Many thanks to Natasha Harty, ECI assessor and Member of Cork Quaker Meeting, for sending us the following fascinating article about biochar:
Properly used, properly made and quickly adopted, it is my belief that biochar could be the magic bullet that environmentalists around the world have been waiting for. It has the potential to tackle two of the great problems of our times – global warming and feeding our huge population.
I first was introduced to biochar through a review in Permaculture magazine of Albert Bates book, ‘The Biochar Solution’. In it Albert traces the use of biochar in South America, where biochar made it possible for the thin Upper Amazonian soil to support large cities and a huge population. However, the Spaniards who discovered them also brought European diseases against which the South Americans had no immunity. The stories that the Spaniards brought home were not believed, and the Amazonian cities died out. That page of history was lost for two hundred years.
Biochar is basically ground up charcoal. The two magic bullet properties are the exceptional stability of charcoal. When you put compost into the ground it will release all its carbon in five to ten years. Charcoal, on the other hand, can last 1,000 years. Secondly, charcoal is full of holes, and has an enormous surface area, just the thing for beneficial organisms like bacteria, fungi, moulds to thrive in. These same micro-organisms help the plants to avail of the nutrients in the soil and to grow really well.
I am now making charcoal at home. I could not manage the traditional 50 gallon barrel of wood on a bonfire, nor a trench of fire covered with earth. I bought a little Kadia charcoal maker, which is great if you have a campfire. Fill the Kadia with dry sticks, put on the lid and put it on the fire, poking it round every now and again, to stir up the sticks. Watch for the flames beginning to appear round the rim of the lid, and spurt out of the vent. These are the burning gasses from the hot wood. Then watch for them stopping some time later, indicating that the charcoal is cooked. Carefully take the Kadia off the fire and leave aside until cold before opening. I also make charcoal in a sweet tin in a room heating stove in the house. The bonus is that the burning gasses give off a nice bit of extra heat!
Biochar will not be able to solve the world’s problems on its own. We seriously need to cut down on our fossil fuels. We also need to stabilise our population. Leaving that to natural disasters is a poor answer. We must not cut down trees for biochar production. We are told that there is adequate waste matter such as crop residues for char. Fast growing, carbon hungry crops like maize and sorghum feed both humans and the charcoal stoves. Finally, we must lobby for a carbon quota system, such as cap and share where people can earn carbon credits by sequestering carbon, as in making charcoal. They would use up their quota by carbon releasing activities such as filling their car with petrol or cutting down a tree.
There is lots of information on biochar on the net. Also Feasta and the University of Limerick have done lots of research on biochar, (www.carbolea.ul.ie). One company is making biochar in Clare (www.biocharireland.com). Worldstoves in the US are making charcoal-producing cooking stoves for developing countries (worldstoves.com).
Lastly, I never mind a biochar chat on the phone! Tel 021 4652429!