Sign in or 
Share this
SYNGAS AND BIOCHAR
SYNGAS
Points of entry:
Overview:
Syngas chemistry: http://web.iitd.ac.in/~ravimr/Publications/IndianJournals/sesi-pyrolysis.pdf
Equipment & combustion: http://www.nrbp.org/bioenergy/technology/index.html
Feedstock:
Bushes: Hazelnut
ARTICLES:
BEYOND ZERO EMISSIONS
Adriana Downie talks about Best Energies pyrolysis gasifier and making bio char (Terra Preta)
http://beyondzeroemissions.org/2008/06/03/adriana-downie-best-energies-bio-char-agri-char-pyrolysis
This morning on Beyond Zero we are interviewing Adriana Downey, Technical Manger at Best Energies. Her company is involved in pyrolysis, synthesis gas and biomass waste management. These provide benefits such as reduced waste, cleaner energy, improved soil quality and carbon sequestration; potentially music to our ears here at Beyond Zero.
L
isten to Podcast
Scott Bilby: This morning on Beyond Zero we are interviewing Adriana Downey, Technical Manger at Best Energies. Her company is involved in pyrolysis, synthesis gas and biomass waste management. These provide benefits such as reduced waste, cleaner energy, improved soil quality and carbon sequestration; potentially music to our ears here at Beyond Zero.
Scott Bilby: Good morning Adriana.
Adriana Downie: Good morning to the Beyond Zero team. How are you this morning?
Scott Bilby:Very good thank you, and thank you for joining us in the studio this morning. Several weeks ago we interviewed Tim Flannery and he mentioned the work of Lukas Van Zwieten. Are you aware of the agrichar, or the Terra Preta work, that he is doing?
Adriana Downie: Yes, Lukas's program with the NSW DPI (Department of Primary Industries) in Northern NSW have basically taken some of the agrichar material that we've made here at Best Energies and they've been trialling that material in different agronomic applications to see how the agrichar, when its applied, can help crop-productivity and improve the sustainability of agriculture as well as, and what you guys are more interested in, sequester carbon long-term in soils and also decrease the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide emissions from soil.
Scott Bilby: OK and can you tell us a little bit about the demonstration he did? Is it a demonstration garden? MORE.....
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
USE OF SYNGAS
SLIDING PISTON PRODUCES ELECTRICAL ENERGY
This design would be perfect for using production gas made as syngas from pyrolsis of wood waste. This electrical generator would be ideal for use in the BioVolt Truck to generate electricty to rechage the batteries. Production syngas can be fractionalized into propane, butane, pentane and ethanol. The finished product gas can be compressed in a tank located behind the cab of the BioVolt truck. This solution eliminates the biodiesel tank and the expensive reciprocating diesel engine. There would be a great savings in cost of manufacture, cost of operation and maintenance and a drop in truck weight which would aid the fuel efficienty.
An unconventional engine design is attracting attention as a potential alternative to hydrogen fuel cells or conventional engines in some hybrid vehicles. Called the free-piston engine, it could be used to generate electricity as efficiently as fuel cells yet cost less. Free-piston engines aren't new: they were invented in the 1920s. But the increased recent focus on hybrid cars has led a growing number of research groups and automakers to start research programs to develop the technology. Unlike in conventional engines, there is no mechanical connection between the piston and a crankshaft (hence the name free-piston). Since the design allows for improved combustion and less friction, the engines could be far more efficient in generating electricity than either conventional generators or newer fuel-cell technology. http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/21442/page1/#comment-205222
======================================================================
BIOMASS FEEDSTOCK
Bioenergy May be a Remedy for Ailing Wood Products Industry
Points of entry:
Overview:
Syngas chemistry: http://web.iitd.ac.in/~ravimr/Publications/IndianJournals/sesi-pyrolysis.pdf
Equipment & combustion: http://www.nrbp.org/bioenergy/technology/index.html
Feedstock:
Grasses: Switch grass, Canary Grass, Miscanthua gigantia, "caña brava" (Gynerium sagittatum), bamboo,
Trees: American Paulownia, Paradise tree,
Bushes: Hazelnut
ARTICLES:
BEYOND ZERO EMISSIONS
Adriana Downie talks about Best Energies pyrolysis gasifier and making bio char (Terra Preta)
http://beyondzeroemissions.org/2008/06/03/adriana-downie-best-energies-bio-char-agri-char-pyrolysis
This morning on Beyond Zero we are interviewing Adriana Downey, Technical Manger at Best Energies. Her company is involved in pyrolysis, synthesis gas and biomass waste management. These provide benefits such as reduced waste, cleaner energy, improved soil quality and carbon sequestration; potentially music to our ears here at Beyond Zero.
L
isten to Podcast Scott Bilby: This morning on Beyond Zero we are interviewing Adriana Downey, Technical Manger at Best Energies. Her company is involved in pyrolysis, synthesis gas and biomass waste management. These provide benefits such as reduced waste, cleaner energy, improved soil quality and carbon sequestration; potentially music to our ears here at Beyond Zero.
Scott Bilby: Good morning Adriana.
Adriana Downie: Good morning to the Beyond Zero team. How are you this morning?
Scott Bilby:Very good thank you, and thank you for joining us in the studio this morning. Several weeks ago we interviewed Tim Flannery and he mentioned the work of Lukas Van Zwieten. Are you aware of the agrichar, or the Terra Preta work, that he is doing?
Adriana Downie: Yes, Lukas's program with the NSW DPI (Department of Primary Industries) in Northern NSW have basically taken some of the agrichar material that we've made here at Best Energies and they've been trialling that material in different agronomic applications to see how the agrichar, when its applied, can help crop-productivity and improve the sustainability of agriculture as well as, and what you guys are more interested in, sequester carbon long-term in soils and also decrease the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide emissions from soil.
Scott Bilby: OK and can you tell us a little bit about the demonstration he did? Is it a demonstration garden? MORE.....
