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Anyone Using Charcoal?
Has anyone started experimenting with charcoal as a soil amendment? "Biochar" as a fuel source, carbon sequestration technique, and soil amendment seems to be a hot topic now.
As a part of a total soil amendment program charcoal, not used for cooking food, could be a good addition, but since the wood that would make the charcoal is at least just as good as the charcoal why burn the wood and generate pollution just to get the charcoal?
I have been experimenting with charcoal since the topic was first brought up in early December of last year on this forum. I must admit that the results are extremely impressive as it relates to my garden plots and their production. Terra Preta is indeed a hot topic, but for some reason the thread was removed from this forum and not restarted. I have learned many things since starting this project; one thing that is of benefit for my location is the ability of charcoal amended soil to hold moisture. This has been a real plus considering our current drought conditions. I currently am constructing a bio-char 55-gallon drum to see how well it works in creating charcoal.
I could sit here all day conversing about charcoal and what it is doing in my garden. However, such discussion brings about negative opinions, lack of knowledge, and stated desires to maintain the status quo without the insight only experience can provide. The possible abundant source of fuel for gasoline/diesel-powered auto/trucks alone is reason enough to get excited about this new/old technology. Add to that the possible ability to grow edible crops in soils considered infertile only magnifies the importance of this topic IMO.
IMO, the organic gardener has the upper hand when incorporating this technology into a useful medium. Our understanding of the soil food web, composting, and organic soil amendments are priceless when the concept of Terra Preta is put into operation. I trust your adventure into this exciting innovation will produce the same results both my open-minded friends here at home and myself are discovering. In the mean time, I will continue to sit here like the "Maytag repairman" and marvel at what my eyes behold within the boundaries of my garden
It seems to me that you could produce the char as a product of a wood gassification rig, and use the gas to run a water heater or stove burner or so on. Google wood gas to find more. Mother Earth News even had a car that ran on wood gas back in the 70s. But I remember seeing somewhere (didn't find it in a brief search) about a guy who used corn stalks and cobs to produce gas to dry his corn grain. Anyway, gassification leaves charcoal clinkers as a byproduct, or producing bio-char leaves "wood gas" as a byproduct, but it seems to me both of these can be used.
I need to get on the ball and do some experimenting with this in my very arid climate. It has been rattling around in my head ever since it came up last year, too, but I let it slide.
From experience I can tell you that charcoal and even charcoal ashes do no harm to plant life. Actually, they seem to improve plant health by quite a margin. The dreaded charcoal briquette ash has actually shown a remarkeable positive difference in flowering plants. Those awful chemicals in charcoal briquettes that we cook our food with doesn't seem to bother plants at all. Hey, this is from observation only so please don't flame me. Next year I'll try some of those ashes and charcoal chunks on my veggies and see if it works there too. Ya know, we might be missing something here. Best regards.
Hi Folks...what is the magic ingredient(s) in charcoal that makes plants grow better and faster then they normally would? Are we dealing with alittle voodoo/witchcraft again...:-) Ayup...I can see it now...my Kentucky Wonder pole beans 35 feet tall. Franklin
Making charcoal the "traditional' way, using a pit, or pile of dirt, or what ever has been around, probably, since Man began using fire. More modern technology, using kilns, steel and brick structures with regulated air intake and so on are more efficient, however it can also concentrate some of the toxic stuff as well. Essentially thats the way that creosote is made, condensed smoke from making charcoal.
So just a precautionary note, given the nasty stuff thats in creosote, to treat it with respect.
Actually Franklin, there isn't any magic involved. Stuff sticks to charcoal -- that's why it gets used in ERs for overdoses and poisonings. Soluble nitrogen sticks to charcoal, too. Normally, nitrogen leaches out of soil very quickly, but with the addition of charcoal, the nitrogen remains in the root zone of your plants. That means you get better growth with less nitrogen application. Additionally, the gritty, porous structure of charcoal stores water without smothering roots. Nitrogen plus oxygen plus water equals happy plants. Far from magic, that's the same old formula. Besides that it's more wettable and more sustainable than, oh, say, peat.
The Terra Preta of the Amazon also sustains the growth of nitrogen fixing fungi and bacteria so that it not only maintains nitrogen, it generates nitrogen.
Creosote goes by another name now days ... biodiesel. "Agrichar" actually holds the potential for generating "carbon negative" fuel as well as restoring soil. It decreases the need for nitrogen on crops and decreases nutrient runoff. However, I'm not about to try making my own -- I'd hate to wind up with a heap of charcoal and ash where my house once stood.
I use it just a little simply because small hunks of charred wood, not completely burnt to ashes, make their way into our ash bucket on a recurring basis. I have been flinging this into my gardens (crumbling up the hunks when I notice them) and the rest of my yard. Can't say I notice anything in particular, I am just avoiding putting it into the landfill by spreading the ashes and charcoal (from plain wood burned in our wood stove) on our slightly acidic soil.
