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Friday 20 May 2016

Permaculture Research Institute - biochar

Tropical Orchard Establishment Practices and Concepts: Part 2 of 3


Biochar Production

We make a small amount of biochar yearly to be used in our nursery potting soil and applied to our garden beds. Biochar has been studied extensively over the past 25 years and has proven to be an effective soil fertility strategy, in particular in the tropics. We use two different biochar systems. The first is a cook stove called an Estufa Finca. This was developed by our friend Art Donnelly of SeaChar.org. The second is a larger retort kiln called a TLUD (Top-Lit Up-Draft) made of two 55 gallon metal drums.
Biochar is a fascinating soil amendment that inspires much disagreement and conversation. For us, we are mostly interested in leveraging the unique physical and chemical properties of biochar to reduce leaching of nutrients, improve soil structure, buffer our pH, and provide host sites for microorganisms. Biochar in general has a negative molecular charge which binds well to nutrients and it’s physical structure provides endless nooks and crannies for a diversity of microbial life to seek shelter from predators.
We primary use fruit tree and bamboo prunings for our biochar feed stock. We avoid nitrogen rich feed stock as this nitrogen volatilizes during the combustion process. After a burn, which can be seen in the following photos, the biochar is crushed and then charged. As the burn process removes most nutrients from the remaining carbon, it is most effective to soak the biochar in a nitrogen rich liquid. Typically we use effluent from our methane biodigestors.
An Estufa Finca cook stove is stocked and started. This highly efficient stove boils a gallon of water in under 10 minutes and produces biochar as a bi-product.
An Estufa Finca cook stove is stocked and started. This highly efficient stove boils a gallon of water in under 10 minutes and produces biochar as a bi-product.
Turmeric is being processed on the stove to make a live-cultured soda and obtain a dried spice.
Turmeric is being processed on the stove to make a live-cultured soda and obtain a dried spice.
As the stove dies down, the combustion is stopped by dumping the contents into a quench bucket.
As the stove dies down, the combustion is stopped by dumping the contents into a quench bucket.
The biochar is then incorporated into our potting mix or worked into resting garden beds. Occasionally we apply this amendment directly to tree planting holes, in which case we apply ½ kilo per tree hole and top dress under the mulch another ½ kilo.
Overall biochar does not make up a huge part of our day-to-day work. I find it challenging to find the time and physical space for all the necessary harvesting, handling, and drying of feedstock. This year we will make 60 to 120 kilos of biochar for our gardens.

Akhmal Buanie: Innovative tech for charcoal production

Co/ the Borneo Post...

Superb winners from Sarawak
Akhmal Buanie: Innovative tech for charcoal production

"Akhmal Buanie was the first Sarawakian contestant to win over the panel in the fourth series of Superb in 2014 with his invention called the Biochar Pyrolysis.
Akhmal was one of 26 winners of Superb grants in the third and fourth phases that won a total of RM13 million – each taking RM500,000.
Titled ‘Biochar Pyrolysis – Innovated Technology For Charcoal Production’, Akhmal’s project involved the production of Biochar from industrial residues or other Biomass Energy sources using Pyrolysis Technology.
“As you know, Superb programme is a programme which provides initial capital to start up new and innovative businesses for Bumiputera youth who have new innovative business ideas which could be introduced or even be a hit in today’s market.
“I believed that I have a few new and innovative business ideas that I can bet on in the Superb programme.
“For that programme, I offered Superb my latest innovation, ‘Biochar Pyrolysis’ – Innovated Technology For Charcoal Production,” Akhmal said to BizHive Weekly.
Biochar Pyrolysis, he explained, is a technology that will improve and reduce the production cost of producing charcoal to as much as 60 per cent of the current cost using the traditional technology, a method which is still widely used by charcoal producers in Malaysia.
“The pyrolysis system that we adopted for the charcoal production will also produce better and cleaner charcoal compared to the traditional method,” he said, adding that the system is also environmental friendly as there is no smoke produced in the process.
Akhmal believes charcoal production will be more cost efferctive with better quality products while at the same time, the industry will be a green industry for the country if all charcoal producers adopted his technology.
On the progress and development of Biochar Pyrolysis, Akhmal shared that they have just completed their design and planning stage.
“We have rented a factory in Sejingkat Industrial Area for our future operation,” he enthused. “We will very soon start fabricating our own design (of) relevent machineries.”
With the funding from Superb, Akhmal is confident that they will surely be able to have a modern charcoal production factory capable of producing various types of charcoal/biochar products in the range of 10 metric tonnes (mt) per day.
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“We hope to go further downstream, producing activated carbon and carbon-related products in the future,” he added.
Akhmal had advice to impart on those aspiring entrepreneurs looking to join the Superb programmes which is simply to “understand and know your product well.”
At the same time, participants are also advised to expand their knowledge base, gathering more information from whatever relevant resources they can think of.
As for those who believe that Akhmal can be of help to them and would like for him share his experience in Superb with them, he stresses that he is willing to do so and is always available to them in that regard."

Tuesday 3 May 2016

Biochar and urban trees

The following link leads to my post to ABE website on a new article published by The Biochar Journal. The article is focused on temperate climate urban planting in Sweden but I think it is still highly relevant to urban tree planting in the tropics.
http://soilcarbon.org.nz/biochar-urban-trees/
Click above to link: http://soilcarbon.org.nz/biochar-urban-trees/

Malaysia has some experience with urban biochar planting which has been highlighted in the past...
http://sea-biochar.blogspot.my/.../bandar-utama-history...

Singapore also has a strong history in urban tree research...
http://sea-biochar.blogspot.my/2016/01/biochar-gets-mention-in-singapore.html
http://sea-biochar.blogspot.my/2015/02/biochar-compost-and-tree-growth.html
http://sea-biochar.blogspot.my/2012/07/application-of-char-products-improves.html
http://sea-biochar.blogspot.my/2011/08/ibi-august-newletter-draft-big-sea.html

If you have any other stories related to urban biochar applications in the SEA region, then please get in touch.