[Terrapreta] torrefied wood or charcoal?

Sun Mar 2 22:39:15 CST 2008

Here is the official ingredient list for Kingsford Charcoal Briquets  
from a company press release, including the purpose of each  
ingredient in parentheses. The explanation after each ingredient is  
my own.

Wood char (Heat source)
This is simply the wood by-products I mentioned above, burned down  
into charcoal—almost pure carbon. In the case of Kingsford, they use  
woods like fir, cedar, and alder that are local to the regions in  
which they operate—Burnside and Summer Shade, Kentucky; Glen,  
Mississippi; Belle, Missouri; Springfield, Oregon; and Beryl and  
Parsons, West Virginia.

Mineral char (Heat source)
This is a geologically young form of coal with a soft, brown texture.  
It helps Kingsford burn hotter and longer than a plain charcoal  
briquette. As with the wood, Kingsford heats this material in an  
oxygen-controlled environment, eliminating water, nitrogen, and other  
elements, leaving behind—almost pure carbon.

Mineral carbon (Heat source)
This is anthracite coal, the old, hard, black stuff once commonly  
used for home heating. It helps Kingsford burn hotter and longer than  
a plain charcoal briquette. It's already 86-98% pure carbon, but once  
again, Kingsford processes it in an oxygen-controlled environment,  
leaving behind—almost pure carbon.

What exactly is coal, you ask? "Nasty stuff," some folks say. Well,  
coal is a fossil fuel, most of which was formed more than 300 million  
years ago. To make a really, really long story short: Plants and  
trees died, sank to the bottom of swampy areas, accumulated into many  
layers, then geologic processes covered the stuff with sand, clay,  
and rock, and the combination of heat and pressure converted it into  
what we call coal.

So, coal is really old plant material that can be processed into  
almost pure carbon. Charcoal is wood that is burned down into almost  
pure carbon. Not much difference, in my book. End of coal lesson.

Limestone (Uniform visual ashing)
Limestone creates the pretty, white coating of ash you see after  
lighting the briquettes. Limestone is a sedimentary rock consisting  
of calcium carbonate—also found in egg shells, antacids, and calcium  
dietary supplements.

Starch (Binder)
As mentioned above, starch is used to hold briquettes together, and  
is found in corn, wheat, potatoes, and rice.

Borax (Press release)
Borax is used in small amounts to help briquettes release from the  
molds. But isn't Borax a detergent? Well, yes, it is, but it's  
actually a naturally-occurring mineral that is non-toxic in the  
quantities we're talking about in a briquette. It consists of sodium,  
boron, oxygen, and water. You already know what oxygen and water are.  
Sodium is a common element found in lots of stuff we eat, including  
salt. Boron is an element that is necessary in small quantities for  
plant growth. Borax is commonly used in cosmetics and medicines.

Sodium nitrate (Ignition aid)
This is the same stuff used to cure meat. According to Robert L.  
Wolke, professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of  
Pittsburgh, sodium nitrate gives off oxygen when heated, helping the  
briquettes to light faster.

Sawdust (Ignition aid)
Sawdust burns quickly, helping the briquettes to light faster.
from: http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/charcoal.html
On 2-Mar-08, at 11:25 PM, Greg and April wrote:

