Another great interview Diego, you have a knack for asking the right questions. In the J-Su FB group, I regularly promote studies showing microbial use of char being as high as 15%. Very pleased you prompted Kurt to add oxidation, chemical weathering, mineralisation & humidification as other fractions, to mechanisms of reduction of char within diverse, dynamic & natural systems. Nutrient holding capacity ; Kurt focused on time, after previously hinting at a capability for both cation & anion capabilities. I think the only other soil substance that can do both is humin. I add a step during homemade biochar. I've read studies on feed grade char to aim for 700 degrees Celcius. Because I'm aiming at a feed grade product, I commence with a feed grade product. That limits me to TLUD designs because the product is flame free, allowing me to begin with fine feed grade materials. The added step is inclusion of feed grade char as a toxin binder in the animal's diet, added at a low rate & added just prior to feed out to minimise the potential negatives. The stock benefit from the toxin binder, inoculate the char & then spread it for you. My system was conventional ag before we purchased, cleared for farming 60yrs ago. Over the last decade, we've cleaned up dead scattered timber ..... and the results have been soil improvement, with a significant difficulty to find char when you dig.
Kind of a confusing listen. I’m confused how anyone can even refer to charcoal that has not been inoculated as biochar at all. It’s either activated biochar or just simple charcoal right?
Has anyone looked at the effect of storm phenomena such as lightening on biochar? As I understand it, biochar is from the tropics. Not a lot of snow down there. Snow is slow, cold fertilizer (nitrogen). Lightening is hot, fast fertilizer (nitrogen) It seems all the research is being done at the wrong latitude, as in too far north.
More diversity seems to be positive in every natural system we study. Perhaps a mixture of biochars made at different temperatures and from different feedstocks will end up being best? If you look at the mapped areas of terra preta in the Amazon, I would say the evidence is overwhelming that it's man made and intentional. There is no natural force that would create that pattern.
Great episode. Love it!
Thank you Diego 🤙
Thanks Diego.
Another great interview Diego, you have a knack for asking the right questions.
In the J-Su FB group, I regularly promote studies showing microbial use of char being as high as 15%.
Very pleased you prompted Kurt to add oxidation, chemical weathering, mineralisation & humidification as other fractions, to mechanisms of reduction of char within diverse, dynamic & natural systems.
Nutrient holding capacity ; Kurt focused on time, after previously hinting at a capability for both cation & anion capabilities. I think the only other soil substance that can do both is humin.
I add a step during homemade biochar. I've read studies on feed grade char to aim for 700 degrees Celcius. Because I'm aiming at a feed grade product, I commence with a feed grade product. That limits me to TLUD designs because the product is flame free, allowing me to begin with fine feed grade materials.
The added step is inclusion of feed grade char as a toxin binder in the animal's diet, added at a low rate & added just prior to feed out to minimise the potential negatives.
The stock benefit from the toxin binder, inoculate the char & then spread it for you.
My system was conventional ag before we purchased, cleared for farming 60yrs ago. Over the last decade, we've cleaned up dead scattered timber ..... and the results have been soil improvement, with a significant difficulty to find char when you dig.
One thing I've learned 50 minutes in, "we don't understand the mechanism"😆
But char mostly positive addition!
My takeaway is terra preta was much more than just bio char
Kinda sounds like the big guys don’t want biochar. Maybe because it works so well.
What I get from the USDA representative is, 'We don't understand it and we don't care to.'
Kind of a confusing listen. I’m confused how anyone can even refer to charcoal that has not been inoculated as biochar at all. It’s either activated biochar or just simple charcoal right?
Has anyone looked at the effect of storm phenomena such as lightening on biochar?
As I understand it, biochar is from the tropics. Not a lot of snow down there. Snow is slow, cold fertilizer (nitrogen). Lightening is hot, fast fertilizer (nitrogen)
It seems all the research is being done at the wrong latitude, as in too far north.
👍👍👍👍👍
More diversity seems to be positive in every natural system we study. Perhaps a mixture of biochars made at different temperatures and from different feedstocks will end up being best?
If you look at the mapped areas of terra preta in the Amazon, I would say the evidence is overwhelming that it's man made and intentional. There is no natural force that would create that pattern.
the soil is better with char but they don t have scientific evidences haha ... how small we are !