[Michaelangelica]

does anyone want to get involved with this refining process?
biochar / FrontPage

[Nitack]

Originally Posted by Michaelangelica

does anyone want to get involved with this refining process?
biochar / FrontPage

I'm down, however since most of my experimentation has been on the solar production side and I am currently with out a testing facility, I have little to offer at the moment.

when I am back up to experimental status though I am all in.

[Philip Small]

biochar.pbwiki.com is forming up nicely. The opening reads:

Welcome to a Gardening with Biochar FAQ!

... a work in progress...

When gardeners add biochar to garden soil, we are, in effect attempting to follow in the footsteps of the originators of Terra Preta. Because we don't know exactly how that process worked, nor how we can best adapt it outside its area of origin, we are left to discover much of this by experimenting with our own gardens and comparing observations within our own communities.


1.0 What is Biochar?

Biochar is charcoal formed by low temperature pyrolysis. Higher temperature pyrolysis produces a more traditional charcoal. Ideally biochar is made in a way that achieves maximal bio-oil condensate retention. When used broadly, the term biochar simply refers to charcoal made from any biomass waste, and may or may not have a significant bio-oil condensate component. In this broader context biochar is simply charcoal used for agricultural purposes.

1.01 What are the benefits of using biochar in the garden?

The following benefits occur with additions of biochar

* Enhanced plant growth
* Suppressed methane emission
* Reduced nitrous oxide emission (estimate 50%)
* Reduced fertilizer requirement (estimate 10%)
* Reduced leaching of nutrients
* Stored carbon in a long term stable sink
* Lowered soil acidity
* Lowered aluminum toxicity
* Increased soil aggregation due to increased fungal hyphae
* Improved soil water handling characteristics
* Increased soil levels of available Ca, Mg, P, and K
* Increased soil microbial respiration
* Increased soil microbial biomass
* Stimulated symbiotic nitrogen fixation in legumes
* Increased arbuscular mycorrhyzal fungi
* Increased cation exchange capacity

1.02 How much biochar do I need to apply to achieve these benefits?

This is the subject of ongoing studies. The degree of benefit clearly increases with the application rate. If you are satisfied with a very rough estimate, we would venture that a target application rate of 5 kg/m2 (1 lb/ft2) would be sufficient to achieve these results in most gardens. However, there are substantial benefits related to soil biology at rates well below 1 kg/m2. This FAQ includes information on how to use small amounts of biochar in your garden to best advantage. [peer review requested on target application rate statement]

So far, pretty good. Look forward to continue fleshing it out. Although at 12 pages, I probably also need to move content off to supporting web pages as done with the N soak calculation, and the application depth calculation.