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..."

IBI August Newletter - draft BIG-SEA contribution

SEA August Report

Biochar Activities in Singapore
Research interest from a number of groups in Singapore and Malaysia has led to an order being placed with BlackEarth in Australia for a 20ft container of biochar. The importation work is being led by Uniseal in Singapore, who are planning to undertake green-roof and other trials on biochar. BSL undertook the initial coordination for this initiative which also includes the research arm of the Singapore Parks Department (CUGE) and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS).
Report from CUGE
The Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology (CUGE) Division of Singapore National Parks Board has initiated research using biochar for urban soil improvement. Dr. Subhadip Ghosh, a researcher from CUGE has undertaken some initial trials using commercial charcoal on different types of soil-based root zone mixes typically used for turf grass and rooftop application and the results indicated that application of charcoal significantly increased the organic matter content and nutrient status of the soils. CUGE will conduct further research on efficacy of biochar for restoring soil quality for the growth of trees and grasses. These studies will determine whether biochar can replace sand in the growing media such as ASM (Approved Soil Mix). These studies will help to identify appropriate application rates and economic feasibility of applying biochar as an urban soil amendment compared to other materials currently being used.
Uniseal Singapore Pte Ltd
Uniseal will undertake a number of research activities based around the importation of biochar from Australia, focusing on the following initial work: 

  1)  To research on the performance of Biochar application on green roofs to determine the effects of plant growth, carbon sequestration and stormwater water quality after infiltrating through the green roofs. 

  2)  To research on the performance of Biochar application on Bio-swales and Bio-retention basins (rain gardens) to determine the effectiveness of removing pollutants (eg. hydrocarbons) from the stormwater.

Biochar Activities in Malaysia
UniKL MICET

Two Cambodian students, Bona Moung and Piseth Yu, have completed their 5 months placement with UniKL MICET, and are set to return home to Phom Phen to continue their studies with the Royal University of Agriculture. The students had a very productive time investigating the heat transfer efficiency, specific PM10 emission and biochar yield from EFB pellets and coconut shells using Paul Anderson's TLUD, Crisipin Pendecott's VESTO, a traditional Malaysian clay stove and the three stone fire. In addition the biochar produced was characterised physico-chemically. Bona and Piseth will take back the biochar for pot assay testing early next year. A farewell BBQ was organised using the cooking stoves to prepare the food. That was fun!

While we were sad to see Bona and Moung go we are cheered by the arrival of our first international PhD student from Uganda, Nsamba Hussein Kisiki. He'll be working with Dr Robert Bachmann from UniKL MICET, Prof. Gerard Cornelissen and Dr Sarah Hale from NGI (Norway) on biochar.

Universiti Putra Malysia 
Universiti Putra Malysia, Serdang, are actively conducting research on biochar. The Faculty of Engineering is working on pyrolysis methods for different feedstock and we at the Faculty of Agriculture are carrying out  experiments in the glasshouse and field on the application of the biochars (oil palm empty fruit bunch biochar and rice husk biochar) for cultivation of vegetable and field crop (maize and rice), as M.Sc. and Ph.D. projects. We are excited by the results that we are getting seems promising. We have participated in a few exhibitions to create awareness about biochar and its role for crop production and mitigation of climate change.
MPOB
Work continues on the BEK research program at MPOB, first reported in the May11 newsletter.  The construction of a new house for the BEK was completed, which is spacious enough to accommodate the BEK this time around. A few batches of the feedstock have been run through since then, and some minor modification on the BEK are needed to optimize the performance of the unit (Suggestions and advices from other BEK’s user will be very helpful). Some properties of the biochar produced have been analyzed, and the results are reported in the extended abstract submitted to APBC 2011. Kong (the student/author) is going to present the poster on his work on this, and he is currently looking for sponsorship or travelling grant offered to students/young scientists to fund his trip to Kyoto this September. Any suggestions or advice in this regard would be most appreciated.