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
USE OF SYNGAS
SLIDING PISTON PRODUCES ELECTRICAL ENERGY
This design would be perfect for using production gas made as syngas from pyrolsis of wood waste. This electrical generator would be ideal for use in the BioVolt Truck to generate electricty to rechage the batteries. Production syngas can be fractionalized into propane, butane, pentane and ethanol. The finished product gas can be compressed in a tank located behind the cab of the BioVolt truck. This solution eliminates the biodiesel tank and the expensive reciprocating diesel engine. There would be a great savings in cost of manufacture, cost of operation and maintenance and a drop in truck weight which would aid the fuel efficienty.
 |
| Piston power: In an unconventional engine design, a rod with a piston at either end shuttles between two combustion chambers. Magnets at the center of the rod move past metal coils (orange) to create an electrical current. Credit: Peter Van Blarigan, Sandia National Laboratory |
An unconventional engine design is attracting attention as a potential alternative to hydrogen fuel cells or conventional engines in some hybrid vehicles. Called the free-piston engine, it could be used to generate electricity as efficiently as fuel cells yet cost less. Free-piston engines aren't new: they were invented in the 1920s. But the increased recent focus on hybrid cars has led a growing number of research groups and automakers to start research programs to develop the technology. Unlike in conventional engines, there is no mechanical connection between the piston and a crankshaft (hence the name free-piston). Since the design allows for improved combustion and less friction, the engines could be far more efficient in generating electricity than either conventional generators or newer fuel-cell technology. http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/21442/page1/#comment-205222
======================================================================
BIOMASS FEEDSTOCK
Bioenergy May be a Remedy for Ailing Wood Products Industry
With the current economic crisis and housing market collapse, concerns have risen from the timber industry about the decrease in demand for wood fiber and lumber. According to the International Woodfiber Report (IWR) released on October 23, the demand for North American virgin woodfiber could decline by more than 20 million green tons by 2009. So far this year, the IWR estimates that pulp and paper mill closures represent the loss of 7.7 million tons/year of pulpwood demand in North America, and curtailments in oriented strand board (OSB) mills could lead to the decline of nearly 9.5 million green tons for this year. According to Chris Lyddan, executive editor of the IWR, "With the housing market virtually dead in the water, and pulp and paper markets teetering under the weight of the general financial crisis, pulpwood demand could see unprecedented declines in most US and Canadian markets." MORE....
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
SamoaFiber to Produce Bio-Oil in Peruvian Amazon Region
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=47168
According to Dr. Alan Garcia Perez, whom Vasquez said was interested in building a bio-oil production plant in Loreto, "the cana brava plant (SamoaFiber) can turn 80 percent of its biomass into bio-oil, a product that will be exported bringing revenue to the country
The flue gases could be used for heating purposes and as a source of nutrient for growing algae (products of combustion), for sequestration of CO2, for production of electricity, and for CHP applications.
--------------------------------------
DATABASE
http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=1399&fr=1&sts=&%20ang=EN&ver=print&prtflag=false
Organism type: grass, tree
BIOCHAR
Biochar: A Soil Amendment that Combats Global Warming and Improves Agricultural Sustainability and Environmental Impacts
www.biochar-international.org/images/Biochar_White_Paper_-_FINAL_10-9-07_w-o_links.doc -
Introduction to Biochar
Biochar and bioenergy co-production from urban, agricultural and forestry biomass can help combat global climate change by displacing fossil fuel use, by sequestering carbon in stable soil carbon pools, and by dramatically reducing emissions of nitrous oxides, a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.1,2 As a soil amendment, biochar helps to improve the Earth’s soil resource by increasing crop yields and productivity, by reducing soil acidity, and by reducing the need for some chemical and fertilizer inputs.3,4 Water quality is improved by the use of biochar as a soil amendment, because biochar aids in soil retention of nutrients and agrochemicals for plant and crop utilization,5,6 reducing leaching and run-off to ground and surface waters.
Biochar production and utilization systems differ from most biomass energy systems because the technology is carbon-negative: it removes net carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores it in stable soil carbon “sinks”.7 Other biomass energy systems are at best carbon-neutral, resulting in no net changes to atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Biochar Production Bioenergy and biochar can be co-produced from thermal treatment of biomass feedstocks. The thermal conversion of biomass, under the complete or partial exclusion of oxygen, results in the production of biochar and bioenergy or other bioproducts. Biochar production processes can utilize most urban, agricultural or forestry biomass residues, including wood chips, corn stover, rice or peanut hulls, tree bark, paper mill sludge, animal manure, and recycled organics, for instance.
Under controlled production conditions, the carbon in the biomass feedstock is captured in the biochar and the bioenergy co-products. Theoretically, the biochar co-product will retain up to 50% of the feedstock carbon in a porous charcoal structure; and the remaining 50% of the feedstock carbon will be captured as bioenergy. While it is technically infeasible to capture 100% of the biomass carbon, since energy is invariably used and lost in the production process, the optimal biochar production process can capture roughly half the biomass carbon in biochar and half as bioenergy.
Biochar can be produced by pyrolysis or gasification systems. Pyrolysis systems produce biochar largely in the absence of oxygen and most often with an external heat source. There are two types of pyrolysis systems in use today: fast pyrolysis and slow pyrolysis systems. Gasification systems produce smaller quantities of biochar in a directly-heated reaction vessel with air introduced. Biochar production is optimized in the absence of oxygen.
Gasification and pyrolysis production systems can be developed as mobile or stationary units. Small scale gasification and pyrolysis systems that can be used on farm or by small industries are commercially available with biomass inputs of 50 kg/hr to 1,000 kg/hr. The bioenergy produced from these systems, which can be in the form of a synthetic gas, or syngas, or bio-oils, can be used to produce heat, power or combined heat and power. At the local or regional level, pyrolysis and gasification units can be operated by co-operatives or larger industries, and can process up to 4,000 kg of biomass per hour.
Biochar Biochar is a fine-grained, porous charcoal substance that, when used as a soil amendment in combination with sustainable production of the biomass feedstock, effectively removes net carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.8 In the soil, biochar provides a habitat for soil organisms, but is not itself consumed by them to a great extent, and most of the applied biochar can remain in the soil for several hundreds to thousands of years9,10 (see also Terra Preta soils). The biochar does not in the long-term disturb the carbon-nitrogen balance, but holds and makes water and nutrients available to plants. When used as a soil amendment along with organic and inorganic fertilizers, biochar significantly improves soil tilth, productivity, and nutrient retention and availability to plants.11
Bioenergy The bioenergy produced during biochar production may be in the form of thermal energy, a synthesis gas, aka syngas, or a bio-oil. The syngas or bio-oil can be used to heat the pyrolysis unit for continued production, and surplus syngas or bio-oil can be used to provide additional energy for on-site uses, such as heat and electricity. Syngas is rich in hydrogen, methane and carbon monoxide and in addition to its use for heat or power, it can be converted to liquid fuels or industrial chemicals. The bio-oils can also be used for on-site power and heat generation, or converted to liquid fuels or industrial chemicals.
Economics of Biochar Systems The co-production of biochar from a portion of the biomass feedstock reduces the total amount of bioenergy that is produced by the technology, but even at today’s energy and fertilizer prices the net gain in soil productivity is worth more than the value of the energy that would otherwise have been derived from the biomass feedstock. As the cost of carbon emissions rises and the value of CO2 extraction from the atmosphere is also considered, the balance becomes overwhelmingly attractive in favor of biochar co-production.
Rural and Developing Country Applications of Biochar Systems Biochar systems can reverse soil degradation and create sustainable food and fuel production in areas with severely depleted soils, scarce organic resources, and inadequate water and chemical fertilizer supplies. Low-cost, small-scale biochar production units can produce biochar to build garden, agricultural, and forest productivity, and bioenergy for eating, cooking, drying and grinding grain, producing electricity and thermal energy, for instance.
