Transcript Biochar Conference

Northern Rivers & Tweed Valley
•RIC
•PROJECT 540
•B&B
GARDEN
WASTE FACILITY
•
•
•SUGAR MILL
“The Project 540 Kiln has the specific intent to sequester atmospheric CO2,
in many small localities, and to make soil good to the seventh generation.”
Geoff Moxham
www.bodgershovel.com
Constraints and goals
• Accessible sensors
• Validate simple visual tests
• Cheap low-emission designs
• Household uses of process heat
Finessing efficient solutions including
• Vortex flow induced in chimney stacks
• Pre-heated and controlled air to tuyeres
• Multiple purpose dampers & vents
Building and testing prototype kilns
• Catenary and sprung-arch trolley kilns
• Side-loading carriages
• Quenching and inoculating tanks
Educational outreach
• Community kiln-building projects
• Market and show presentations
Phoenix Kiln series
• 20 L • 60L • 3 cu m, small farm
Phoenix Rising
• Human scaled for 1 person
• Output must justify the input
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• Compact method producing
usable amount of char.
• Metal shell of washing machine
makes smoke proof shell.
• Lined with fire brick
• Contains and store the heat
• Worked well
no need to top up fuel during burn
Ben Speirs
www.absorberroof.com
Mark Feltrin
www.gasificationaustralia.com
Inside the kiln
Simple parts
Double drum retort
Lifting the lid
Future steps - Using the heat
Creating independence
• Heat for clothes drying
• Hot water
• Home heating
• Refrigeration
• Micro-gasification
• Electricity generation
Thermoelectric
Organic Rankine Cycle
Ben Speirs
www.absorberroof.com
Mark Feltrin
www.gasificationaustralia.com
Inoculating Biochar
• Charring the weeds
– Lantana vines
– Camphor Laurel trees
– Bamboo
If composted returns CO2 to
atmosphere in 3-5 yrs.
Biochar sequesters 30-40%
of C for thousands of years.
Charcoal pores:
Tilling it in is
“urban renewal, with
quality public housing”
• Crush finely smaller than ¼ in, while wet
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worms can transport the fines
Course meat grinder
Garbage disposal grinder, drip on inoculant
heavy drum roller
lawn mower over wet char in a bay
• Inoculate with:
– Urine, worm juice, compost percolation
– Sea minerals, brewed crop specific teas
– Biodynamic compost & soil
• Application: 4t/ac = 2 lb/sy. Improves to 1lb/sf
• Animals
– Chickens, cows, ducks, pigs, pets, humans
Hyphae: Microbial C reef
Mullumbimbi Community Garden
“Growing to Share & Sharing to Grow”
mullumcommunitygarden.wordpress.com
Food
For
All
Fund raising
Seed savers
Design
Compost
Compost loo
Promotions
Site
Events
Bush regeneration
Cob oven
&
BBQ area
Nursery
Recycling
Sustainability
Alternate tech
Research
Workshops
Education
Chooks
BIOCHAR
Children
Sugarcane Farming
Tweed Valley - Robert Quirk
Mulching with green cane tops
50kg N/ha
returns C to soil rather than going up in smoke
250kg K/ha
Nitrogen added, 2lb/ac
6kg P/ha
facilitates break down of machine harvested trash
Legumes planted directly into trash in fallow period
Legumes add nitrogen
Add lime at 2t/ac then scrapes top 8 inch into mounds
giving equivalent 4t/ac of lime in the mounds
Plant cane into the mounds
improves aeration on land subject to flooding
Traffic controlled to inter-rows & reduced cultivation
minimizing soil damage, maximize soil life
Lime & cultivate only once every 6 yrs
Apply char at rate 2-4 ton/ac in 15 plots with some having no char
Test for crop yield, leaching of nutrients, nitrogen cycling, emissions of CH4 & N2O
Preliminary results indicate
reduction in emissions of N2O with
applications of 10t/ha
green-waste biochar
High
sulphate
soils
High N20 with normal cultivation
No agronomic
benefit found
to char
Trails continuing
with reduced N
Biochar field site – Tweed Valley NSW
Lab tests at DPI show up to 95% reduction in N20 emissions
30 MW cogeneration plant fueled by remnants from sugar production
Saves 400,000 tons of greenhouse gases per year
$220 million capital cost
Future potential for biochar production.
On farm collection of cane trash and use for biochar production
requires proof of agronomic or climate benefit.
There is interest in small scale production for return to fields as trials
No green waste to landfills + fees:
$80 /ton on weigh bridge
$40 / ton Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme
Ballina Shire
Self hauled green waste = 6000 t/yr
Bio solids = 2000 ton/yr
Pickup green waste & kitchen = 4000t/yr
Population 40,000
Total = 12000 ton/yr
Food Links Project: Build resilience
against climate change & peak oil
Row compost for 6 to 8 weeks
Sieve to separate:
Fines for compost = 5000 t/yr
Chips for mulch = 4000 t/yr
Pyrolyze - biochar = 3000 t/yr
Waste Management Centre
Send back to community
Residential gardens
Community gardens
Broad acre application on farms
Small horticultural farms
Macadamia, avocado, bananas
Thank you
From the
Project 540
Team
www.bodgershovel.com
biochargardener.wordpress.com