ADB Job Opportunity: Biomass and Biochar Technology Specialist

This follows on from the recent ADB announcement covered in my earlier post...

http://sea-biochar.blogspot.com/2011/07/adb-agrees-4-mln-grant-to-boost-biomass.html

"The subject regional capacity development technical assistance (R-CDTA) aims to improve utilization of biomass in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Viet Nam (CLV). This will be achieved through: (i) harmonization of sustainable standards, certification systems, and other mechanisms to enhance regional cooperation on bioenergy development with food security ensured; (ii) implementation of pilot projects to demonstrate mechanisms for scaling up biomass investment projects for bioenergy or food security; (iii) capacity-building support for project stakeholders; and (iv) knowledge products and awareness campaign. The mechanisms for scaling up demonstrated under the R-CDTA are expected to lead to ensuing ADB investment projects in Cambodia, Laos, and Viet Nam" 

"The specialist will be in charge of:

1. review biomass availability, including seasonality, pricing, quality, and competing demand (if any) and the biomass and charcoal briquetting sector, and logistics issues surrounding feedstock supply for small-sized projects;
2. design and conduct a beneficiary needs assessment of traditional biomass, feedstock, and charcoal briquetting supply agents and benefit streams, and conduct a comparative analysis of various biomass conversion technologies, including financing models, delivery mechanisms, and program modalities (e.g., compost making, biochar);
3. provide benchmarks for technical performance and carbon credit potentials;
4. develop a framework for the application of these technologies, including aspects related to institutional needs, financing needs, and information, awareness, and capacity-building needs, and conduct gender-sensitive capacity-building activities;
5. conduct gender-sensitive capacity-building activities and interventions; and
6. design a biomass conversion pilot project for composting, biochar, etc., where deemed appropriate."

 "Qualifications:

• Extensive knowledge about biomass and biochar use for bioenergy, including the charcoal briquetting sector and various conversion technologies
• Technical Background
• Knowledge about the existing biomass use initiatives in GMS region as well as the existing institutional framework in GMS countries
• Experience in design of biomass conversion pilot projects is an advantage
• Experienced in capacity building activities on biomass and biochar
• Previous work experience within international donors funded projects
• Previous work experience on ADB funded projects is an advantage
• His/her experience should include assignments in Lao PDR, Cambodia and Vietnam.
• Citizenship of one of ADB’s member countries is obligatory! (see www.adb.org/about/membership.asap)"

http://www.devex.com/en/jobs/biomass-and-biochar-technology-specialist

The Big Biochar Experiment

Oxford Biochar is sponsoring a giant experiment to test the effectiveness of Biochar in standard garden plots all across Britain.

The Big Biochar Experiment

"The web site does a nice job of explaining what biochar is, and showing the benefits of adding it to your soil. Then it asks home gardeners to set up 2 plots, one a test, and one a control. Add the biochar, and record data about what types of things they added to both plots, the pest control needed and the yields from that plot are. It looks like it will do a nice job of seeing whether regular gardeners are likely to see results from biochar in the first year." Erin Rasmussen

It would be great if we could get this replicated in SEA to start building a knowledge base on tropical soils. One problem will be sourcing biochar in the region. There is still almost no commercial retail activity in SEA and importing retail products from overseas is not practical or beyond the means of many in the region. 


I hope to soon be able to confirm the importation of a container load of BlackEarth biochar into Singapore to support local & regional research activities. Maybe this product can be distributed to a team of volunteer researchers / gardeners.

EU-Asia Biomass Best Practices & Business Partnering Conference May 2012, Kuala Lumpur

Here is an opportunity to show-case regional biochar activities to a new audience. I have engaged with Biomass-SP and some of there funding agencies in the past. They are rather focused on biofuels... overly so from my perspective. We need to be waving the flag for a biochar and agronomic pathway for biomass.  Energy poverty in the region is also a big problem but we need to maintain a balance between future sustainable food production and future energy needs.  Pyrolysis offers this balance with a distribution of agriculture and energy benefits along with wide choices in scale and technology.

"EU-Asia Biomass Best Practices & Business Partnering Conference 2012

May 2012, Kuala Lumpur

Dear colleague,

We are pleased to announce the EU-Asia Biomass Best Practices & Business Partnering Conference 2012 – to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The Conference is hosted by the EU SWITCH-Asia Biomass Sustainable Production Initiative (Biomass-SP), an EU-funded development cooperation project under the SWITCH-Asia programme led by Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT), supported by the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water (KeTTHA), in partnership with the European Biomass Industry Association (EUBIA) and Danish Technological Institute (DTI).

The 2012 Conference gives much focus on the sharing of best practices i.e. commercial, technologies, policies, investments & etc., in the biomass industry in Asia and Europe..."
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The Biomass-SP website does not currently include a link to the conference details or the 'call for papers' documentation. Please let me know if you want me to forward their email to you.