[Terrapreta] Bloomin' Mystery

[Jeff Davis]

Dear Geof,

I can produce (hit and miss) a blish/purplish flame when flaring my
producer gas. Maybe the effect of H2????


Jeff





> Greetings list.
> A question to anyone currently pyrolising dried green waste.
>
> I have been pyrolising many samples, while running  the space heater a
> lot lately, keeping dry, as we have already had 95% of last years
> rain.
>
> I can now replicate an amazing effect which is puzzling me: it is a
> very attractive blue-ish purplish "bloom" that can be seen on the
> surface of some samples, in the few minutes immediately after opening
> the reactor vessel. The first sample it appeared on was some hemp
> stalks from ag hemp, which I then walked across the room to view in a
> shaft of sunlight. As I held it up, the blue faded before my eyes over
> several minutes, back to the  dull grey of char/graphene.
>
> Some friends said they wanted what I was smoking, but as it turned out
> I could replicate  it before their eyes. Not only that, but replicate
> it with Red Amarath stalk, so presumably other spp...and not some kind
> of cannabinoid effect. I also found that if stalks are place in
> bambusa sections (100mm dia) the effect is "thrown" onto the inside of
> the bamboo wher it  is kept away from air turbulence well when opening
> the reactor. The bloom then appears light straw gold as the sample is
> cracked open. This then progresses through what I can only call the
> "temper spectrum" from my smithing days, to dark gold, magenta, deep
> purple, blue and ten minutes later...black. Perhaps it's Iron vapour
> from the reactor wall?
>
> My first take is, it is maybe a couple of atomic layers thick vapour
> deposit of some rare earth similar to material used in the
> oxygen-scavenging "getter" in the old vacuum tubes.?
>
> I then killed that theory by jarring up some fresh samples for a week,
> after flooding the jar with oxygen from my welding set.... and then
> being able to repeat the disappearing act... but!
>
> To add to the mystery if you blow on it fast, it disappears in
> seconds. If you soft-wet-breathe on it, like fogging your glasses to
> clean them...it stays there! Go figure!
>
> I will try to give samples to Lukas Van Swieten to test.
>
> My wife wants to market bloomin' drawing charcoal under the brand name
> Purple Haze, so back off all you entrepreneurs!

-- 
Jeff Davis

Some where 20 miles south of Lake Erie, USA