[Terrapreta] Selling Biochar in Climate Change Markets

[Duane Pendergast]

          You might be able to go nuclear-electric pyrolysis to increase the
hydrogen and char yields Sean.

 

Duane

 

-----Original Message-----
From: terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org
[mailto:terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of Sean K. Barry
Sent: March 3, 2008 8:41 AM
To: terrapreta at bioenergylists.org; Laurens Rademakers
Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Selling Biochar in Climate Change Markets

 

Hi Lorenzo,

 

It is great to hear from someone who is optimistic about what can be
achieved economically when the formation of Terra Preta soils
(charcoal-in-soil) + fertilizers is viewed over the long run (25-30 years).
Did you know that nitrogen fertilizers can be made from off gases of the
pytrolysis process, too?

 

One needs to be careful about estimates that get charcoal energy, and or
fertilizer all from the biomass feedstock, though.  The more energy actually
harvested or the more H2 gas used for fertilizer manufacture, then there
will be a lower charcoal yield.  When cheap fossil fuel runs out (later this
year?!), than making nitrogen fertilizers with hydrogen got from pyrolysis
of biomass may be the only and/or cheapest way to make fertilizers, though.

 

Regards,

 

SKB

 

 

----- Original Message ----- 

From: Laurens <mailto:lrademakers at biopact.com>  Rademakers 

To: terrapreta at bioenergylists.org 

Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 9:28 AM

Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Selling Biochar in Climate Change Markets

 

Tom, you are absolutely right. But you can in fact go MUCH further. We have
done the same calculation, and biochar can be even more profitable when the
system is implemented in the tropics at the forest frontier. Because there
it would actually slow or even halt deforestation.

 

We look at it as follows: 1 hectare of "slash and burn" converted into
"slash and char" would, over a period of 30 years, save the carbon contained
in at least 6 hectares of forest. Because shifting cultivation forces
farmers to move on to new land after 2 to maximum 5 years (so after 30
years, they would have slashed and burned 6 ha if they use each hectare 5
years, which is a long time; in reality, most soils are depleted much
faster, after 2 or 3 years). 

 

-An average rainforest in SEAsia/Central Africa contains around 700 tons
CO2eq/ha. 

-So by converting 1 hectare into biochar soils, you would get 700 tons times
6 = 4200 tons (over 30 years); 4200 tons of CO2 at Euro 21/ton = Euro
88,200. 

-Euro 88,200 divided by 30 (years) is 2940 per hectare of land converted to
biochar; not bad

 

Of course, currently these slash-and-burn farmers don't use fertilizers.
Biochar only works if supplemented with fertilizers. So you would have to
take emissions from fertilizers into the equation, and substract them from
the gains.

 

-Another stream of carbon revenue would be: reduced emissions from primitive
biomass use for energy. When biochar is made in efficient pyrolysis plants
that deliver electricity at the same time (from the syngas), then you would
provide clean energy to these communities. They would no longer rely on wood
burned inefficiently in open fires (current practise), which releases large
amounts of emissions.

 

Mmm, I think we should put much more effort in studying the potential carbon
market opportunities for biochar, as they relate to different biochar
concepts.

 

Best,

Lorenzo

 

 

 

 

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