======================================================================
Biochar
Biochar is a charcoal produced from biomass that can store carbon. It is of increasing interest because of concerns about global warming caused by emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. In some cases, the term is used specifically to mean biomass charcoal produced via pyrolysis. Biochar may be an immediate solution to reducing the global impact of farming (and in reducing the impact from all agricultural waste). The burning and decomposition of trees and agricultural matter contributes a large amount of CO2 to the atmosphere. Biochar can store this CO2 in the ground and the presence of the biochar in the earth increases soil productivity, which will allow farmers to stop encroaching on rainforests as a source of more fertile farmland. As a result of significant product variations due to varying technology, process conditions, and feedstock compositions, biochar can not be considered a commodity product. Biochar is sold under a range of brand names such as Agrichar™ which relates to Biochar produced from the BEST Energies proprietary slow pyrolysis
Current biochar projects are small scale and make no significant impact on the overall global carbon budget. MORE... process.
=========================================================================
TIM FLANNERY ON AGRICHAR -- VIDEO
http://www.ecoshock.org/downloads/climate_solutions/Flannery_080404_Agrichar.mp3
==========================================================================\
MICRO-ORGANISIMS AND BIOCHAR
http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/taxonomy/term/209/9
BIO-CHAR SEQUESTRATION IN TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS – A REVIEW JOHANNES LEHMANN1,∗, JOHN GAUNT2 and MARCO RONDON3 1Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA; 2GY Associates Ltd., Harpenden, Herts, AL5 2DF, UK; 3Climate Change Program, Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Cali,http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann/publ/MitAdaptStratGlobChange%2011,%20403-427,%20Lehmann,%202006.pdf
Charcoals: An ElectronMicroscopy Study By Josh Kearns and Detlef Knappe, with SEM images by Carl Saquing
August 2008
http://www.aqsolutions.org/images/2008/08/electron-microscopy-study.pdf
The SEM images just below are of charcoal made from longan wood (Dimocarpus longan).i These fruit trees are very common throughout southern China, southeast Asia, and the region around Pun Pun Farm in northern Thailand. Longan orchards are often propagated by air-layering techniques, and the trees do not develop a strong taproot. They must be pruned often in order to protect the trees from storm damage – it’s therefore a common practice to make
charcoal from the abundant longan wood prunings.
============================================================================
SYNGAS AND BLACK GOLD ENTERPRISE
JAMES E. MILLER
530 NW 13th St., Corvallis, OR 97330
Email: jimmiller5417@yahoo.com
541-75...
October 24, 2008
Oregon Forest Industries Council
PO Box 12826
Salem, Oregon 97309
(503) 3...
ofic@ofic.com
Re: Syngas and Biochar
Dear OFIC:
Has OFIC given serious consideration to using waste wood from logging operations and sawmill operations, as feedstock for syngas and biochar? If you are interested, please lean about this science at: http://algaloildiesel.wetpaint.com/page/SYNGAS+AND+BIOCHAR
My hope for this technology is that it will provide net positive cash flow, especially during the lean years. Your crews could be culling dead/dying trees, slash and below grade trees for conversion into syngas and biochar. The article on dairy production of syngas and biochar [ http://algaloildiesel.wetpaint.com/page/DAIRY+PRODUCTION+OF+SYNGAS+AND+BIOCHAR ] has some application in the forest industry. In fact the two would seem to be excellent partners in dealing with the respective waste streams.
Sincerely yours,
James E. Miller, BA, BS, JD
==========================================================================\
SamoaFiber to Produce Bio-Oil in Peruvian Amazon Region
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=47168
Mequon, Wisconsin [RenewableEnergyAccess.com]
SamoaFiber Holdings (SFH) is obtaining the needed Peruvian governmental approvals to further its bio-oil operations in Eastern Peru, which entail using the cana brava, an indigenous plant, that would both provide much needed electrical energy and support the country's economy According to Dr. Alan Garcia Perez, whom Vasquez said was interested in building a bio-oil production plant in Loreto, "the cana brava plant (SamoaFiber) can turn 80 percent of its biomass into bio-oil, a product that will be exported bringing revenue to the country
The flue gases could be used for heating purposes and as a source of nutrient for growing algae (products of combustion), for sequestration of CO2, for production of electricity, and for CHP applications.
--------------------------------------
DATABASE
http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=1399&fr=1&sts=&%20ang=EN&ver=print&prtflag=false
Organism type: grass, tree
- Bambusa vulgaris is the most widespread member of its genus, and has long been cultivated across the tropics and subtropics. It prefers lowland humid habitats, but tolerates a wide range of climatic conditions and soil types. It commonly naturalises, forming monospecific stands along river banks, roadsides and open ground.
- Description
Although Bambusa vulgaris is taxonomically a grass, its habit is tree-like. It forms dense stands of cylindrical, jointed woody stems up to 20 m in height and 4-10 cm in diameter; leafy branches at nodes, with narrow lanceolate leaves up to 30 cm long.
- Occurs in:
natural forests, planted forests, riparian zones, ruderal/disturbed, water courses
- Habitat description
Bambusa vulgaris "Occurs spontaneously or naturalised mostly on river banks, road sides, wastelands and open ground; generally at low altitudes. In cultivation it thrives best under humid conditions up to 1000 m altitude, but tolerates unfavourable conditions as well: dry season (plants may become completely defoliated); low temperature (grows up to 1200 m altitude, survives -3 degrees C); also tolerates a wide range of soil types." (Ohrnberger 1999, p. 279)
- General impacts
Bambusa vulgaris forms extensive monospecific stands where it occurs, excluding other plant species.
B. vulgaris colonises along streams into forest (Blundell et al. 2003)
- Uses
Bambusa vulgaris is used for construction of houses, huts, boats, fences, props and furniture; as raw material for paper pulp; shoots are rarely used as a vegetable or as livestock fodder (although toxic effects to horses noted by Barbosa et al. 2006); planted as ornamental or boundary marker; used to support banana plants; split stems used for brooms, baskets; in New Guinea, culms used to make combs and penis gourds; used to make musical instruments; medicinal uses include as abortifacient, for kidney troubles, leaves used as sudorific and febrifuge agents, sap to treat fever and hematuria, tabasheer from culm internodes to treat infantile epilepsy, bark astringent and emmenagogue (Ohrnberger 1999; Quatrocchi 2006).
- Geographical range
Native range: Exact origin unknown: reported as "tropical Asia" (Quatrocchi 2006), or "Old World tropics, possibly either southern China or Madagascar" (Ohrnberger 1999).
Known introduced range: Extensive across tropics and subtropics, including many islands.