> Actually my data came from the Colorado extension service.
>
> They specifically said that the ash from charcoal briquettes  
> contains high levels of clay, and while clay might be a good thing  
> in sandy soils - it's not good for most Colorado soils that already  
> have high levels of clay.
>
> This is the first time I have heard of borax being used in charcoal  
> briquettes.
>
> One way to put to rest about what materials are being used to make  
> charcoal briquettes, is to get a MSDS - by law a company has to  
> supply one when requested, and they have to list everything that is  
> used.
>
> That's how I found out that a common ingredient in diesel fuel  
> additives to raise cetane levels of diesel fuel is trace amounts of  
> an explosive.
>
>
> Greg H.
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gerald Van Koeverden"  
> <vnkvrdn at yahoo.ca>
> To: "Terra Preta" <terrapreta at bioenergylists.org>
> Sent: Sunday, March 02, 2008 21:04
> Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] torrefied wood or charcoal?
>
>
>> To Tom, Jim, Sean, Greg, et al,
>>
>> As a farmer, I know that generally ashes enrich the soil.  Every
>> example of brush burn piles I have seen, has resulted in more healthy
>> plants.  The effect lasts 3 or 4 years.  Of course, I'm sure that too
>> much of any good thing turns out bad.  But in general, wood ashes in
>> moderation are good for the soil.
>>
>> The first place I've read of ashes being toxic to growth is when I
>> did an Internet search of compost-making recipes.  In them, I was
>> shocked to read how many of them discouraged using charcoal in
>> general, even though the only 'bad' material ever specifically
>> mentioned was briquette charcoal ashes.  For some reason, compost
>> makers have allowed their bad experiences with briquette ash to
>> colour their experiences with charcoal in general.
>>
>> If we could understand the chemical basis for these bad experiences
>> with this briquette ash,  we would then be able to explain it and
>> help educate others in better appreciating the merits of using
>> charcoal as a soil amendment.  The answer might be as simple as
>> determining that boron (from the borax added to charcoal briquettes)
>> is toxic to plant growth especially at the higher concentration after
>> briquettes are reduced to ash.  Boron is an essential plant
>> micronutrient, but, for example, becomes poisonous to lemon trees at
>> concentrations of only 1 part per million!   (If anybody finds out
>> how much borax is in a bag of briquettes, we could do some
>> calculations for it in the ash content.  I don't think it vaporizes,
>> otherwise they wouldn't allow us to us it for cooking, right...?)
>>
>> Unfortunately, none of us have the facts to explain this briquette
>> ash quandry, at present.
>>
>> Gerald
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 2-Mar-08, at 2:56 PM, Jim Joyner wrote:
>>
>>> Sean,
>>>
>>> While agree with your conclusion, "torrefied is likely not as
>>> useful or
>>> effective in making an improvement to the soil as is low ash
>>> charcoal",
>>> I'm afraid your reasoning is based on faulty information.
>>>
>>> Sean K. Barry wrote:
>>>> High ash content means higher pH.
>>> This may be true but not necessarily. If there is a proper amount of
>>> calcium and magnesium in the soil, the increased pH, mostly due to
>>> adding potassium in ash, will not persist long. It will wash out.
>>>> This is not good for any soils unless they are very acidic to
>>>> begin with.
>>> Raising the pH of soil with ash (potassium), without regard to  
>>> calcium
>>> and magnesium, will create brick. So, this would not be good,
>>> necessarily, for a acid  or any other soil.
>>>> Raising the soil pH lowers the cation exchange capacity (CEC),
>>> This is simply not true. You've got it backwards. CEC is not
>>> affected by
>>> pH. Ph may be affected by the things used to increase the CEC like
>>> clay
>>> particles (mostly silicates) or carbon (not charcoal). One typically
>>> adjusts soil calcium, magnesium and potassium according the CEC.  
>>> Once
>>> that is done, pH will be slightly acid to neutral.
>>>
>>> If charcoal in the soil raises CEC, it doesn't do it directly by
>>> addition. It may indeed create a habitat more conducive to the
>>> creation
>>> and holding of stable humus, which does increase CEC.
>>>>  Higher pH is not a habitable environment for many soil
>>>> micro-organisms, either.
>>> Just about everything that grows likes a pH of 6.8. But the
>>> addition of
>>> charcoal or torrified wood are unlikely to affect pH at all.
>>>
>>> More importantly, pH is a boogey man. It's just a concept for
>>> measuring
>>> something that is rarely useful. A good, balanced soil will have a
>>> slightly acid ph. However, a soil that has a slightly acid soil
>>> will not
>>> necessarily grow anything. There are only nutrients and cations in
>>> active soil (I do not include charcoal as active -- it's virtue
>>> seems to
>>> be in its inactivity and crystalline structure). There are no pHs.
>>>
>>> Having said all that, since many of the compounds in torrified wood
>>> can
>>> be acted upon by organic processes, my concern for adding torrified
>>> wood
>>> to soil would be that it would be much adding sawdust. It won't  
>>> affect
>>> pH but it will tie up nitrogen, taking it from crops . . . for a
>>> long time.
>>>
>>> Jim
>>>
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>>
>>
>>
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