On the Practical Side
Max Henderson, SE Queensland, Australia, April 19, 2008

(Select photo to enlarge)
Dear All,

For those on the list who haven’t had the opportunity to experiment, here are some photos of my first trials. Apologies to those who are well ahead of this stage.

Photo 1 shows the very basic kiln, constructed of un-bonded second-hand bricks and sized to take a 200 litre drum (55 gallon in he US). This particular drum has a removable lid held in place with an over-centre clamp.

Photo 2 shows the drum in place and loaded with seasoned offcuts of local hardwoods such as Ironbark (Euc piniculata), which is hard and dense. The drum is raised off the brick floor the height of 2 bricks to allow firewood to be placed under. The base of the drum (on its side) is drilled with 8 x 8mm holes in a line evenly spaced. These permit the generated gases to exit and burn.

3 shows the flames after the load has started to gassify. Depending in the intensity of the external fire and the sizes, moisture content and density of the timber load, the beginning of the gasification phase can take from 30 minutes upwards.

4 and 5 show the char output.


Photo 6 gives an idea of the vast amount of energy released. At this trial the front of the kiln was also bricked up once the fire had started, to further concentrate the heat. For pure spectacle this is best done at night, preferably lubricated with copious cold beers. This is indeed hot and thirsty work. What you can’t hear is the whistling of the gas as it exits the holes in the drum, and the roar of the fire. Obviously there is huge opportunity to capture surplus gas and compress to store.

7 shows the first experimental vegetable bed prior to planting, approx 4m x 1.2m. The char was broken up before adding but this could have been done much better. Around 10cm thickness was added to the bed. Also added was 5 cm of compost and 1 kg of NPK fertiliser (13:13:15 + 2Mg). The bed was then forked a number of times to a 20cm depth. For comparison purposes an adjacent bed was prepared in the same manner including the compost and the NPK, but no added char.

Corni, broad beans and basil were planted in both. Definitely germination was better in the char bed and definitely initial growth was also more vigorous. Unfortunately the wallabies broke the fence ending that trial, but the fence has been reinforced and the beds planted again. This time I’ve added a third bed the same as the first with the char, compost and NPK, but added 5 cm of worm castings from my composting worm experimental pile. (I believe composting worms have equivalent miracle capacity as does char).

The test site is just above the creek flats on land that was a dairy farm for maybe 100 years before being abandoned some 20 years ago and allowed to return to natural forest, mainly eucalypts. Around 5 acres have been cleared. Soil texture is loamy, with recent tests indicating deficiencies across the full range of nutrients. Annual rainfall is in the 1500mm range. Being a fairly civilised part of the world we don’t have any of that snow stuff but winter daytime temps can plunge horrifically to 10 deg C (50F), with occasional night time frosts. Terrifying. Right now we’re at the beginning of Autumn.

I’ll update in a couple of weeks.

Max H
mfh01@bigpond.net.au

Dynamotive in Iowa Biochar Test to Boost Corn Yields, Water Quality and Sequester Carbon
Business Wire, May 29, 2007
Joint Research Project to Use Ancient Amazonian Farmland Soil Enrichment Techniques

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Dynamotive USA, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dynamotive Energy Systems Corporation (OTCBB:DYMTF), a leader in biomass-to-biofuel technology, announced it is taking part in a project to test biochar, a co-product of the company's BioOil([R]) biofuel, as a soil enhancer to increase fertility and corn crop yields.
The project is led by Heartland BioEnergy LLC, based in Webster City, Iowa. Heartland proposes to build a biorefinery in central Iowa that would include a BioOil([R]) and biochar plant developed in partnership with Dynamotive and several agriculture equipment companies.

Heartland works closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Soil Tilth Laboratoryi, Iowa State University and Iowa Soybean Association in studies coordinated by the Prairie Rivers of Iowa RC&D, an organization that addresses regional environmental issues and economic development opportunities.

