CONVERTING BIOMASS TO BIOCHAR - PROSPECTS FOR INDONESIA

 Dr Widowati, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Tribhuwana (UNITRI) in Malang city, East Java, Indonesia has asked me to announce their plans to host a biomass related seminar on June 26-27, 2012. The seminar is titled:

BIOMASS WASTE MANAGEMENT: FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY, SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND GLOBAL WARMING MITIGATION

A field trip is also planned covering biochar utilization on marginal lands in agricultural systems.

A leaflet is being prepared inviting speakers (oral and posters) to submit an abstract (250 words) no later than May 1, 2012. Published papers will be presented on May 29, 2012, then full papers should be included no later than June 5, 2012.

Further information will be provided soon but for now you may contact Dr Widowati from the details below.

Widowati, Dr.

Dean, the Faculty of Agriculture

University of Tribhuwana (UNITRI)

Block C, Tlogomas street, Malang 65144

East Java, Indonesia

widwidowati@gmail.com

Ph. +62341-565500

Fax +62341-565522

http://www.unitri.ac.id/

UNITRI, established since 2001, has five faculties i.e. Agriculture, Social and Politics Sciences, Engineering, Health, and Economics. Malang is nearby to the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park.

www.biobamboo.org
Charlotte O'Brien, Director of Bio Bamboo, explains how to significantly draw down Carbon from the atmosphere and sequester it as a Bio-Char soil conditioner using Bamboo to fuel Pyrolysis. Adding the Bio-Char to depleted soil fosters the spread of Mycorrhizal fungus in the soil, which in turn creates Glomalin (which sequesters even more Carbon). The enriched soil then produces more biomass which can be processed into more biochar...the result is an exponential carbon draw down!
The process also generates a bevy of marketable bi-products.

International Symposium on Reclamation, Restoration & Rehabilitation Towards a Greener Asia

The following announcement from Dr Ho at FRIM may offer opportunities to showcase biochar soil remediation activities around the world and promote related opportunities for SEA...

Dear Professor/Dr/Sir/Madam,

It is my great privilege to invite you and your colleagues to the following Symposium as organized by the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM):

Title: International Symposium on Reclamation, Restoration and Rehabilitation Towards a Greener Asia
Date: July 3-5, 2012
Venue: Kuala Lumpur

Kindly click on the link for more information on the symposium: http://green-asia.blogspot.com/

Your participation in this Symposium is highly valued and will certainly contribute to enhancing future efforts in forestry particularly in fields related to reclamation, restoration and rehabilitation. I would be very grateful if you could forward information about this Symposium to your colleagues/friends.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Wai Mun HO, PhD
Research Officer
Forest Biotechnology Division,
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM),
52109 Kepong, Selangor, MALAYSIA.
E-mail: greenasia2012@frim.gov.my<

mailto:greenasia2012@frim.gov.my>
Fax: +60-3-62731427

Biochar Stove Project in Indonesia

The Department of Chemical Engineering, Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia is planning to undertake a biochar stove project and is now seeking interest from potential research and project implementation partners. The project will focus on optimizing pyrolytic stoves for waste biomass in Indonesia, and will include the production and utilization of biochar.

Phase 1 began with a seminar on December 30, 2011 exploring TLUD primary and secondary air supply optimization. Plans for the next phase include similar studies on Anila type stoves. Stove performance will be tailored to the type of biomass and cooking habits of Indonesia.

Integrating the manufacture of wood pellets is also a consideration for the performance of the stove and implementation into society as a sustainable activity. The Department of Chemical Engineering, Gadjah Mada University is open to collaborative research on biochar stove design and implementation of the stove field projects in Indonesian society. For further information on participating in this project, please refer to...
http://sea-biochar.blogspot.com/2010/12/biochar-research-collaborations-in.html

Malaysia Biomass Strategy

Recent press announcements here in Malaysia have focused on biomass utilisation...

• EU boost for domestic SMEs in biomass sector
• Oil palm biomass offers huge potential, RM30bil in income

Neither article specifically mentions biochar but the first does describe support for companies involved in biocarbon production and export. Biochar still languishes as a low profile research subject in most of SEA.

The 2nd article discusses  the National Biomass Strategy 2020. This strategy describes utilising an additional 20MillionT of oil palm industry biomass by 2020 for higher value activities. The document does acknowledge the importance of biomass nutrients for the plantations... "Biomass should not be removed from the field without consideration of its nutrient value and protection to the top soil. However there is the potential to retain in the field the portion of the biomass that has the highest nutrient value but the lowest downstream value, as represented by its carbohydrate content, and replace the balance with inorganic substitutes."

Biochar production and utilisation within the plantation could provide new options and additional flexibility for the proposed strategy...