Local dispersal methods
Agriculture (local):
Disturbance:
Disturbance: While removing bamboo, workers may drop rhizome fragments, thus inadvertently transporting bamboo to new locations (Blundell et al. 2003)
For ornamental purposes (local):
Forestry (local):
Natural dispersal (local): Fragments of rhizome, broken by fast-flowing water along stream banks, may be transported downstream and, if deposited in suitable areas, take root and colonize (Blundell et al. 2003)
Water currents: See "Natural dispersal"
- Management information
Control of Bambusa vulgaris infestation is difficult. "Best to cut down and spray the regrowth" (Motooka et al. 2003) Physical: Digging plants out may require heavy equipment. Continuing removal will probably be necessary due to resprouting. Continued cutting or mowing will eventually kill most plants by exhausting food reserves. Livestock will graze shoots but cannot bring down large plants once established (PIER 2007). Toxic effects have been noted in horses that ingested large quantities of leaves (Barbosa et al. 2006). Chemical: Remove tops and spray regrowth with Glyphosate or Amitrole 2%, or imazapyr or glyphosate plus fluazifop. Velpar can be used but is persistent in the soil. However, it has been reported that glyphosate does not adequately translocate to the rhizomes (PIER 2007).
- Lifecycle stages
Bambusa vulgaris reproduces almost exclusively by vegetative means. "Flowering is extremely rare" (Quatrocchi 2006).
|
- Last Modified: Tuesday, 29 July 2008
========================================================================\
BIOCHAR
Biochar: A Soil Amendment that Combats Global Warming and Improves Agricultural Sustainability and Environmental Impacts
www.biochar-international.org/images/Biochar_White_Paper_-_FINAL_10-9-07_w-o_links.doc -
Introduction to Biochar
Biochar and bioenergy co-production from urban, agricultural and forestry biomass can help combat global climate change by displacing fossil fuel use, by sequestering carbon in stable soil carbon pools, and by dramatically reducing emissions of nitrous oxides, a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.1,2 As a soil amendment, biochar helps to improve the Earth’s soil resource by increasing crop yields and productivity, by reducing soil acidity, and by reducing the need for some chemical and fertilizer inputs.3,4 Water quality is improved by the use of biochar as a soil amendment, because biochar aids in soil retention of nutrients and agrochemicals for plant and crop utilization,5,6 reducing leaching and run-off to ground and surface waters.
Biochar production and utilization systems differ from most biomass energy systems because the technology is carbon-negative: it removes net carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores it in stable soil carbon “sinks”.7 Other biomass energy systems are at best carbon-neutral, resulting in no net changes to atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Biochar Production Bioenergy and biochar can be co-produced from thermal treatment of biomass feedstocks. The thermal conversion of biomass, under the complete or partial exclusion of oxygen, results in the production of biochar and bioenergy or other bioproducts. Biochar production processes can utilize most urban, agricultural or forestry biomass residues, including wood chips, corn stover, rice or peanut hulls, tree bark, paper mill sludge, animal manure, and recycled organics, for instance.
Under controlled production conditions, the carbon in the biomass feedstock is captured in the biochar and the bioenergy co-products. Theoretically, the biochar co-product will retain up to 50% of the feedstock carbon in a porous charcoal structure; and the remaining 50% of the feedstock carbon will be captured as bioenergy. While it is technically infeasible to capture 100% of the biomass carbon, since energy is invariably used and lost in the production process, the optimal biochar production process can capture roughly half the biomass carbon in biochar and half as bioenergy.
Biochar can be produced by pyrolysis or gasification systems. Pyrolysis systems produce biochar largely in the absence of oxygen and most often with an external heat source. There are two types of pyrolysis systems in use today: fast pyrolysis and slow pyrolysis systems. Gasification systems produce smaller quantities of biochar in a directly-heated reaction vessel with air introduced. Biochar production is optimized in the absence of oxygen.
Gasification and pyrolysis production systems can be developed as mobile or stationary units. Small scale gasification and pyrolysis systems that can be used on farm or by small industries are commercially available with biomass inputs of 50 kg/hr to 1,000 kg/hr. The bioenergy produced from these systems, which can be in the form of a synthetic gas, or syngas, or bio-oils, can be used to produce heat, power or combined heat and power. At the local or regional level, pyrolysis and gasification units can be operated by co-operatives or larger industries, and can process up to 4,000 kg of biomass per hour.
Biochar Biochar is a fine-grained, porous charcoal substance that, when used as a soil amendment in combination with sustainable production of the biomass feedstock, effectively removes net carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.8 In the soil, biochar provides a habitat for soil organisms, but is not itself consumed by them to a great extent, and most of the applied biochar can remain in the soil for several hundreds to thousands of years9,10 (see also Terra Preta soils). The biochar does not in the long-term disturb the carbon-nitrogen balance, but holds and makes water and nutrients available to plants. When used as a soil amendment along with organic and inorganic fertilizers, biochar significantly improves soil tilth, productivity, and nutrient retention and availability to plants.11
Bioenergy The bioenergy produced during biochar production may be in the form of thermal energy, a synthesis gas, aka syngas, or a bio-oil. The syngas or bio-oil can be used to heat the pyrolysis unit for continued production, and surplus syngas or bio-oil can be used to provide additional energy for on-site uses, such as heat and electricity. Syngas is rich in hydrogen, methane and carbon monoxide and in addition to its use for heat or power, it can be converted to liquid fuels or industrial chemicals. The bio-oils can also be used for on-site power and heat generation, or converted to liquid fuels or industrial chemicals.
Economics of Biochar Systems The co-production of biochar from a portion of the biomass feedstock reduces the total amount of bioenergy that is produced by the technology, but even at today’s energy and fertilizer prices the net gain in soil productivity is worth more than the value of the energy that would otherwise have been derived from the biomass feedstock. As the cost of carbon emissions rises and the value of CO2 extraction from the atmosphere is also considered, the balance becomes overwhelmingly attractive in favor of biochar co-production.
Rural and Developing Country Applications of Biochar Systems Biochar systems can reverse soil degradation and create sustainable food and fuel production in areas with severely depleted soils, scarce organic resources, and inadequate water and chemical fertilizer supplies. Low-cost, small-scale biochar production units can produce biochar to build garden, agricultural, and forest productivity, and bioenergy for eating, cooking, drying and grinding grain, producing electricity and thermal energy, for instance.
1 Yanai et al., 2007, Effects of charcoal addition on N2O emissions from soil resulting from rewetting air-dried soil in short-term laboratory experiments, Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, 53:181-188.
2 Rondon, M., Ramirez, J.A., and Lehmann, J.: 2005, Charcoal additions reduce net emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, in Proceedings of the 3rd USDA Symposium on Greenhouse Gases and Carbon Sequestration, Baltimore, USA, March 21-24, 2005, p. 208.
3 Glaser, B., Lehmann, J. and Zech, W., 2002, Ameliorating physical and chemical properties of highly weathered soils in the tropics with charcoal --- a review, Biology and Fertility of Soils, 35: 219-230.
