Translator

Thursday 10 June 2010

Johannes Lehmann video presentation

Here is your chance to sit in on a recent 1 hour presentation on biochar by Dr Lehmann...
http://www.youtube.com/stanford#p/u/7/pX3zhZ6ETWI
"Johannes Lehmann, Associate Professor of soil biogeochemistry at Cornell University, discusses the characteristics of naturally occurring terra preta including its agricultural and carbon sequestering benefits and then turns to considering the factors involved with implementation industrial biochar systems for large-scale carbon sequestration and energy provision."

Wednesday 9 June 2010

Assessing Opportunities for Biochar in Yunnan, China and the Greater Mekong Sub-region

I have submitted the following announcement to IBI for their June newsletter:

Biochar Systems Ltd (BSL) and SaafConsult have commenced a biochar related study for FAO-RAP in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region (GMS) under the GMS Economic Cooperation Program. The objective of this study is to examine opportunities to use biochar for the benefit of rural communities with a focus on Yunnan Province, China. Yunnan is one of two southern China provinces in the GSM. A Yunnan based study participant organisation is still to be finalised.

Planned outputs from the study include a report, project proposals and a GSM workshop. The study group will be seeking biochar community support related to the preparation of proposals for follow-up projects that will be presented as part of the study. A further announcement will be made on this very soon.
Trevor Richards, BSL (febiochar@gmail.com)
Bryan Hugill, SaafConsult BV (bhugill@saafconsult.com)

Friday 4 June 2010

IBI report from Sarah Carter (UKBRC)

The biocharm project funded through the Asia Pacific Network for Global Change is focused on multi-locational biochar field trials in India, Philippines and Cambodia. Partners include ARTI India, IRRI, SME Cambodia and the University of Edinburgh's UK Biochar Research Centre. A mid-term project meeting was recently held in India, which included a trip to the maize trials which are being managed ARTI at their field station in Phaltan.

Back in Cambodia, since the rainy season is approaching, trials for rain fed paddy field rice are being prepared. Control plots, and plots amended with 40t/ha biochar will be set up (a similar design to the trials in the Philippines). Dry season rice has already been tested with biochar application, and showed a good response, the biochar which was applied in December 2009 is still visible in the soil and these plots will be monitored again this season. Yields are being measured and soil and biochar has been analysed to assess benefits to the soil.

As well as field trials, pot trials with lettuce and cabbage have already yielded results at the research farm of the APSARA Authority in Cambodia. Amendments of between 20 and 120t/ha were used in combination with additions of compost and lake sediment.

Different methods of biochar production are being used for the trials, using feedstocks of rice husks, sugar cane leaves and maize trash. In Cambodia biochar for the trials is produced from rice husk in a 150KW continuous feed gasification unit.

For more information please see the project blog: http://biocharm.wordpress.com/

Thursday 3 June 2010

Video from Rob Flanagan presentation - CBRC May 2010

Rob Flanagan has sent me these video links. 
In two parts to accommodate YouTube 10min limit...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pMud-NBUu0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxjxsw52nn8

Sad to say that that no one in China can access YouTube...