[Terrapreta] Biomass sources

[Kevin Chisholm]

Dear Kurt

You raise some interesting points but I would suggest your concerns are 
very premature. Generally speaking, we don't know how to make TP, how to 
use it to greatest advantage, its cost of implementing and the value of 
returns.

I think we are getting away off track by promoting TP as the Saviour of 
the Atmosphere. TP is primarily a growth medium, and its CO2 
sequestering capabilities are a secondary benefit. The tail should not 
wag the dog.

There is a huge annual tonnage of biomass that is otherwise waste, that 
could be used for char production without necessitating the cutting of a 
single tree and without depriving any soil anywhere of its necessary 
organic matter requirements. If it ever gets to the point where wood 
supplies are getting scarce, the TP can be used to prepare forest soil 
for enhanced forest growth.

There are other Lists for other people to address other options. On the 
TP list, lets stick to figuring out how to make TP work, and to 
determining TP economics.

Best wishes,

Kevin


Kurt Treutlein wrote:
> Hi folkes,
>
> We're getting a lot of yaketty yak about carbon taxes, what have you. 
> It's way too early for that. We're getting all sorts of missionary zeal 
> about turning  as much biomass as possible into char, so it can be 
> buried, perhaps to improve soil productivity and certainly to sequester 
> CO2 from the atmosphere. Very nice, but-=----
>
> Where is all that biomass to come from? Cut down existing forests?? Not 
> good. Grow it on agricultural land? Also not good, we're short of food 
> now and certain activities to produce bio fuels are exacerbating that. 
> Use all the "waste" crop residues (eg corn stover)? Also not good. If 
> you remove that and turn it into char, where is the Soil Organic 
> Material going to come from? We're short of that virtually everywhere 
> now, are we going to end up with sterile soils that need artificial 
> fertilizers to produce anything at all? I mean we've basically got that 
> now, in many places. Will the improved productivity of the created 
> Terrapreta Nova make up for it? We don't know, and personally, I doubt 
> it. We still have to find out if this works anywhere but in tropical 
> soils like the Amazon.
>
> Were is the biomass going to come from? Sure, there is quite a bit of 
> waste available, but nowhere enough to provide what we need. (I'm 
> talking municipal waster here, not socalled "crop waste"). There IS a 
> possibility:. *ALGAE*. If you haven't already, have a look at 
> "oil_from_algae" a mailing list that's a next door neighbour. Especially 
> the early posts as I suspect it's also bogged down in talk about 
> subsidies and all that crap, at present. An acre of algae pond can 
> produce huge volumes of biomass. Some of it even has oil in it which 
> would be usefull for fuel. Easier to grow would be ordinary algae, such 
> as maybe spirulina. Dry it, pelletize it and pyrolise it--- there could 
> be your char. Where would you grow it? Desert areas come to mind, even 
> floating farms, on the sea. Many algae grow quite happily in salt water 
> so water supplies might not be a problem, though spent water disposal 
> might be.
>
> The benefits? No degradation of existing farm land, or virgin land 
> areas. Utilisation of otherwise impossible land areas. Use of the sea. 
> There would even be the possibility of energy extraction, as such ponds 
> would heat up in the sun and quite possibly need cooling. Organic 
> Rankine Cycle power plants come to mind. They are already in use.
>
> Lets try thinking outside the square paddock on land.
>
> regards,
>
> Kurt
>