Thanks for that New Scientist link Michael; it was helpful.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michaelangelica
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"The Charm of Char" is the title to a little article in the May/June, 2009 issue of
Sierra: the magazine of the Sierra Club.
Link to the article at:
Grapple - Sierra Magazine
Scroll down to find: The subtitle to the article is
"Can baked poop save our bacon?"
The article lists many of char's benefits such as: "take carbon out of the atmosphere, increase crop yields, cut fossil-fuel use, and reduce the fertilizer runoff that creates offshore dead zones;" as well as helping "soil retain nutrients, store water, and sustain beneficial microorganisms."
It also quotes James Lovelock, the "visionary British scientist," from his interview in the February
New Scientist article:
One last chance to save mankind - environment - 23 January 2009 - New Scientist
where Lovelock advocates for char as "the solution to climate catastrophe."
[Last month I personally gave photocopies of that New Scientist article to my State Representatives; after I explained the science behind it, and the local jobs potential for biochar industries]
The
Sierra article is a little shakey on the history of biochar, but they nicely describe the West Virginia poultryman's gasifier that heats his henhouse and gives him tons of char--which he sells to farmers
"for $480 a ton." Wow!
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Most importantly, the Sierra article says that "Micronesia has placed biochar on the agenda for this December's Copenhagen climate talks as a 'fast-start' strategy...."
Yea! Maybe there's hope yet....
~
