Social enterprise in Bali includes biochar

https://www.eastbalicashews.co/eco-friendly-energy/

"Believe it or not, cashew shells are an important part of our business. The circular journey of the cashew shells starts at our factory. To power the steaming and drying process of our cashews, we use an innovative gasifier furnace that runs on leftover cashew shells. We then use the resulting biochar as a super carbon-rich fertilizer for our cashew trees and rosella plantations.

Our excess cashew shells we pass on to other small businesses, such as commercial laundries, which use the shells to heat their boilers. While the shells may seem like a simple byproduct with little value compared to the cashews themselves, they’re actually integral to our operations and need to be managed with care.

In 2016, we started to take the “use the whole cashew” idea to the next level. We have ambitious plans to replant Bali’s – and eventually Indonesia’s – cashew trees within the next decade. Part of this plan involves buying old cashew trees from farmers to make space for the new seedlings. We are using the wood chips from these trees to fire our furnaces as well, leaving no part of the cashew – or its tree – unused."info@eastbalicashews.com

Biochar industry development in China

Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2017 21:56:30 +0800
From: "Tom Miles" <tmiles@trmiles.com>
To: "'Discussion of biomass cooking stoves'"
        <stoves@lists.bioenergylists.org>
Subject: Re: [Stoves] Air pollution in cities

"China is making a substantial effort to reduce air pollution. We have just completed the "2nd China-Asian Workshop on Biochar Production and Application for Green Agriculture -From Technology to Viable Systems" at Nanjing University and the International Biochar Initiative Asia-China center. Scientists and companies from around the region attended. We visited plants converting straws, manure, and biosolids to biochar and biochar fertilizers. China has invested in many biochar plants in Northern China, primarily to reduce air pollution, improve yields and soil fertility, and sequester carbon. They are currently building about 50 biochar plants. They have located a biochar plant in each of several provinces. They have tested the biochar fertilizer products in the field at more than 300 sites with impressive results. They have set up farmer coops and businesses to collect and densify crop residues at harvest. The pellets are used to store the straw and improve the efficiency for the process used to make the biochar, recover oils and vinegars, and convert the biochar into fertilizers that can be used by local for fertilizers. They have methods to account for the sequestered carbon. They grow more food with less fertilizer while reducing air pollution and sequestering carbon. Last year they converted 200,000 tons of crop residues to biochar. This year they expect to convert 800,000 tons of crop residues to biochar and biochar products. That is expected to grow to three million tons within five years. It is profitable for the farmers and for the biochar fertilizer companies.

Organizations through the region will be working with the International Biochar Association to demonstrate ways to reduce are pollution from crop residues by converting part of the residue to biochar and biochar products to smallholders and large crop producers."

Tom (Miles, IBI Chairman)

Free Webinar for biochar businesses

​
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: tmiles@trmiles.com [biochar] 
Date: 2 November 2017 at 22:59
Subject: [biochar] Boosting Bottom Lines with Biochar
To: biochar@yahoogroups.com

FREE WEBINAR Thursday, December 7, 2017 | 2:00 PM CST Boosting Bottom Lines with Biochar
Presenters: Moderator: Anna Simet Biomass Magazine Tom Miles International Biochar Initiative Jim Brown Karr Group Jonah Levine Confluence Energy, Biochar Solutions Inc. The buzz about biochar is getting louder, and as global market demand increases, bioenergy producers may have opportunities to capitalize. Join Biomass Magazine’s Dec. 7 webinar for an expert discussion about biochar properties, uses and market drivers, technology, how pellet or bioenergy producers can diversify offerings and add value to operations, and more.

Tom Miles

International Biochar Initiative

Biochar-international.org

U.S. Biochar Initiative

"Promoting the Sustainable Production and Use of Biochar"

www.biochar-us.org

@USbiochar

Facebook US Biochar Initiative

 

The Great Change: Concrete Solutions

The Great Change: Concrete Solutions: " We want to take the atmosphere back to its pre-industrial chemistry as quickly as possible. For that, we have biocomposites. &q...

IBI Webinar: Sewage sludge & Biochar, 26Apr

Reminder! One Week from Today.

New this month: one of our IBI members has put together an 11 page summary of recent sewage sludge and biochar peer reviewed academic research.  This packet will be available only to IBI members and those that register for this webinar!