4 Lehmann, J. and Rondon, M., 2006, Biochar soil management on highly weathered soils in the humid tropics. In Uphoff N (ed.), Biological Approaches to Sustainable Soil Systems, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, pp. 517-530.
5 Lehmann, J., et al., 2003, Nutrient availability and leaching in an archaeological Anthrosol and a Ferralsol of the Central Amazon basin: fertilizer, manure and charcoal amendments, Plant and Soil, 249: 343-357.
6 Steiner, C., et al., Long term effects of manure, charcoal and mineral fertilization on crop production and fertility on a highly weathered Central Amazonian upland soil, Plant and Soil, 291: 275-290.
7 Lehmann, J., Gaunt, J., and Rondon, M., 2006, Bio-char sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems – a review. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 11:403-427.
8 Ibid.
9 Pessenda, L.C.R., Gouveia, S.E.M., and Aravena, R., 2001, Radiocarbon dating of total soil organic matter and humin fraction and its comparison with 14C ages of fossil charcoal, Radiocarbon, 43: 595-601.
10 Schmidt, M.W.I., Skjemstad, J.O., and Jager, C., 2002, Carbon isotope geochemistry and nanomorphology of soil black carbon: Black chernozemic soils in central Europe originate from ancient biomass burning. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 16: 1123.
11 Glaser, B., Lehmann, J. and Zech, W., 2002, Ameliorating physical and chemical properties of highly weathered soils in the tropics with charcoal --- a review, Biology and Fertility of Soils, 35: 219-230. ======================================================================
Biochar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BiocharBiochar is a charcoal produced from biomass that can store carbon. It is of increasing interest because of concerns about global warming caused by emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. In some cases, the term is used specifically to mean biomass charcoal produced via pyrolysis. Biochar may be an immediate solution to reducing the global impact of farming (and in reducing the impact from all agricultural waste). The burning and decomposition of trees and agricultural matter contributes a large amount of CO2 to the atmosphere. Biochar can store this CO2 in the ground and the presence of the biochar in the earth increases soil productivity, which will allow farmers to stop encroaching on rainforests as a source of more fertile farmland. As a result of significant product variations due to varying technology, process conditions, and feedstock compositions, biochar can not be considered a commodity product. Biochar is sold under a range of brand names such as Agrichar™ which relates to Biochar produced from the BEST Energies proprietary slow pyrolysis
Current biochar projects are small scale and make no significant impact on the overall global carbon budget. MORE... process.
-------------------------------------------\
Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000168 EndHTML:0000022567 StartFragment:0000000489 EndFragment:0000022550 Applied research jobs produce direct employment and much greater indirect employment.
McLaughlin Research Institute's George Carlson was a panel member and acknowledged many may not see scientific research at the nonprofit organization as economic development. "But it is," Carlson said. The institute's primary source of funding comes from competitive grants, which pay for the salaries of researchers and their teams and local services for the facility, such as utilities. An expansion of the facility under way now will make room for two new research groups. Each new scientist added to the institute creates five new direct jobs and up to 10 indirect jobs when considering animal care technicians and accounting services, Carlson said. That equals $500,000 to $1 million in annual economic impact. The $4.3 million expansion includes a second floor of shelved space. The original plan was to raise more funds to eventually finish the area and recruit five to seven additional research teams to fill it. Through the federal economic stimulus package, the National Institutes of Health has grant money available, for the first time, for shovel-ready construction projects that can be completed within two years. The McLaughlin Research Institute is applying for a share of those funds through a competitive grant. http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20090327/NEWS01/903270327/1002/rss
Figure 1 shows mass loss profiles for CW/coal samples in a N2 atmosphere.24 It is found that volatile releasing temperature is around 300 °C for CW and around 450 °C for coal, at which point the devolatilization rate reaches its maximum. For blended samples, two peaks appear near 300 and 450 °C on the DTG curves. Increasing the coal content in the blending samples causes the peak around 300 °C to shrink, while the peak around 450 °C increased in size. The blending samples have the both characteristics of coal and CW, so that more CW content results more volatile matters emission at low temperature. By TGA, the cooperation effect was also not found for the mixture of CW/coal in a N2 atmosphere. http://www.wku.edu/ICSET/Characterization.pdf
Results and Discussion Sample Description. As described above, E-coal, a sulfurrich coal having particle size below 0.08 mm, was blended with CW at mixing ratios of 2:8, 5:5, and 8:2 by weight to obtain mixed samples denoted as E8C2, E5C5, and E2C8, respectively. The proximate analysis, CHN, S, and gross calorific value of E-coal and CW are given in Table 1 together with the blended samples. Figure 1 shows mass loss profiles for CW/coal samples in a N2 atmosphere.24For blended samples, two peaks appear near 300 and 450 °C on the DTG curves. Increasing the coal content in the blending samples causes the peak around 300 °C to shrink, while the peak around 450 °C increased in size. The blending samples have the both characteristics of coal and CW, so that more CW content results more volatile matters emission at low temperature. By TGA, the cooperation effect was also not found for the mixture of CW/coal in a N2 atmosphere. The basic composition of char samples prepared at 427 °C are listed at Table 2. With increasing CW contents in the blending samples, ash, N, and Cl contents of char samples increase. It shows that char samples remain the original characteristics after carbonization either from coal or chicken waste. Less carbon content and increased ash content indicate that CW char is not a suitable precursor for activated carbon. However, a certain amount of coal blended with CW can increase carbon content and decrease ash content. Increasing coal content also increases the content of S while decreasing that of Cl. Specific surface area as obtained according to BET model, SSABET, of CW, which was 3.90 m2 g-1 as measured at 77 K using N2 as adsorbate, increased to 7.79 m2 g-1 by carbonization. However, the SSABET of the char obtained from E-coal decreased from 8.55 to 0.50 m2 g-1. This is due to insufficient evolution of volatiles as above described. The pore structure and size vary depending on the conditions of activation.25 By using steam as the activating agent for thermal activation, the porous structure of the char is enhanced according to the following reaction: C + H2O ) CO + H2. The activation temperature was determined on the TG and DTG curves of the carbonized samples obtained by heating in N2 at 427 °C for 60 min. Generally, the reactivity of the char is partly attributed to the change in surface area and increases with the O/C ratio of the precursor. Thus, the highest rate of reaction as observed on DTG curve was 600 °C for blended samples and around 700 °C for the CW sample.24 Since no great difference was observed among the temperature conditions of 650 and 750 °C, the activation temperature was set to 650 °C. Parts a and b of Figure 2 show the SEM photograph at 200× and 10 000× magnification, respectively, of the activated carbon obtained from E-coal. Carbonization and activation of coal result in fine particles that are adhered on the surface of larger particles. This can be explained by referring again to Figure 1. The coal pyrolysis occurs rapidly with gas evolution at a higher temperature, thus destroying partially the original coal structure. On the other hand, volatiles are gradually released at a lower and wider temperature range. Thus, the sample consists of larger particles that are partly porous, as shown in the SEM photographs of parts a and b of Figure 3, which are obtained at 200× (25) Mui, E. L. K.; Ko, D. C. K.; McKay, G. Production of active carbons from waste tyres––a review. Carbon 2004, 42, 2789–2805.
