[Terrapreta] Can Terra Preta Compete?

[Kevin Chisholm]

Dear David

David Yarrow wrote:
> i'm not sure gerry (and too many others) grasps what we are dealing 
> with here. the idea terra preta must compete with other uses for 
> biocarbon ignores a stark, uncompromising reality: you can't eat coal, 
> and you can't drink gasoline. or money. we're talking about soil 
> fertility and food supply.

Another stark uncompromising reality is that someone operating a 
Charcoal Manufacturing Business must make money from Charcoal sales to 
stay in business.

Still another stark uncompromising reality is that the Grower must make 
money as a result of his investment in the charcoal.

If the "fuel market" can afford to pay $200 per tonne, then the cruel 
reality is that the Agriculture Market must also pay $200 per tonne.

If the Farmer decides that he can only afford to pay $150 per tonne, 
then the fuel market will get the charcoal. If there is an adequate 
Carbon Credit being offered as an incentive to use charcoal in the Soil, 
then the Farmer can afford to buy charcoal.
> the real challenge here is if we as a society finally become wise 
> enough to realize how precious fertile, productive, food-growing soil 
> is -- community by community, nation by nation, and worldwide. and 
> make a commitment to do whatever must be done to preserve this 
> precious, irreplacable resource, and assure abundance for endless ages 
> and generations.

If charcoal is too expensive, then he will have to find other ways to 
save or improve his soil.
> lots of folk -- including political and business leaders -- are waking 
> up to this simple choice: food, or energy? corn, or ethanol? already 
> we are seeing food riots and strikes in many nations as poor 
> communities scramble to find food, or affordable food, or nutritious, 
> healthy food.

Sure, there are problems. However, the job of the Charcoal Maker is to 
make charcoal. It is the job of the Grower to produce food. Perhaps if 
the Politicians removed the subsidy on ethanol production there would be 
more corn available for food? It is very wrong to ask the Charcoal 
Producer to take less for his charcoal so that the Government can 
continue to subsidize the ethanol market.
> but if this essential value of feeding our communities isn't 
> sufficient to distinguish terra preta as a top priority use for 
> biocarbon, terra preta offers several bonuses not offered by other 
> purely industrial uses, including:
> 1) soil microbes function as a global flywheel to stabilize earth's 
> composition of gases
> 2) soils with abundant microbial food webs and organic carbon filter, 
> purify and conserve groundwater
> 3) terra preta creates nutrient dense soils able to grow nutrient 
> dense foods to mitigate our epidemic of degenerative diseases

True. Now who is going to pay the Charcoal Producer the difference 
between the "fuel price" for charcoal, and what the Farmer is willing to 
pay for the Charcoal?
> so, i suggest we think more deeply about certain biological and moral 
> imperatives that underlie our work: food, and the allocation of 
> resources to produce enough food to feed our communities when oil hits 
> $150/barrel, and climate and weather get extreme, unpredictable and 
> unstable. the question should be reframed from "can terra preta 
> compete?" to "what priority must we place on agricultural uses of 
> char?" and "how to we enforce this priority for food-producing soil?"

There are few things better than money to enforce priorities. It worked 
for Ethanol. ;-)
> this leads us to other critical questions:
> "how do we incentivize and encourage farmers to produce biomass for 
> biochar & biofuel?"
> and also "how to we enlist farmers to become biochar producers?"
> and third "how do we get growers to recycle a percent of annual 
> biochar produced back into local soils?"

Show the Farmers the facts about biochar. If it is advantageous, they 
will use it, and if not they won't. Monetary support is an excellent 
incentivizer, if necessary.
> when we start answering these questions, i'll believe i'm living in a 
> society that is successfully making enough sense to assure its 
> survival in the challenges ahead. currently, i have deep doubts and 
> mistrust that humans have enough common sense and ecological 
> intelligence to make it through the next century.

