friendly plant.Secondly,the only viable source of meat protein to these peoples at thispopulationdensity was through fish.  Withoutconfirmation, a pond withtilapia makes great sense. It was a staple for the Maya.The waste from thedaily meal could be readily folded into any growing seedhill.  Human wastecould simply have beenburied in the field itself avoiding any storage. This is common practice to this day. Themaking of the earthen kiln is no moredifficult than uprooting the dehydratedcorn stalks after harvest and properlystacking them to form an earthen walledkiln with a wall thickness of two tothree root pads
 and an interior of tightlypacked corn stalks.  Obviously, anyotherplant material, including wood can be built into the stack as available. The earthen wall nicely restricts air flowduring the burn phase and lendsitself to optimization by changing the wallthickness.  It also minimizesthe amountof human effort needed which is through the roof if you areattempting to coveror bury a ten ton pile of stubble or branches. Thisgives youa kiln with vertical earthen walls and a possibly domed top that canbe easilycovered with earth.  Again,field trials will optimize this protocol veryeasily.  The kiln could be squared off or perhaps evencircular thoughunlikely. The only tool to this point is a strong back ortwo.  We havegathered several tons ofcorn stover over perhaps an acre of land with only alittle more effort thanthat annually required to clear the field and burn thewaste. Nowwe must fire the kiln.  The easy way isto take a clay lined oldbasket
 and fill it up with coals from a woodfire.  Carry this ember chargeto thecenter of the kiln top and tip the charge onto the exposed center andplace thebasket as a cap to the newly forming chimney. 
More clay may be necessary to widen the chimney cap.  Throw more earth ontop of this to preventbreakout of the fire.  Keep throwingearth on anybreakout points that start. 
The chimney will serve to burn all the volatiles produced as the hotzoneexpands to fill the collapsing kiln until they are exhausted.  Thereuponthe hot zone will cool off leavinga blend of biochar, ash and earth and someroot ends for the next kiln.  And yes, we should have a lot of fired clay.Thebiochar itself will be a range of nonvolatile combustion products thatwillrange from even dried vegetation to activated charcoal following a nicebellcurve.  The material can be then gatheredin baskets and redistributedinto the field onto the seed hills again reducingwastage and effort. Irealizedoriginally that the only ancient plant that could accommodate a highenoughvolume of terra preta production was good old maize.  It just seemed anunlikely option fortropical rainforests. That is when I started looking forreferences to thepollen record.  The article by DavidBennett and Lehmannis one of those reverences that then emerged. Iwould like to get a full
 spectrum of the pollen profile since it seems verylikely that while thefence rows held the food trees, it seems more likely thatthey also used avariation of the three sisters using some form of convenientlegume. Squashes also, of course, butnot nearly as important. Thekey point of all thisis that a family can convert a field into terra preta inone short season, allowingthem to repeat the process thereafter as necessaryuntil the field is completelytransformed to depth.  Today, we can do the same thing using shovelsand agarbage can lid.




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