Figure 1. TGA curves and derivative weight curves for E-coal, CW, and their blended samples in a N2 atmosphere at a heating rate of 20 deg min-1. http://www.wku.edu/ICSET/Characterization.pdf
McLaughlin Research Institute's George Carlson was a panel member and acknowledged many may not see scientific research at the nonprofit organization as economic development. "But it is," Carlson said. The institute's primary source of funding comes from competitive grants, which pay for the salaries of researchers and their teams and local services for the facility, such as utilities. An expansion of the facility under way now will make room for two new research groups. Each new scientist added to the institute creates five new direct jobs and up to 10 indirect jobs when considering animal care technicians and accounting services, Carlson said. That equals $500,000 to $1 million in annual economic impact. The $4.3 million expansion includes a second floor of shelved space. The original plan was to raise more funds to eventually finish the area and recruit five to seven additional research teams to fill it. Through the federal economic stimulus package, the National Institutes of Health has grant money available, for the first time, for shovel-ready construction projects that can be completed within two years. The McLaughlin Research Institute is applying for a share of those funds through a competitive grant. http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20090327/NEWS01/903270327/1002/rss
Figure 1 shows mass loss profiles for CW/coal samples in a N2 atmosphere.24 It is found that volatile releasing temperature is around 300 °C for CW and around 450 °C for coal, at which point the devolatilization rate reaches its maximum. For blended samples, two peaks appear near 300 and 450 °C on the DTG curves. Increasing the coal content in the blending samples causes the peak around 300 °C to shrink, while the peak around 450 °C increased in size. The blending samples have the both characteristics of coal and CW, so that more CW content results more volatile matters emission at low temperature. By TGA, the cooperation effect was also not found for the mixture of CW/coal in a N2 atmosphere. http://www.wku.edu/ICSET/Characterization.pdf
Results and Discussion Sample Description. As described above, E-coal, a sulfurrich coal having particle size below 0.08 mm, was blended with CW at mixing ratios of 2:8, 5:5, and 8:2 by weight to obtain mixed samples denoted as E8C2, E5C5, and E2C8, respectively. The proximate analysis, CHN, S, and gross calorific value of E-coal and CW are given in Table 1 together with the blended samples. Figure 1 shows mass loss profiles for CW/coal samples in a N2 atmosphere.24For blended samples, two peaks appear near 300 and 450 °C on the DTG curves. Increasing the coal content in the blending samples causes the peak around 300 °C to shrink, while the peak around 450 °C increased in size. The blending samples have the both characteristics of coal and CW, so that more CW content results more volatile matters emission at low temperature. By TGA, the cooperation effect was also not found for the mixture of CW/coal in a N2 atmosphere. The basic composition of char samples prepared at 427 °C are listed at Table 2. With increasing CW contents in the blending samples, ash, N, and Cl contents of char samples increase. It shows that char samples remain the original characteristics after carbonization either from coal or chicken waste. Less carbon content and increased ash content indicate that CW char is not a suitable precursor for activated carbon. However, a certain amount of coal blended with CW can increase carbon content and decrease ash content. Increasing coal content also increases the content of S while decreasing that of Cl. Specific surface area as obtained according to BET model, SSABET, of CW, which was 3.90 m2 g-1 as measured at 77 K using N2 as adsorbate, increased to 7.79 m2 g-1 by carbonization. However, the SSABET of the char obtained from E-coal decreased from 8.55 to 0.50 m2 g-1. This is due to insufficient evolution of volatiles as above described. The pore structure and size vary depending on the conditions of activation.25 By using steam as the activating agent for thermal activation, the porous structure of the char is enhanced according to the following reaction: C + H2O ) CO + H2. The activation temperature was determined on the TG and DTG curves of the carbonized samples obtained by heating in N2 at 427 °C for 60 min. Generally, the reactivity of the char is partly attributed to the change in surface area and increases with the O/C ratio of the precursor. Thus, the highest rate of reaction as observed on DTG curve was 600 °C for blended samples and around 700 °C for the CW sample.24 Since no great difference was observed among the temperature conditions of 650 and 750 °C, the activation temperature was set to 650 °C. Parts a and b of Figure 2 show the SEM photograph at 200× and 10 000× magnification, respectively, of the activated carbon obtained from E-coal. Carbonization and activation of coal result in fine particles that are adhered on the surface of larger particles. This can be explained by referring again to Figure 1. The coal pyrolysis occurs rapidly with gas evolution at a higher temperature, thus destroying partially the original coal structure. On the other hand, volatiles are gradually released at a lower and wider temperature range. Thus, the sample consists of larger particles that are partly porous, as shown in the SEM photographs of parts a and b of Figure 3, which are obtained at 200× (25) Mui, E. L. K.; Ko, D. C. K.; McKay, G. Production of active carbons from waste tyres––a review. Carbon 2004, 42, 2789–2805.
Figure 1. TGA curves and derivative weight curves for E-coal, CW, and their blended samples in a N2 atmosphere at a heating rate of 20 deg min-1. http://www.wku.edu/ICSET/Characterization.pdf
========================================================================
Isolating Unique Bacteria from Terra Preta Systems: Culturing and Molecular Tools for Characterizing Microbial Life http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/oneillbac
Submitted by Tom Miles on Mon, 2007-01-22 03:48
“The greater fertility of Terra Preta (TP) soils is thought to be due to their high black carbon (BC) content, which contributes to increased nutrient and moisture retention, and increased pH. It is likely that the unique chemistry of BC results in distinct microbial communities involved in nutrient cycling and organic matter turnover. TP soils offer an excellent model system for studying soils containing elevated and stable BC fractions in comparison to adjacent soils, because state factors, such as mineralogy, precipitation and climate, are the same between soils at a given site. Given this we compared the microbial communities in background soils adjacent to TP sites at four locations in the Brazilian Amazon.”
FULL STORY: http://algaloildiesel.wetpaint.com/page/SYNGAS+AND+BIOCHAR
KEY WORDS:
O'Neill, Brendan Grossman, Julie Tsai, S.M. Gomes, Jose Elias Garcia, Carlos Eduardo Solomon, Dawit Liang, Biqing Lehmann, Johannes Thies, Janice
Poster presentation from the 2006 World Congress of Soil Science in Philadelphia, PA
16-Aug-2006 The greater fertility of Terra Preta (TP) soils is thought to be due to their high black carbon (BC) content, which contributes to increased nutrient and moisture retention, and increased pH. It is likely that the unique chemistry of BC results in distinct microbial communities involved in nutrient cycling and organic matter turnover. TP soils offer an excellent model system for studying soils containing elevated and stable BC fractions in comparison to adjacent soils, because state factors, such as mineralogy, precipitation and climate, are the same between soils at a given site. Given this we compared the microbial communities in background soils adjacent to TP sites at four locations in the Brazilian Amazon.
