Ron Larson's New Castle IBI Report:
Biochar list:
This is to fill in a few more holes on what transpired at the Newcastle IBI conference last week (and how to extend its success).
1. The conference agenda found at
The International Biochar Initiative (IBI)
was followed pretty closely - only changing to accomodate those who couldn't make the meeting. The agenda at the above site is followed by a description of the four technical areas that covered the first two days. The schedule on Wednesday consisted of two parallel sessions of three topics each. I think it best to answer questions on most of the topics (rather than give my imperfect recollection) - as most of the power points will soon be up at the IBI site. Also there will be about 100 posters. No way I can summarize all this work fairly - but those of us who were there can probably answer questions on most topics of interest to this list. Overall - I thought it was a great conference.
2. I represented a group from Colorado that put in a successful bid to host the next (regional) IBI conference - Likely to be early August, 2009. Consequently, I have been thinking a lot about this last conference's content - and how we might best change the format to best capture the rapid growth of the biochar field. Fortunately, I was able to buy the last available CD, containing the draft (as of August) chapters for the forthcoming biochar book edited by Johannes Lehmann. described at
The International Biochar Initiative (IBI)
I haven't finished even skimming it, but I now agree with one of the chapter authors who told me he felt this book was now the state of the art description of biochar. This is an outstanding book - and I now see that much of the Newcastle meeting had the flavor and organization of this book. The Colorado conference planners will try hard to pattern the Boulder conference after this book's organization.
3. To get a better flavor of the book (which I needed for developing the next Conference agenda), I below add a little postscript (in bold) to the listing of chapters as given at the above IBI site. Chapters 16 and 18 were interchanged and one new chapter 20 has been added as follows:
Table of Contents (subject to change):
Preface: Motivation and Acknowledgements
Johannes Lehmann and Stephen Joseph [RWL: These editors obviously did an enormous amount of work.]
Foreword: NN
Tim Flannery (Macquarie University NSW 2109, Australia ) [RWL: Flannery gave a public lecture in Newcastle that was similar to this foreword - mostly on climate issues. Little in the book or the Conference was on the details of climate change - but quite a lot on how biochar fits in.]
Chapter 1 (B): Historical Accumulation and Traditional Use of Biochar in Soil
William Woods (The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA , email:
wwoods@ku.edu) [RWL: This history topic not covered on my CD (and not much at Newcastle). Instead, there is a new Chapter 1 by Lehmann and Joseph - now used as an Intro. This was the only dropped chapter topic that I could find. In Boulder, we might cover history in an evening or lunch hour lecture.]
Chapter 2 (A) : Characteristics of Biochar – Physical and Structural Properties
Adriana Downie (BEST Energies, Somersby, NSW 2250, Australia, email:
adriana@bestenergies.com.au) [RWL: Adriana recruited two more from NSW, Australia. Lots of good introductory detail on char. Later chapters more detailed on specfic char characteristics. 35pp]
Chapter 3 (A): Characteristics of Biochar – Micro-Chemical Properties
Jim Amonette (Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA , email:
jim.amonette@pnl.gov) [ Stephen Joseph now also a co-author. 28 pp; many refs and figs. Amonette also on the IBI board.]
Chapter 4 (A): Characteristics of Biochar – Macro-Molecular Properties
Evelyn Krull (CSIRO Land and Water, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia, email:
evelyn.krull@csiro.au) [3 added co-authors (all from Australia). Title change from "Macro-Molecular" to "Organo-Chemical", 20 pp]
Chapter 5 (B): Characteristics of Biochar – Nutrient Properties
Yin Chan (New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Richmond, NSW 2753, Australia, email:
yin.chan@dpi.nsw.gov.au) [One added co-author (Xu); first of several chapters on why biochar is desired, 28pp]
Chapter 6 (B): Characteristics of Biochar – Biological Properties
Janice Thies (Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA, email:
jet25@cornell.edu) [RWL: One added author. Continues theme of looking closely at a desired biochar property. 39pp]
Chapter 7 (B): Biochar Classification and Test Methods
Stephen Joseph (University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2251, Australia, email:
joey.stephen@gmail.com) [RWL: The latest version has three additional co-authors. I have found this chapter to be outstanding - lots of good thought went into the many aspects of biochar - and how to match up needs with char characteristics. I will send a later message on this chapter particularly - which is the basis for my organizing the draft proposed agenda for the Colorado event.]
Chapter 8 (A): Biochar Production Technology
Robert Brown (Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA, email:
rcbrown@iastate.edu) [RWL: Prof. Brown could not be there - but many of his technology options were of course discussed - especially in posters. Dr. Czernik's opening plenary covered many of the ideas here. I will come back to things that might have been missing here after reading this Chapter more closely. One of the six parallel sessions was on charcoal-making stoves, which only receives brief mention here. The book overall has less on production technologies than did the conference, but this is a good chapter.]
Chapter 9 (C): Biochar Systems
Matthew Warnken ( Warnken ISE, Glebe, NSW 2037, Australia, email:
matthew@warnkenise.com.au ) [RWL: New chapter (30 pp, same title) is by Editors Lehmann and Joseph. Has real costs for a few real systems.]
