[Terrapreta] Char made made under pressurized conditions?

[Greg and April]

Either case, I still doubt that N2 as a reasonably inert gas will do
anything - either as a fertilizer or be absorbed into the char.    Remember,
most plants can not make use of gaseous nitrogen - only legumes, and they
have little need to pull it out of the ground, when they can pull unlimited
quantities out of the air, faster than we can even make char.   < grin >

OTOH, nitrogen as a compound - such as ammonia or urine has much greater use
as a fertilizer, and as something that can be absorbed into the char.


Personally, I hope to be adding char to the litter that is used for animal
bedding, thus giving it every chance to absorb any number of useful
fertilizer compounds, and be inoculated with any number of biological
organisms.

But that is actually beyond the question I asked.

What I was looking at is several possible results wrapped up under the
heading of " char produced under pressurized conditions ".

"Does char produced under pressurized conditions have a larger pore
structure or a smaller pore structure?"    I don't know, but it is quite
possible that there would be some change ( I would be surprised if there was
not some physical change - although perhaps not that we would immediately
recognize.    Are the changes good or bad?     I have no idea.    That's why
I'm asking.


"Are the distillates produced under such conditions, more readily useable as
a liquid fuel?"    There is some indication that this is true, as there are
a number of patents based not only on dry thermal depolymerization, but wet
thermal depolymerization as well, with temperatures starting as low as 250*C
or so ( usually with much higher pressures than 100 psi ) - but it's also
been known to happen at higher temperatures and lower pressures.
Wouldn't you agree that in a world with increasingly higher liquid fuel
prices, it would be really nice to be able to heat your house, make some
Terra Preta and a tank of fuel at the same time?    Again, this is why I'm
asking.


Greg H.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jeff Davis" <jeff0124 at velocity.net>
To: "Terra Preta" <terrapreta at bioenergylists.org>
Sent: Friday, March 28, 2008 21:38
Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Char made made under pressurized conditions?


> Hi Greg,
>
> I just happen to have that book with me. They explain the four stages of
> charcoal production, the third being the "exothermic period" and that is
> about 400 C. The fourth stage called the "cooling period" comes next but
> they do not state any temperture range. Maybe the cooling period is 400 C
> to safe handling temperature. I honestly do not know.
>
> I was just wondering if there could be somekind of opportunity for us at
> this stage of charcoal production. Maybe nothing to do with
> nitrogen/ammonia etc but something else.
>
>
>
> Kindest regards,
>
>
> Jeff
>
>
>
>> Hmmm........
>>
>> Correct me if I'm wrong, but is it not true that char can still be quite
>> warm, and not burn when O2 comes in contact with it?
>>
>> It is with that in mind that I asked what I did in my previous post -
>> after
>> all, you didn't exactly say at what temp the char was cooling from did
>> you?
>>
>> No offense,
>> Greg H.
>
>
> -- 
> Jeff Davis
>
> Some where 20 miles south of Lake Erie, USA
>
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