From Dynamotive SEC Form 6 K Filing May 30, 2007:
ARLINGTON, Virginia, May 29, 2007 -- Dynamotive USA, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dynamotive Energy Systems Corporation (OTCBB:DYMTF), a leader in biomass-to-biofuel technology, announced it is taking part in a project to test biochar, a co-product of the company's BioOil(R) biofuel, as a soil enhancer to increase fertility and corn crop
yields.
The project, initially involving 14 tons of Dynamotive-produced biochar, is centered in Iowa's Corni Belt, and aims to replicate ancient Amazonian Indian soil fertilization practices. The soils created then are now
known as "terra preta", which means black soil, and are considered among the most fertile in the world.
Dynamotive's BioOil(R) biofuel is produced using carbon-neutral fast pyrolysis. However, the use of its biochar co-product as an agricultural soil enhancer means the company's production processes would be carbon
negative - resulting in a net reduction of carbon by "sequestering" it in the soil.
The project is led by Heartland BioEnergy LLC, based in Webster City, Iowa. Heartland proposes to build a biorefinery in central Iowa that would include a BioOil(R) and biochar plant developed in
partnership with Dynamotive and several agriculture equipment companies. Heartland works closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Soil Tilth Laboratory, Iowa State University and Iowa Soybean Association in studies coordinated by the Prairie Rivers of Iowa RC&D, an organization that addresses regional
environmental issues and economic development opportunities. "Not only has Dynamotive's biochar the potential to raise high-yield rates of corn another 20%, but we believe there is a real possibility the char trial could also result in evidence that could point the way to dramatic improvements in water quality,
which could have far-reaching beneficial consequences,"said Dr. Lon Crosby, of Heartland BioEnergy.
Dr. Desmond Radlein, Dynamotive's chief scientist behind the company's proprietary fast-pyrolysis technology, added: "Because the biochar does not readily break down, it could sequester, apparently for thousands of years, nearly all the carbon it contains, rather than releasing it into the atmosphere as the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Crucially, we expect it to boost agricultural productivity significantly through its ability to retain nutrients and moisture and host beneficial soil micro-organisms." President of Dynamotive USA, Andrew Kingston, said: "By enhancing
productivity of the land and crop yields, sequestering carbon by putting it back into the soil, and producing alongside ethanol and biodiesel our BioOil(R) that displaces hydrocarbon fuel use in industrial applications, we aim to show, with our partners, a virtuous circle of land, crop, fuel and environment management. The Amazonian Indians created the most fertile soils in the world, and today we may be able to benefit from adopting their land management methods."
Dr. Crosby said the field trials will involve three strips of corn crop land 800 feet long and 30 feet wide. One strip will have no char applied, but the second one will have 2.5 tons of char applied per acre, and the third one will have 5 tons. Further tests will follow.
For several decades, scientists have recognized that the most productive soils in Europe have a char base, classifying these lands as "black carbon" based. The role of char was poorly understood and believed to be an indirect effect, resulting from the routine burning of crop residues from naturally productive
soils over centuries. Recent research from South America has shown that the application of char to low productivity soils can turn them into highly productive soils.
Dr. Crosby continued: "Subsequent research has shown that the char, per se, is playing an active role in changing bulk density, modifying soil structure, regulating water storage ability and loosely binding soil nutrients so they are retained and released for plant growth. Outside of the black carbon soils of Europe and the terra preta soils of South America, biochar is a minor soil constituent. However, when scientists have looked, they have found it, suggesting that char was, at one point, an important soil constituent in many soils. It has been found at low levels
in native prairie soils in the U.S. and Canada. This suggests that char application can significantly enhance soil
productivity."
Heartland BioEnergy's proposed biorefinery is expected to serve as the prototype for a series of biorefineries strategically located across the Corn Belt that would use up to 17% of the 10 million dry tons of annually available cornstalk biomass within a 50-mile radius. Cornstalks represent the single largest source of annually renewable energy in the U.S., and Iowa will produce over 40 million tons of cornstalks harvestable on an annual and
sustainable basis.

The Charcoalab Projecti: Charcoalab Pot Trials

Robert Flanagani, SAFFE, China, Christelle Brauni, Naomi, September 4, 2007

Select image to access album of photos.

Update on Biochar Trials in Hangzhou, China

Robert flanagan, SAFFE, Hangzhou, China, August 28, 2007

Ready to Eat in 59 Days

Biochar Trials in Hangzhou, China (pdf)
Robert Flanagan, Saffe China, July 10, 2007

Select image below to see in Gallery
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This is a small trial I'm doing for some farmers just outside Hangzhou to show them the benefits of Biochar. I've 48 plots in all so 24 with rice husk charcoal addition at 20Kg per plot. This trial is not for scientific data collection we have that in another trial a little further outside town.