International Biochar Initiative - Educational Webinar Series

 Sewage Sludge & Biochar

April 26, 2017 • 1:00- 2:30pm ET (United States)

As the world's population continues to increase, our need to find sustainable methods of managing human waste becomes increasingly more important.  Carbonizing waste through pyrolysis or gasification offers some significant advantages over other common waste management practices including substantial reductions in the overall volume of waste, nutrient recovery, renewable energy production, reducing GHG emissions related to wastewater management, immobilization of toxins, to name a few.
Dr. Saran Sohi, an academic from the University of Edinburgh, will provide an overview of scientific research being conducted on the topic of biochar derived from sewage sludge, including the potential for recovery and re-use of Phosphorus.
Jeff Hallowell, CEO of Biomass Controls, has been collaborating with the Gates Foundation for several years where their technology is being used to carbonize human sewage in India.  Jeff will share an overview of the project including lessons learned, challenges and the vast opportunities, especially for remote communities, to convert human waste into biochar.
This webinar will be of interest to wastewater treatment managers both in the developed and developing world, biochar producers, researchers, climate researchers and more.  An interactive Q&A period will follow at the end of the Webinar.  Questions may be submitted during the event or prior to it via email: webinars@biochar-international.org

Cost?

Free to IBI Members or $40 for non-members

To Register:
Registration includes access to the slides and a recording of the webinar.
IBI Members register here (go to the upcoming webinars section). Your event link will be emailed to you after successful confirmation about your membership status.
Non-IBI members register here.
Presenters:

Dr. Saran Sohi
Dr. Sohi leads the soil science dimension of the UK Biochar Research Center (UKBRC) which was launched in 2009. 
The Centre is based in the University of Edinburgh, within the School of GeoScience and emerging out of the Scottish Centre for Carbon Storage.

Collectively the UKBRC addresses biochar production technologies, the function of biochar in soil, potential carbon-equivalent gains from pyrolysis-biochar systems, and scoping socio-economic opportunities and issues (including regulation and land-use).


Jeff Hallowell
Jeff has over 30 years of experience in the computer technology industry with companies such as Xerox, Oracle, Netscape and United Healthcare.  As the former President of ClearStak for five years, Jeff worked on pollution reduction and improving efficiency on hydronic and forced air heats, wood boilers, pellet burners, biochar kilns and wood stoves.  His experience includes the development and modification of automatic controls for each biomass system including Biomass Controls' patented Pollution Control Device and Intelligent Biofuel Controller.  Currently Jeff is working on several projects including rolling out human excreta-to-biochar processing systems that provide a suitable sanitation option to meet the needs of the urban poor as part of the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundaiton.  He was also the Project Manager for the Relocate, LLC project to process human solid waste to biochar in the arctic climate of Kivalina, Alaska.

 
Moderator:  Kathleen Draper
Kathleen is a member of the IBI Board and Chair of IBI's Information Hub. She is also the US Director of the Ithaka Institute for Carbon Intelligence. The Institute is an open source network focusing on beneficial carbon sequestration strategies which simultaneously provide economic development opportunities both in the developed and developing world. She is an editor and writer for The Biochar Journal, sponsored by the Ithaka Institute. Kathleen also works with various different universities and individuals on projects that are investigating the use of biochar in cement and other building and packaging products to develop products with lower embodied carbon which can be made from locally available organic waste. She has written extensively about various topics related to biochar and is a co-author of the book "Terra Preta: How the World's Most Fertile Soil Can Help Reverse Climate Change and Reduce World Hunger".

For more information:
What questions do you have about biochar quality and use? Please send your questions by April 23^rd to webinars@biochar-international.org. For more information or if you have any questions about registration please email Vera Medici at vmedici@ttcorp.com.
Want to become an IBI member?  Visit our membership page to help support IBI.

IBI Webinar - 30Jan

​---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: 'Tom Miles' tmiles@trmiles.com [biochar]
Date: 14 January 2017 at 12:12
Subject: [biochar] Save the Date Jan 30 - IBI Webinar on Biochar Classification
To: biochar@yahoogroups.com

SAVE THE DATE: Jan 30th IBI is relaunching our Biochar Webinar series! Registration will be free for IBI Members & $40 for non-members. More details soon!

International Biochar Initiative – Educational Webinar Series

A Classification System for Biochars Applied to Soils

January 30^th, 2017 1:00 – 2:00pm E. T.

On January 30^th at 1pm ET (6PM UTC), the International Biochar Initiative (IBI) is relaunching its biochar education webinar series where you can interact with experts from around the globe about the latest research and developments on biochar, biochar production technologies, biochar business models and market opportunities.

