[Terrapreta] Strong warning against "simple" charcoal kilns

[Kevin Chisholm]

Dear Kurt

We should all be directing our efforts to advancing the use of charcoal 
additions for whatever reason. There are many good and valid reasons 
possible for adding char to the soil, such as:

* Prevention of nutrient loss
* Prevention of groundwater pollution
* Supporting beneficial soil life forms
* Soil conditioning
* Improved soil moisture capture and retention
* Promotion of increased plant growth
* Carbon sequestration
* Etc...

I personally think it is very wrong when someone attempts to channel the 
direction of "char in soil" effort toward only one "benefit area" for 
selfish goals that are very transparent. It would be very much different 
if such persons were actually making contributions to the list that 
enabled others to advance the level of "charcoal in soil" utilization 
and implementation.

Some people on the List, with a strong commercial interest, are 
conducting extensive field tests, and they are positively generous and 
willing with sharing their results. Some people with a commercial 
interest promote their products and services on the list, but at least 
they do not demean the efforts of others to understand and promote the 
use of char in soil. Regrettably, there seem to be some on the List who 
not only don't add anything helpful, but who actually discourage the 
growth of "charcoal in soil" usage, because it might not fit with their 
view of things.

If "charcoal additions to  soil" are anywhere close to being as 
beneficial as our present thoughts suggest they could be, there is 
literally a "billion tonne per year market potential." In my opinion, we 
should first be finding ways to demonstrate the benefits of charcoal 
additions to soil, and if these benefits can be demonstrated as real, 
then everything else will fall in place.

There is plenty of opportunities for anyone who wants to act upon them. 
The good solutions will rise, and the poor solutions will fall. There is 
no one device or system that is perfect, but rather, there will be many 
appropriate solutions to satisfy the many situation specific opportunities.

What we need now is "market development", not "be all and end all 
solutions" that constrain or mis-direct development effort.

Best wishes,

Kevin

Kurt Treutlein wrote:
> Hi folkes,
> It's been 24 hours since I wrote this:
>
>  >Hi folkes,
>
>  >Hands up all those who have "Strongly warned" against Folkes simple 
>  >kiln concept, who are NOT working on developing a sophisticated 
>  >highly efficient pyrolises system with the idea of marketing it to the 
>  >world to make the gigatons of bio-char we will need to reverse GW.
>
>  >Anybody???
>
> No response!
>
> Don't get me wrong, I have no objection to people developing equipment 
> and then making a lot of money selling it. I believe they deserve every 
> penny they make out of it. The required research and development isn't 
> cheap, neither will the marketing be cheap.
>
>
>
> Kurt
>
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