[Terrapreta] History on the climate aspects of the terrapreta list

[Kevin Chisholm]

Dear Ron

I would suggest that every person on the TP List would agree that 
burying biochar or using it as an agricultural supplement will tend to 
reduce the CO2 content of the Atmosphere. The problem is that nobody 
seems to know if Terra Preta will work and be economic outside of 
Brazil, as an agricultural supplement.

Would you know of anywhere in the World North or south of the 20 Degree 
of Latitude where char has recently been added to agricultural soils in 
a commercially successful manner?

Would not the cause of Terra Preta Advancement be better served if we 
directed our efforts at understanding how it works and how to make it 
for different soil conditions and for different climates, rather than 
focusing on the GHG benefits from TP that can only be realized if we 
know how to make TP work economically??

Imagine if we had a "Terra Preta Farmer's Manual" that told the Farmer 
how to improve his soil and his yields through biochar additions, and 
provided a credible estimate of costs and benefits. If the process was 
economic, then a very large market would develop for biochar. Success in 
Agriculture is the engine that will drive the demand for biochar for 
soil application. No sensible Farmer is going to spread biochar on his 
land unless it will be advantageous. What is needed is extensive Field 
Testing so that a Farmer will have a rational basis for spending money 
on buying and applying biochar to his lands.

The payment or credit per tonne of Carbon sequestered will be determined 
by Governments and Agencies and Markets far removed from biochar and 
Terra Preta. Once these "Outside Forces" set the payment per tonne of 
Carbon sequestered, there could be a mad rush to make charcoal and apply 
it to the land, IF the Farmer can make money by doing it. Perhaps a 
charcoal payment of $30 per tonne is enough to justify using biochar as 
an agricultural supplement... perhaps $200 per tonne of char is 
required. The sad thing is that at the present, we don't know.

I have some marginal land here in Nova Scotia. I want to grow bush 
beans. Can you give me the name and address of anyone in the World who 
can tell me how much biochar I should add to my soil, and what else I 
should do, to get maximum economic results?
I would like to know:
* Can I use any wood to make the char?
* What temperature should the char be made at?
* What size should it be for best application?
* How much should I add per acre?
* What other additives and treatments should I apply?
* What would be the expected increase in bean yield using the 
recommended biochar based treatment?
* What would be the "second best treatment"?
* Would the increased cost of the char additions be justified by the 
increment in yield?

If Farmers had the answers to these questions, then it would be very 
easy to decide in a rational manner whether or not they should add char 
to their soil. Only if the answer was positive would they add biochar to 
their soil. Only then would the World get a GHG benefit from their 
biochar additions to the soil.

"To make a Rabbit Pie, first catch a Rabbit." Would you not agree that 
to get a GHG benefit from New Terra Preta, we must first figure out how 
to make and use New Terra Preta?

Would you also agree that whether we believe in, or disbelieve in GW, 
nothing will happen with New Terra Preta unless the Grower can make 
money by using biochar as an agricultural additive?

Shouldn't our first priority be to figure out how to make New Terra 
Preta work? Only after we can demonstrate that New Terra Preta is 
economic can we expect to get Green House Gas benefits from it. 
Promoting the GHG benefits of New Terra Preta before we have a process 
that works, is like selling chickens before we even have a hen to lay 
the eggs.

Best wishes,

Kevin



Ron Larson wrote:
> Greg (with ccs):
> I'm afraid you are pretty far off base on what this list is about.
> Go to 
> /2007-January/000000.html 
> and you will see at the bottom of Tom Miles' introductory message a 
> link ( 
> http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/biochar/ 
> <http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/biochar/+%29%A0> 
> ) to the purposes of this list. The middle part of that message says:
> /We hope that soil scientists around the world will contribute to this 
> list with soil answers needed by those others of us interested in a 
> very different aspect of TP soils. That different aspect is that the 
> sequestered charcoal is taking CO2 out of the atmosphere – apparently 
> at a lower cost than any other means of doing so. Hopefully, a large 
> percentage of submissions to this new list will concentrate on TP’s 
> climate benefits (and costs)./
> I helped write those sentences. I feel very strongly that the climate 
> aspects of terra preta are what will drive its introduction ( I 
> predict $100 / ton carbon dioxide within 5 years, or .> $350/ ton 
> char). Your comments arguing against what I believe are the views of 
> the vast majority of the list members are slowing down something very 
> important to most of us.
> Because I feel obligated to understand how members of this list cannot 
> believe in GW, I would appreciate your replying to me (offline) on the 
> single best scientific rationale behind your denier beliefs.
> I probably would not write except I am upset by the denier Republicans 
> in the US Senate today demanding that the climate cap and trade bill 
> be read out loud in its entirety. More than five hours totally wasted.
> Ron
> Ron
> //
>
>     ----- Original Message -----
>     *From:* Greg and April <mailto:gregandapril at earthlink.net>
>     *To:* Sean K. Barry <mailto:sean.barry at juno.com> ; lou gold
>     <mailto:lou.gold at gmail.com>
>     *Cc:* Terra Preta <mailto:terrapreta at bioenergylists.org>
>     *Sent:* Wednesday, June 04, 2008 5:57 PM
>     *Subject:* Re: [Terrapreta] tipping point
>
>     CO2 has as much to do with TP, as the anoxic zone in the Gulf of
>     Mexico - and all of it is indirect at best. .........
>     <snip>
>
>