We used a combination of culture-based and molecular techniques to characterize and identify the key members of the bacterial communities in these soils. We found that culturable bacteria were more numerous in TP soils than in adjacent background soils. Bacteria were grown on soil extract agar prepared from TP and adjacent soils and, by cross-cultivation, bacteria uniquely suited to growth on TP soil substrates were isolated. All isolates were screened by use of RFLP fingerprinting and then the 16S rDNA of unique isolates was sequenced. Clustering analysis of RFLP fingerprints indicated that isolates obtained from TP soils were more closely associated with each other than with bacterial isolates from adjacent soils within the same site. We hypothesized that TP would contain microbes that are uniquely associated with soils high in BC as compared to adjacent soils and that these organisms would have more phylogentic simlarity to each other across TP sites than in comparison to their corresponding adjacent soils. Of sequenced organisms most fell within the groupings Firmicutes, High G+C actinimyces, alpha-proteobacteria and gamma-proteobacteria, but only 18% had matches in the database above 97% and only 4% of sequences above 99% similarity.
Finally we compared phylogenies of sequences obtained from individual soil isolates with those obtained from cloning and sequencing DNA from PCR-DGGE gels. Results from both approaches show a greater homology between sequences obtained from the four TP sites than between sequences obtained from adjacent and TP soils from the same site. By combining culture-based and culture-independent molecular techniques we obtained a more complete analysis of the suites of organisms unique suited to soils rich in BC. Black carbon is widespread in the environment and, once created, persists over long time scales.
Knowledge of the ecology of TP soils may contribute to a broader understanding of the behavior of BC in natural environments and its possible use in agricultural systems to improve soil fertility Isolating Unique Bacteria from Terra Preta Systems: Culturing and Molecular Tools for Characterizing Microbial Life a greater homology between sequences obtained from the four TP sites than between sequences obtained from adjacent and TP soils from the same site. By combining culture-based and culture-independent molecular techniques we obtained a more complete analysis of the suites of organisms unique suited to soils rich in BC. Black carbon is widespread in the environment and, once created, persists over long time scales. Knowledge of the ecology of TP soils may contribute to a broader understanding of the behavior of BC in natural environments and its possible use in agricultural systems to improve soil fertility.
REFERENCES:
This article at Commons Cornell: http://hdl.handle.net/1813/3465
Charcoals: An ElectronMicroscopy Study By Josh Kearns and Detlef Knappe, with SEM images by Carl Saquing
August 2008
http://www.aqsolutions.org/images/2008/08/electron-microscopy-study.pdf
BIO-CHAR SEQUESTRATION IN TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS – A REVIEW JOHANNES LEHMANN1,∗, JOHN GAUNT2 and MARCO RONDON3 1Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA; 2GY Associates Ltd., Harpenden, Herts, AL5 2DF, UK; 3Climate Change Program, Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Cali, http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann/publ/MitAdaptStratGlobChange%2011,%20403-427,%20Lehmann,%202006.pdf
Adriana Downie talks about Best Energies pyrolysis gasifier and making bio char (Terra Preta)
http://beyondzeroemissions.org/2008/06/03/adriana-downie-best-energies-bio-char-agri-char-pyrolysis
Submitted by Tom Miles on Mon, 2007-01-22 03:48
“The greater fertility of Terra Preta (TP) soils is thought to be due to their high black carbon (BC) content, which contributes to increased nutrient and moisture retention, and increased pH. It is likely that the unique chemistry of BC results in distinct microbial communities involved in nutrient cycling and organic matter turnover. TP soils offer an excellent model system for studying soils containing elevated and stable BC fractions in comparison to adjacent soils, because state factors, such as mineralogy, precipitation and climate, are the same between soils at a given site. Given this we compared the microbial communities in background soils adjacent to TP sites at four locations in the Brazilian Amazon.”
FULL STORY: http://algaloildiesel.wetpaint.com/page/SYNGAS+AND+BIOCHAR
KEY WORDS:
- Actinimyces
- Bacteria
- Black carbon
- Brazil
- Fertility
- Firmicutes
- Grossman
- Lehmann
- Liang
- Microbe
- O'Neill
- Proteobacteria
- Terra Preta
- Thies
-
O'Neill, Brendan Grossman, Julie Tsai, S.M. Gomes, Jose Elias Garcia, Carlos Eduardo Solomon, Dawit Liang, Biqing Lehmann, Johannes Thies, Janice
Poster presentation from the 2006 World Congress of Soil Science in Philadelphia, PA
16-Aug-2006 The greater fertility of Terra Preta (TP) soils is thought to be due to their high black carbon (BC) content, which contributes to increased nutrient and moisture retention, and increased pH. It is likely that the unique chemistry of BC results in distinct microbial communities involved in nutrient cycling and organic matter turnover. TP soils offer an excellent model system for studying soils containing elevated and stable BC fractions in comparison to adjacent soils, because state factors, such as mineralogy, precipitation and climate, are the same between soils at a given site. Given this we compared the microbial communities in background soils adjacent to TP sites at four locations in the Brazilian Amazon.
We used a combination of culture-based and molecular techniques to characterize and identify the key members of the bacterial communities in these soils. We found that culturable bacteria were more numerous in TP soils than in adjacent background soils. Bacteria were grown on soil extract agar prepared from TP and adjacent soils and, by cross-cultivation, bacteria uniquely suited to growth on TP soil substrates were isolated. All isolates were screened by use of RFLP fingerprinting and then the 16S rDNA of unique isolates was sequenced. Clustering analysis of RFLP fingerprints indicated that isolates obtained from TP soils were more closely associated with each other than with bacterial isolates from adjacent soils within the same site. We hypothesized that TP would contain microbes that are uniquely associated with soils high in BC as compared to adjacent soils and that these organisms would have more phylogentic simlarity to each other across TP sites than in comparison to their corresponding adjacent soils. Of sequenced organisms most fell within the groupings Firmicutes, High G+C actinimyces, alpha-proteobacteria and gamma-proteobacteria, but only 18% had matches in the database above 97% and only 4% of sequences above 99% similarity.
Finally we compared phylogenies of sequences obtained from individual soil isolates with those obtained from cloning and sequencing DNA from PCR-DGGE gels. Results from both approaches show a greater homology between sequences obtained from the four TP sites than between sequences obtained from adjacent and TP soils from the same site. By combining culture-based and culture-independent molecular techniques we obtained a more complete analysis of the suites of organisms unique suited to soils rich in BC. Black carbon is widespread in the environment and, once created, persists over long time scales.