Chapter 10 (B): Biochar Changes in Soil
Michael Schmidt (University of Zürich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland, email:
michael.schmidt@geo.unizh.ch) [RWL: One added co-author. I had not realized how much biochar changes over time. 17pp]
Chapter 11 (B): Biochar Stability in Soil
Johannes Lehmann (Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA, email:
CL273@cornell.edu) [RWL: 3 more co-authors, 35 pp; several proofs that biochar is stable in soil. ]
Chapter 12 (A): Biochar Application to Soil
Paul Blackwell (Department of Agriculture and Food, Geraldton, WA 6530, Australia, email:
PBlackwell@agric.wa.gov.au) [RWL: 2 more authors (Aus & NZ); New material to me (and they claim so also), 27pp]
Chapter 13 (B): Biochar effects on gaseous losses of GHG
Lukas van Zwieten (New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Wollongbar, NSW 2477, Australia, email:
lukas.van.zwieten@dpi.nsw.gov.au) [RWL: Now Lukas has 5 more co-authors. This somewhat like Chaps. 5 and 6 as another reason for using biochar. Emphasis on N2O and CH4; 37 pp]
Chapter 14 (B): Biochar effects on soil nutrient transformation
Thomas DeLuca (The Wilderness Society, Bozeman, MT 59715, USA, email:
tom_deluca@tws.org) [RWL: Two additional co-authors/ Again a reason for promoting biochar - as in 5,6, and 13. Said to contain much that is new. 27pp]
Chapter 15 (B): Biochar effects on nutrient leaching
Julie Major ( Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA, email:
jm322@cornell.edu) [Three additional co-authors. Again addressing a fifth reason for promoting biochar. 25 pp]
Chapter 16 (now 18) (C): Biochar, Carbon Accounting and Climate Change
Annette Cowie (New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Beecroft, NSW 2119 email:
annettec@sf.nsw.gov.au), John Gaunt (GY Associates Ltd, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2DF, UK, email:
john_gaunt@gya.co.uk) [RWL: Excellent overview of incentive options. Very similar to one of the Newcastle parallel sessions - where an even wider range of possibilities was offered. Hopefully the parallel sesson notes will be placed on the IBI website. As with every other Chapter, many good references. 37 pp]
Chapter 17 (A): Test procedures for biochar verification in soil
David Manning (The University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK, email:
David.Manning@newcastle.ac.uk) [RWL: one added co-author. Difficulties noted, but they are not insoluble. 21pp]
Chapter 18 (now 16) (B): Biochar and retention of herbicides/pesticides
Ron Smernik (The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia, email:
ronald.smernik@adelaide.edu.au) [RWL: Changed title - now "Biochar and sorption of organic compounds"; This is a 6th soil reason for using biochar. 16pp]
Chapter 19 (C): The Economics of Biochar Soil Management
Bruce McCarl (Texas A&M, College Station, TX 77843, USA, email:
mccarl@tamu.edu) [RWL: 4 more co-authors; noted a relationship to Newcastle conference talk(s). Good economic data and methodology for farms. Conclusion - that $35/tonne CO2 is marginal. 24 pp]
New Chapter 20 topic (C): Socio-economic Assessment and Implementation of Small Scale Biochar Projects; Stephen Joseph [RWL: This chapter quite similar to the Newcastle parallel session on charcoal-making stoves - but goes well beyond that dialog. Almost entirely on developing country issues. 22pp]
Chapter 20 (Now 21) (C): Commercialization of Biochar
Mark Glover (Eco Waste Pty Ltd, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia, email:
mark@ecowaste.com.au) [RWL: Has some useful cost data from real examples, 22pp]
Chapter 21 (now 22) (C): Policy Opportunities for a Biochar Economy
Peter Read (Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand, email:
p.read@massey.ac.nz) [RWL: Peter could not be present; his talk at Newcastle, which seemed pretty similar to this chapter, was read by John Gaunt (author of new chapter 18 - which was the only other policy-related chapter). 17pp]
4. I would appreciate feedback on my draft proposal, soon to be given to others on the Colorado planning team, on these basic ideas:
a. The first three 1.5 hour sessions on all three days would respectively cover A. Biochar Production, Placement and Validation, B. Biochar in soil, and C. Biochar Economics and Policy . Above, I have placed an A, B, or C after each of the 22 chapters - giving the following topic lists:
A. Production etal (six chapters): A1 - production (8), application (12), auditing (17); or A2 - non-soil characteristics (2, 3, 4);
B. Soil values (nine chapters) : B1 - Classification (7) and time-changes (10, 11); or B2 - properties (5, 6, 13, 14, 15, 16);
C. Econ./Policy (six chapters): C1. Systems (9, 20, 21); or C2. economics (19 ) and policy (18, 22)
b. I will propose that conference attendees will generally fall into one of these six areas. During the two (Monday and Tuesday) end-of-the-day parallel sessions, participants will always have a choice of two topics within each of the three main areas. Thus a total of 6 parallel session reports will go back to the full group - two at a time on the last day (a Wednesday). I presume/hope that people will stay in the same subgroups, but all should feel free to move as they wish. The purposes of this further six-way subdivision are four fold - to reap the advantages of smaller groups, to allow discussion of topics in depth, to allow a return to the same topic on successive days and to be sure all topics get covered. Book editors Lehmann and Joseph seem to have left nothing uncovered in their chapter topic choices - albeit that my re-ordering may need some further discussion. Anyone see a missing topic?
c. Any positive or negative reactions to this relatively-small proposed "Colorado" modification of the Newcastle agenda format?
Thanks in advance for any reactions.
In sum - I hope my short recap of the book and its organization will prove that we are involved in a very complex technology - with more information already than I thought available and that we have a great new book giving a very positive view on likely progress, while still acknowledging many unknowns. I strongly recommend its purchase and careful reading. Ron
for a joint conference of this size, such as to celebrate the 