First in the series is a webinar that reviews a biochar classification system aimed at optimizing the sustainable use of biochar in agriculture. This classification system builds upon biochar product definition and testing guidelines developed by IBI (Biochar Classification Tool) and the European Biochar Foundation, as well as including IBI’s methodology for carbon stability. This system enables stakeholders and commercial entities to identify the most suitable biochar to fulfil the requirements for a particular soil and/or land use. The potential effects of biochar in soils have been classified into five categories including: (i) carbon storage value, (ii) fertiliser value, (iii) liming value, (iv) particle-size, and (v) use in soil-less agriculture.

An interactive Q&A period will follow. You may submit your questions directly to the speakers during the event. Submit questions before the event to webinars@biochar-international.org.

When?
Date: January 30, 2017
Time: 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. ET (6:00-7:00 p.m. UTC)

Moderator: Kathleen Draper

Kathleen is a member of the IBI Board and Chair of IBI’s Information Hub.  She is also the US Director of the Ithaka Institute for Carbon Intelligence.  The Institute is an open source network focusing on beneficial carbon sequestration strategies which simultaneously provide economic development opportunities both in the developed and developing world. She is an editor and writer for The Biochar Journal, sponsored by the Ithaka Institute. Kathleen also works with various different universities and individuals on projects that are investigating the use of biochar in cement and other building and packaging products to develop products with lower embodied carbon which can be made from locally available organic waste.  She has written extensively about various topics related to biochar and is a co-author of the book “Terra Preta: How the World’s Most Fertile Soil Can Help Reverse Climate Change and Reduce World Hunger”.

Presenter: Dr. Marta Camps

Marta is Associate Professor of Soil Science at Massey University (New Zealand) and the co-director of the New Zealand Biochar Research Centre. She has been a member of the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (2013-2015) and a member of the Board of Directors of the International Biochar Initiative (2011-2015; vice-chair 2014; chair 2015). Marta studied Agricultural Engineering at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (Lleida, Spain) and then received her MSc and PhD in Soil Science from the University of California, Davis. Previous to working at Massey University, she was a Senior Researcher - “Ramon y Cajal” (2003-2008) at NEIKER (Spain) and lecturer (1999-2003) at the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (Spain).

 

Message from Thayer at IBI...

Reaching out to Regional Biochar Groups: State of the Industry Data Collection Effort

Dear colleagues,

I’m emailing you today because we’re in the midst of reaching out to our community to request information for our 2015 State of the Biochar Industry data collection effort. We were able to include over 200 companies last year and are hoping to have a stronger data set this year.

To do this, I need your help. I’m asking you, as a regional biochar group leader, to send this message out to your colleagues asking them to please take our survey at http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/2260737/Biochar-Business-Survey-for-2015? It is at most 20 minutes and usually takes less time depending on responses. We conduct this survey to collect data on activities related to the commercial production, distribution, and marketing of biochar and biochar-related products and services. The deadline for input is October 31, 2015. You may review the published results from prior years at: http://www.biochar-international.org/commercialization.
We recognize that companies want to be sure that the information they submit is private. IBI will maintain the confidentiality of all information collected in this survey. Data will be presented in aggregate for trending analysis and the only personal information shared will be basic contact information such as website and location, in order to illustrate the growth in biochar/biochar-related businesses. In addition, we are launching a 4-question anonymous survey to ask biochar producers about the volume of biochar produced and sold at http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/2264439/Biochar-sales-volume-anonymous.

Thank you in advance for your participation and I hope this finds you well.

As usual, please feel free to send me any regional group updates on your activities for inclusion in our next newsletter.

Thayer

Ms. Thayer Tomlinson

International Biochar Initiative

Communications Director

(802) 257 5359

www.biochar-international.org

IBI is a non-profit, member-supported organization and is counting on your generous donation to put the Earth "Back in the Black". Please join us at: www.biochar-international.org/join

EcoFarm - biochar activity in Vietnam

IBI feature article that links Vietnam with Australia and Hawaii on a biochar project.

EcoFarm: Facilitating an international collaboration to install biochar technology in Vietnam

Biochar commercialisation in Malaysia

A Malay language newspaper has recently included an article on biochar based around work emanating from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). The online article is in Malay here. I've used an online translation service that provides a rather poor English translation.

The article describes UPM work with biomass from the palm oil industry and product development activities leading to trial product sales at a horticulture event last November. I'm sure we will hear more about this at the biochar workshop (previous post).