If Biochar is as beneficial as we would all like it to be, then perhaps 
there is no problem. If a tonne of biochar brings the Farmer $500 in net 
benefits, but the fuel Customer can only pay $200 per tonne, then the 
Farmer will get all the Biochar he wants.

Until we have cost and benefit figures for the use of charcoal in 
agriculture, then we have no valid basis for concern.

Best wishes,

Kevin
> but things are changing, and many voters are looking for leaders for 
> those changes....
> for a green & peaceful planet,
> David Yarrow
> 44 Gilligan Rd, E Greenbush, NY 12061
> www.championtrees.org <http://www.championtrees.org>
> www.OnondagaLakePeaceFestival.org 
> <http://www.OnondagaLakePeaceFestival.org>
> www.farmandfood.org <http://www.farmandfood.org>
> www.SeaAgri.com <http://www.SeaAgri.com>
>
>     ----- Original Message -----
>     *From:* Gerry Kutney <mailto:gkutney at all-woodfibre.com>
>     *To:* terrapreta at bioenergylists.org
>     <mailto:terrapreta at bioenergylists.org>
>     *Sent:* Wednesday, May 07, 2008 10:51 AM
>     *Subject:* [Terrapreta] Can Terra Preta Compete?
>
>     BIOCARBON: Can Terra Preta Compete?
>
>     Those of us in the biocarbon industry (i.e., those that have
>     manufacturing facilities for biocarbon and are marketing the
>     material) watch with great interest the countless articles on
>     terra preta. We are concerned, though, about the misunderstanding
>     of the value of biocarbon. The biocarbon, itself, is discussed as
>     almost a waste product that is worth a few dollars per ton.
>     Biocarbon has inherent value as a renewable energy pellet, with an
>     energy content of 30 GJ/te, which is similar to coal and almost
>     double that of a wood pellet. Recently, a Korean steel
>     manufacturer was reported to be paying over $300 per tonne for
>     coking coal. If coal can be valued so highly, how much higher in
>     price should be a renewable (GHG neutral) replacement for coal,
>     i.e. biocarbon? An even higher valued market opens when the
>     biocarbon is activated. An important environmental role for
>     activated biocarbon is to remove mercury contamination from flew
>     gas in coal-fired power plants. While costs increase to activate
>     the material, selling prices are often in excess of $1,000 per tonne.
>
>     This wonder of nature appears to have amazing impact on plant
>     growth and has a significant carbon negative footprint. However,
>     studies in someone’s backyard or flower garden, do not supply the
>     rigour that government agencies demand to prove the agricultural
>     benefits of new products. Extensive field trials are required to
>     prove and quantify the benefits of TP. The issue is especially
>     important for terra preta since it does not fit the standard mold
>     of an agricultural product. It is not a fertilizer or nutrient,
>     yet it stimulates plant growth. This agricultural catalyst will
>     likely be thus put under even closer regulatory scrutiny; more
>     reason to get proper field trials under way.
>
>     We, at Alterna Energy (www.alternaenergy.ca), are investigating
>     carrying out such field trials on terra preta in Australia, and we
>     will shortly be promoting such trials in Canada. These trials will
>     only _begin_ to quantify the benefits of terra preta. For the
>     terra preta genii to be released from its carbon bottle, many
>     soils in varying climatic conditions must be tested. In the
>     meantime, Alterna Energy continues to market its biocarbon as
>     carbon-neutral, bioenergy pellets. We eagerly await the
>     opportunity to build plants around the world to supply a future
>     agricultural market.
>
>     In the end, the success of terra preta will depend on demonstrated
>     agricultural and environmental benefits, and competing market
>     demand. Biocarbon is an amazing substance; so much so that various
>     industries will be vying for its almost magical abilities. We will
>     have to see if terra preta can compete? In other words, will the
>     field trials demonstrate to the agricultural community and related
>     government agencies that terra preta is worth, at least, what
>     competing industries are willing to pay for it. Of course, we all
>     hope that it can.
>
>     Gerry Kutney
>
>     Chief Operating Officer
>
>     1-250-649-2459
>
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