• The organic carbon currently provided by the retention and/or return of biomass to plantation soils is very transient in the tropical conditions. It will be consumed on an annual basis along with the regular application of organic or inorganic fertilizers. Biochar offers a 'permanent' organic carbon addition, potentially freeing up more biomass for alternative uses.
• Biochar will improve the nutrient use efficiency by reducing NPK leaching losses and soil gas emissions (CO2, methane & nitrous oxide). 
• The reduced requirements for fertilizers and their improved retention in the soil will reduce pollution of water tables, streams, rivers and catchments.
• Biochar positive effects on plant growth, health and productivity are well documented. There is reason to believe that these benefits will also translate into benefits for the oil palm - particularly for tropical soils.
• Biochar has proven soil remediation benefits (for both organic & inorganic contaminates). Soils damaged by mining or contaminated by industry may be put back into service. Agriculture on bris soils may be improved.
• New products and industries can be established that relate to the soil amendments, animal feeds, waste management, building products, green roofs, urban water gardens & swales.
• Pyrolysis systems offer localized processing solutions for 'thinly distributed biomass'. Transport and infrastructure costs often kill large biomass projects. Pyrolysis is scalable for source locations such as palm oil mills or mobile plantation processing.
• New 'slow' pyrolysis technology offers multiple product streams, 
• carbon (biochar, bio-coal, torrified fuels, charcoal, activated carbon, industrial carbon, super-capacitors)
• bio-oil (boiler fuel oil, refining for chemicals & transport fuels, organic pesticides and plant foliate) 
• pyrolysis gas (process heating, renewable energy production, advanced gas reprocessing, fuel cells)
• process heat
• carbon credits (carbon sequestration and emissions reduction).

Lets hope the new Biomass Strategy has room to accommodate new opportunities that will present, as the biochar industry develops in SEA. More research investment from government and industry would greatly accelerate access to these opportunities.

Invitation to speak on biochar

I have accepted an invitation to speak on biochar at a biomass conference in May 2012. Details are still to be finalized but I look forward to meeting local biochar enthusiasts during the conference.

EU-Asia Biomass Best Practices & Business Partnering Conference 2012, 
7 – 10 May 2012, Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Proposed topic	:	Biochar Production Technologies and Market Opportunities
Date	:	9 May 2012
Time	:	09.30am - 10.00am
Venue	:	Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), Kuala Lumpur

This initiative comprises of International Conference, Business Match-Making Event, Business Exhibition and Workshops.  The project aims to improve the competitiveness of biomass companies in both the European (EU) and Asian regions via trade and investment, joint venture, technology transfer and cooperation, sharing of best practices and know-how transfer within the key priority sectors of biomass industry especially those involved in bioenergy, biofertilisers/agricultural products, high value chemicals, and eco-products. We are expecting 400-500 participants to attend this auspicious event.
A link to the conference site can be found here... http://www.biomass-sp.net/index.htm

Biochar activity in Thailand

UBI Siam: Low tech biochar in Thai sustainable rural development & climate change mitigation

UB International (UBI) is a program dedicated to testing the concept that thinly distributed feedstock can be utilized to significantly contribute to timely global climate change mitigation through low tech biochar production in sustainable rural development amongst small scale farmers, herders and forestry workers and hopes to develop a network of sib-projects to first ground truth the concept and then begin an exponential increase of participating communities through a communities-mentoring-communities program.

"Biochar from thinly distributed feedstock for sustainable rural development and timely climate change mitigation is a new field in Thailand and we welcome interested researchers, community developers, volunteers and funders to work with us in developing an informal consortium of NGOs, Universities, communities and individuals interested in contributing towards these goals at these sites or other promising locations.

For more information see also the UB International webpage or contact Karl Frogner (UBI)."
The full IBI report can be found here... http://www.biochar-international.org/regional/UBI_Siam

Biochar research from Indonesia on cassava cropping systems

The following paper has been published in the Journal of Tropical Agriculture 49 (1-2) : 40-46, 2011


Biochar for sustaining productivity of cassava based cropping systems in the degraded lands of East Java, Indonesia
Titiek Islami1*, Bambang Guritno2, Nur Basuki2, and Agus Suryanto1
1Department of Agronomy, Brawijaya University, Malang, Indonesia; 2Research Centre for Tuber and Root Crops, Brawijaya University, Malang, Indonesia.
Abstract:
Field experiments were carried out to explore the beneficial effects of biochar on the productivity of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) based cropping system in the degraded uplands of East Java, Indonesia from September 2009 to May 2011. Two cropping systems namely cassava + maize (Zea mays L.) and cassava + peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) and five organic amendments, namely farm yard manure (FYM) applied once at the start of the experiment, FYM applied every year, biochar from FYM, biochar from cassava stem, and no FYM as control were evaluated. With no FYM addition, yield of cassava and maize during the succeeding year declined from 17.1 to 13.7 Mg ha–1 and from 3.6 to 2.7 Mg ha–1 respectively. Organic amendments improved soil fertility and crop yields. For cassava + maize intercropping, the beneficial effects of FYM (20 Mg ha–1), however, lasted for only one year; nonetheless for cassava + peanut intercropping it persisted for two years. Increases in cassava and maize yield following biochar application (15 Mg ha–1), however, continued for two years after planting, implying its potential for sustaining crop production over longer periods. Soil organic matter content in the FYM treatment also was high for a year, whereas in the biochar treatment it remained high well after the harvest of the second year cassava crop (20.3 to 25.8 g kg–1 soil C as against 10.3 to 11.2 g kg–1 for treatments without organic amendments), implying the profound potential of biochar for soil carbon sequestration owing to its recalcitrant nature.

