[Terrapreta] Fwd: Charcoal & tree bark in japan

[tmiles at easystreet.com]

Michael,

There are a few inaccuracies in the article that lead to a distorted view. 

Japan makes efficient use of wood. You will not find many waste piles of bark. In this case it is cedar bark which has few other uses. Cedar bark can be difficult to handle unless you have special cutters and mills. So it is probably left as waste. 

In many places in the US that are close to populations bark is two to three times the value of whitewood for landscaping. Ut is often more expensive than coal for power production. 

Tom
 


 
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-----Original Message-----
From: "Michael Bailes" <michaelangelica at gmail.com>

Date: Mon, 19 May 2008 16:14:21 
To:"Terra Preta" <terrapreta at bioenergylists.org>,Sunergy <Sunergy at starfibre.com.au>
Subject: [Terrapreta] Fwd: Charcoal & tree bark in japan


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Michael Bailes <michaelangelica at gmail.com <mailto:michaelangelica at gmail.com> >
Date: 2008/5/19
 Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Charcoal from tree bark
To: Terra Preta <terrapreta at bioenergylists.org <mailto:terrapreta at bioenergylists.org> >





2008/5/19 Sunergy <Sunergy at starfibre.com.au <mailto:Sunergy at starfibre.com.au> >:
 
 
 
 
Waste bark is presumably also a problem in sawmills all around the world. Here's one solution: 
  
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/05/31/business/bgbark.php <http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/05/31/business/bgbark.php> 
  
Another very interesting article thank you.
I despair seeing the vast ships full of Australian native forest wood chips being shipped daily to Japan
 the Japanese must be laughing all the way to the bank :(

Two points I found especially interesting
First the simple way of making char
 To produce charcoal dust, tree bark and other tree remains are laid at the bottom of a concrete "pool," which is 1.3 meters, or 4.3 feet, deep. After they are lit, another layer of scraps is put on top, obstructing the free passage of oxygen into the bottom layer. This slow process of burning causes the material to turn into charcoal instead of burning to ashes. This process is repeated multiple times until the entire pool is filled will the carbonized material.

Second the energy value of char.
As has been mentioned before on this forum Charcoal has an energy value
Some think this might rival the energy and ecological value of coal.
  (Perhaps not ecologically, if the above smoky production method was used)

"A ton of coal costs about ¥8,000," he said, equivalent to $66. "By the energy value, the price should be ¥6,500 or so." 
But, he added, referring to the charcoal dust, "because of the environmental value-added it offers, it could potentially sell for ¥15,000."
Shimazaki said his company was able to sell the dust for close to that price under the pilot program. We should all hope that char does NOT stack up against coal as we will have little for our farms /gardens/global warming mitigation uses.
BEST Energies Australia were hoping for AUD$150 ( c 100 Japanese Yen) a metric tonne for pyrolised char to make their system economic. 
 That is before carbon credits. If you used green waste or manure that was normally dumped into methane producing land fill some carbon credits should flow to the process.
Anyone, with a spare AUD 5 million, want to help me set up a money-making pyrolysis plant in Japan? :)
 
-- 
Michael the Archangel
"Politicians will never solve The Problem;
because they don't realise they are The Problem.".
-Robert ( Bob ) Parsons 1995
 


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