[Terrapreta] What is TP all about?

[Sean K. Barry]

Hi TP readers,


1.       the intentional use of charcoal in soil

This includes all discussions about experimentation with growing plants in soil that has been amended with charcoal, how to put charcoal into soil, what makes good agricultural use charcoal?, how charcoal can improve: water-holding capacity, nutrient-holding capacity, CEC, soil structure, and etc.  Many in the TP group, I think, tend to believe that this is the only topic (#1) on which to comment within this 'terrpretalist' forum.  I do believe this is important, but at times, it can be frustrating to be dismissed, because one would choose not to discuss only these issues.

2.       sequestration of carbon using charcoal, and

Now here is the most clearly stated "tie-in" between formation of Terra Preta soils and Anthropogenic Global Warming.  We only have one good reason to SEQUESTER CARBON in the form of charcoal-in-soil.  The reason is recognition of the fact that humans are the ones who are pumping CO2 into the atmosphere and this IS changing the climate.  We don't desire most of the climate changes occurring as a result and therefore what we need to do is STOP putting CO2 into the atmosphere.  If you accept this as topical to Terra Preta, then you implicitly accept AGW and remediation efforts by humans to combat it.  It seems to me that many in group advocating topic #1 don't care much about topic #2.

3.       production of charcoal

There is a great deal of complaining by the group interested in #1, too, that charcoal can't be too expensive to use.  When one considers production of charcoal via pyrolysis of biomass (in a reactor or a kiln or a retort), then one necessarily comes to the realization that along with the charcoal will come things like; lots of heat, lots of gases (some energy containing fuel gases), and potentially many other forms of liquid chemicals.  The heat coming from pyrolysis reactions is called "sensible heat", if it is at a temperature significantly hotter than the environment it is released into.  "Sensible heat" is usable heat.  It can be converted into work (e.g. via production of steam and driving of steam powered machinery) or used simply to raise the ambient temperatures of things like green houses in winter.  The energy in fuel gases emitted from pyrolysis can also be converted into work or electricity (e.g. producer gas can fuel an internal combustion engine that can turn a pump, a compressor, or an electric generator).  The gas and liquid fractions from pyrolysis reactions are potential feedstock for many hundreds or thousands of other chemical processes (things like gas-to-liquid biofuels, insecticides, herbicides, fabrics, etc, .... ask Dow, I don't know what they all are).  These are all VALUE ADDED co-products with charcoal.  Making charcoal production economically viable will, I think, include producing these value added co-products.

In my opinion, Tom has tied together the most important and salient issues regarding Terra Preta (#1, #2, and #3).  Any discussion of any of these topics is pertinent.

Regards,

SKB
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Tom Miles<mailto:tmiles at trmiles.com> 
  To: terrapreta at bioenergylists.org<mailto:terrapreta at bioenergylists.org> 
  Sent: Sunday, May 18, 2008 11:20 PM
  Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Just wondering . . .


  All,

   

  There is no need to wonder. This list is about:

   

  See: http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/about<http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/about>

   

   

  I am the owner, sponsor and principal host of the list. List moderators are: Erich Knight, Michael Bailes and Ron Larson.

   

  Let's keep the discussion and postings on terra preta. We depend on the list members to keep their discussion focused on the topic. There are many interesting tangential topics for which there are abundant forums on the internet. In the more  than 20 years that I have hosted or moderated online discussion lists this is probably the worst list when it comes to people wanting to wander off topic. 

   

  Thanks for your cooperation.

   

  Kind regards,

   

  Tom Miles

      

   

   

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