Knowledge of the ecology of TP soils may contribute to a broader understanding of the behavior of BC in natural environments and its possible use in agricultural systems to improve soil fertility Isolating Unique Bacteria from Terra Preta Systems: Culturing and Molecular Tools for Characterizing Microbial Life a greater homology between sequences obtained from the four TP sites than between sequences obtained from adjacent and TP soils from the same site. By combining culture-based and culture-independent molecular techniques we obtained a more complete analysis of the suites of organisms unique suited to soils rich in BC. Black carbon is widespread in the environment and, once created, persists over long time scales. Knowledge of the ecology of TP soils may contribute to a broader understanding of the behavior of BC in natural environments and its possible use in agricultural systems to improve soil fertility.
REFERENCES:
This article at Commons Cornell: http://hdl.handle.net/1813/3465
Charcoals: An ElectronMicroscopy Study By Josh Kearns and Detlef Knappe, with SEM images by Carl Saquing
August 2008
http://www.aqsolutions.org/images/2008/08/electron-microscopy-study.pdf
BIO-CHAR SEQUESTRATION IN TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS – A REVIEW JOHANNES LEHMANN1,∗, JOHN GAUNT2 and MARCO RONDON3 1Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA; 2GY Associates Ltd., Harpenden, Herts, AL5 2DF, UK; 3Climate Change Program, Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Cali, http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann/publ/MitAdaptStratGlobChange%2011,%20403-427,%20Lehmann,%202006.pdf
Adriana Downie talks about Best Energies pyrolysis gasifier and making bio char (Terra Preta)
http://beyondzeroemissions.org/2008/06/03/adriana-downie-best-energies-bio-char-agri-char-pyrolysis
=============================================================================\
Welcome to the International Biochar Initiative. The IBI provides a platform for the international exchange of information and activities in support of biochar research, development, demonstration and commercialization. It advocates biochar as a strategy to:
|
=========================================================================
TIM FLANNERY ON AGRICHAR -- VIDEO
http://www.ecoshock.org/downloads/climate_solutions/Flannery_080404_Agrichar.mp3
==========================================================================\
MICRO-ORGANISIMS AND BIOCHAR
http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/taxonomy/term/209/9
BIO-CHAR SEQUESTRATION IN TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS – A REVIEW JOHANNES LEHMANN1,∗, JOHN GAUNT2 and MARCO RONDON3 1Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA; 2GY Associates Ltd., Harpenden, Herts, AL5 2DF, UK; 3Climate Change Program, Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Cali,http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann/publ/MitAdaptStratGlobChange%2011,%20403-427,%20Lehmann,%202006.pdf
Charcoals: An ElectronMicroscopy Study By Josh Kearns and Detlef Knappe, with SEM images by Carl Saquing
August 2008
http://www.aqsolutions.org/images/2008/08/electron-microscopy-study.pdf
The SEM images just below are of charcoal made from longan wood (Dimocarpus longan).i These fruit trees are very common throughout southern China, southeast Asia, and the region around Pun Pun Farm in northern Thailand. Longan orchards are often propagated by air-layering techniques, and the trees do not develop a strong taproot. They must be pruned often in order to protect the trees from storm damage – it’s therefore a common practice to make
charcoal from the abundant longan wood prunings.
============================================================================
SYNGAS AND BLACK GOLD ENTERPRISE
| Here's an idea to play with for a business. First read: http://www.thewesternnews.com/articles/2008/09/26/news/news02.txt There are many sawmills in the Northwest, many shut down.
|
530 NW 13th St., Corvallis, OR 97330
Email: jimmiller5417@yahoo.com
541-75...
October 24, 2008
Oregon Forest Industries Council
PO Box 12826
Salem, Oregon 97309
(503) 3...
ofic@ofic.com
Re: Syngas and Biochar
Dear OFIC:
Has OFIC given serious consideration to using waste wood from logging operations and sawmill operations, as feedstock for syngas and biochar? If you are interested, please lean about this science at: http://algaloildiesel.wetpaint.com/page/SYNGAS+AND+BIOCHAR
My hope for this technology is that it will provide net positive cash flow, especially during the lean years. Your crews could be culling dead/dying trees, slash and below grade trees for conversion into syngas and biochar. The article on dairy production of syngas and biochar [ http://algaloildiesel.wetpaint.com/page/DAIRY+PRODUCTION+OF+SYNGAS+AND+BIOCHAR ] has some application in the forest industry. In fact the two would seem to be excellent partners in dealing with the respective waste streams.
Sincerely yours,
James E. Miller, BA, BS, JD
==========================================================================\
Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000168 EndHTML:0000003604 StartFragment:0000000521 EndFragment:0000003587 Production of bio-fuels by high temperature pyrolysis of sewage sludge using conventional and microwave heating [An article from: Bioresource Technology] [HTML] (Digital) http://www.amazon.com/Production-bio-fuels-temperature-pyrolysis-conventional/dp/B000RR9PMA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229864421&sr=8-1
This digital document is a journal article from Bioresource Technology, published by Elsevier in 2006. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Description:
The pyrolysis of sewage sludge was investigated using microwave and electrical ovens as the sources of heat, and graphite and char as microwave absorbers. The main objective of this work was to maximize the gas yield and to assess its quality as a fuel and as a source of hydrogen or syngas (H"2+CO). Both gases were produced in a higher proportion by microwave pyrolysis than by conventional pyrolysis, with a maximum value of 38% for H"2 and 66% for H"2+CO. The oils obtained were also characterized using FTIR and GC-MS. The use of conventional electrical heating in the pyrolysis of sewage sludge produced an oil that could have a significant environmental and toxicological impact. Conversely, microwave pyrolysis still preserved some of the functional groups of the initial sludge such as aliphatic and oxygenated compounds, whereas no heavy PACs were detected.
Editorial Reviews
Product DescriptionThis digital document is a journal article from Bioresource Technology, published by Elsevier in 2006. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Description:
The pyrolysis of sewage sludge was investigated using microwave and electrical ovens as the sources of heat, and graphite and char as microwave absorbers. The main objective of this work was to maximize the gas yield and to assess its quality as a fuel and as a source of hydrogen or syngas (H"2+CO). Both gases were produced in a higher proportion by microwave pyrolysis than by conventional pyrolysis, with a maximum value of 38% for H"2 and 66% for H"2+CO. The oils obtained were also characterized using FTIR and GC-MS. The use of conventional electrical heating in the pyrolysis of sewage sludge produced an oil that could have a significant environmental and toxicological impact. Conversely, microwave pyrolysis still preserved some of the functional groups of the initial sludge such as aliphatic and oxygenated compounds, whereas no heavy PACs were detected.
|
jimmiller5417 |
Latest page update: made by jimmiller5417
, Mar 29 2009, 7:34 AM EDT
(about this update
About This Update
Edited by jimmiller5417
20 words added 41 words deleted view changes - complete history) |
|
Keyword tags:
None
More Info: links to this page
|
There are no threads for this page.
Be the first to start a new thread.