Biocarbon Tracker

http://biocarbontracker.com/

"Biocarbon is the carbon absorbed by plants through photosynthesis and stored in their biomass and soils. Maintaining stores of biocarbon is important for minimising carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

BioCarbon Tracker uses satellite data and advanced methods to map the ecosystems where biocarbon is stored, identify vegetation at risk from land use change and monitor where high biocarbon stock land such as forest is converted to agriculture.

It is a free service provided by Greenergy in association with Ecometrica, the University of Edinburgh and the UK’s National Centre for Earth Observation."

Biochar Activity in Cambodia

The potential benefits of biochar for Cambodia

http://www.slideshare.net/NerdNiteSR/michael-horton-biochar

Micheal Horton gives a 10min presentation which introduces biochar and discusses its production and use in Cambodia. The focus is on rice husk as biomass and either stoves or Ankor gasifiers for production.

Biochar Project Registration: Help IBI help you!

Submitted by thayer on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 15:30

Date: Thu, 09/29/2011

Contributor: Thayer Tomlinson

Are you starting a biochar production company? Are you a researcher looking for funding? Are you a teacher wanting to network with other schools doing biochar science projects? Are you a philanthropist or investor looking for interesting projects? The IBI Project Registry is for you!
IBI staff members get requests for information and help every day. Being in at the center of this information flow has allowed us to help a number of projects get connected to resources and partners, like the National Geographic funding opportunity. Help us connect your project to others by letting us know about your work and your needs. We invite you to fill out the IBI Biochar Project Registration form online:
http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/581013/IBI-Biochar-Project-Database

Regional Haze issue: Slash & Char solution?

By coincidence, two separate stories have appeared on the regional haze issue today, each with a different take on the problem...

Why Indonesia cannot stop the fires and haze (Star Online, Dr Francis Ng)

Slash and Burn Agriculture in Sanggau Ledo Sub-District, Kalimantan (Marc Henrich, Ecodana)... dead link, changed to: http://www.ssireview.org/blog/entry/from_the_field_indigenous_environmentalists_strive_to_reforest_indonesia/

It would be interesting debate the different reasons high-lighted by these two pictures... maybe they are both correct in their location and context. And maybe there are other issues that could be included in this discussion.

But maybe traditional (?) shifting agriculture can be improved through biochar. It would be great to see a pilot village scale research program based around small scale pyrolysis of this annual biomass removal ritual. Dr Christoph Steiner proposed a Slash & Char solution as part of his doctoral studies. He has expressed interest in the past, on collaborating in a SEA research program. Interest in this probably needs to be taken up by a NGO.

http://news.mongabay.com/bioenergy/2008/01/biochar-carbon-negative-bioenergy.html

Charcoal cold room in Kenya

Wes Graff at South Asia Biomass in Singapore, sent me this photo of a charcoal cool room in the Kenya bush based on evaporative cooling.

I can imagine many interesting applications for similar designs. I see a lot of day shelters in the fields and plantations in SEA.  Maybe this could be adapted using bamboo & other weave material to create a cool day shelter.

Malaysia Agro 2011 - Biochar presentation

Dr Robert Bachmann will be a guest speaker at MY AGRO with a presentation titled, "Production of Biochar to balance the carbon footprint for Agriculture".  This free, one day event will take place at MATRADE on Wednesday, 21 September 2011with Dr Bachmann's presentation scheduled for 9:30AM.

"The first edition of Malaysia Agro 2011 (MY AGRO 2011) is set to be the new benchmark in the agriculture and agro-based industry of Malaysia. Showcasing some of the latest product findings and technology, MY AGRO 2011 is expected to feature approximately 4,000sqm of exhibits, from local and international exhibitors. ..."

http://www.myagro.my/

Feebates - Sam Carana's vision for a sustainable economy

Towards a Sustainable Economy (http://knol.google.com/k/towards-a-sustainable-economy#)

"Feebates are the most effective way to facilitate the shift towards a sustainable economy"

"Feebates are proposed to facilitate a shift away from fossil fuel toward clean energy. Furthermore, fees are proposed on livestock products, nitrogen fertilizers, Portland cement and similar products with high emissions, to finance rebates on methods that can remove large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, such as biochar burial and olivine grinding..."