We also have a rarely used fire pit and from what isn't burned when we put out the twice yearly fire we get our charcoal for our barbecue needs. Guess I could put some of that into the garden just to check it out more vigorously, we don't grill much.
From the Cornell Univ. Study:
"The high fertility of the prehistoric Anthrosols (ancient charcoal treated soils) may have been more related to nutrient release from successively available soil pools than high ion contents at exchange sites. Without fertilization, the leachate in the Anthrosols had extremely low concentrations of nutrients while nutrient availability was high compared to the Ferralsol (leached out untreated soils). Low leaching at high nutrient availability ensures sustainable soil fertility. These results coincide with observations made by Petersen et al. (2001) who found Anthrosols in Western Amazônia which have been under continuous cultivation without fertilization for 40 years."
The amazing thing to me is the ability of plants to use available nutrients immediately. One of the first things I noticed when charcoal was added to my compost was the germination of weed seeds within the compost. This made for easy removal before adding the compost to the soil. The fact that I was using charcoal from the fireplace instead of low heat created charcoal was reason for even more anticipation to see what would happen once bio-char is used.
The results of making/using a 55-gallon drum for making charcoal was successful. The resulting charcoal is very lightweight and sounds like wind chimes when banging together. Be warned, this process creates a lot of smoke when cooking, and I do mean a lot. However, since a top has to be used on the drum the risk of fire is minimal from what I can see. I plan to get some squash in the ground using this bio-char to see if the plants will respond better (hard to conceive of that looking at present results). I understand that those who live in urban areas are using a product called "Cowboy Charcoal" found at Lowes since it is made using the same technique. I have no knowledge of how well it works or the cost.
It is a "no-brainer" as to weather or not this gardener will continue to use charcoal in my garden. Having a use for small twigs and sticks instead of waiting for them to break down in compost and the fact that they are responding in the soil as a form of humus adds even more to their value. IMO, this technology should not be taken lightly or ignored completely
Here are some of the URLs that I saved from the last go around on Terra Preta. Would like to give it a try, but here in southern California the fire marshals would come down hard if they saw any smoke. Fire season never stopped last winter and we're in the midst of dry season again right now. It is criminal that either arsonists or stupid human tricks cause most of the fires.
Terra Preta is Portuguese for black earth. "Rich black soil terra preta was created by humans up to 4000 years ago in infertile regions of the Amazon. The high nutrient content of terra preta is recreated today by low-temperature slow burning pyrolysis of biomass. The resulting product, black carbon, known as bio-char, reduces the need for fertilizers. It can also be used as a fuel." (1.)
"Inspired by the fascinating properties of Terra Preta de Indio, bio-char is a soil amendment that has the potential to revolutionize concepts of soil management. While "discovered" may not be the right word, as bio-char (also called charcoal or biomass-derived black carbon, recently in context of agricultural application also named agri-char) has been used in traditional agricultural practices as well as in modern horticulture, never before has evidence been accumulating that demonstrates so convincingly that bio-char has very specific and unique properties that make it stand out among the opportunities for sustainable soil management.
The benefits of bio-char rest on two pillars:
1- The extremely high affinity of nutrients to bio-char
2- The extremely high persistence of bio-char
These two properties (which are truly extraordinary - see details below) can be used effectively to address some of the most urgent environmental problems of our time:
1- Soil degradation and food insecurity
2- Water pollution from agro-chemicals
3- Climate change
'Soils with bio-char additions are typically more fertile, produce more and better crops for a longer period of time.'" (2.)
"Important lessons can be learned from the recalcitrance of black carbon and its effects on the biogeochemistry of soils. Given the apparent ubiquity of black Carbon established by several authors (Schmidt and Noak, 2000; Skjemstad et al., 2002), refinements of global Carbon models and sequestration estimates may be necessary. Further, the potential for enhancing sequestration by active management of black Carbon could be established with important linkages to energy production and land use." (3.)
"Eprida offers a revolutionary new energy technology for sustainable fuels and sustainable income while producing co-products which also allow us to remove greenhouse gases from the air. We mimic nature's methods for biomass conversion and build a sustainable food and energy production." (4.)
(1.) http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2006/February/20020601.asp
(2.) http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann/biochar/Biochar_home.htm
(3.) http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann/terra_preta/TerraPretahome.htm
(4.). http://www.eprida.com/home/index.php4
I've been reading up on terra preta for the past few months and have been making small batches of it from time to time with left over heat from BBQs (yep, making charcoal from charcoal). Besides the great benefit to one's garden soil that charcoal seems to provide, there is a tremendous potential for normal folks to start a grassroots carbon sequestration program by incorporating charcoal into their soil. From what I've read, charcoal in soil is an extremely long-lasting form of carbon entrapment (i.e., it doesn't break down and eventually become CO2 in the atmosphere).
Now I have a question regarding all this that I haven't been able to find the answer to: Does anyone know what percentage of roasted coffee beans is charcoal? I'm assuming that a certain amount of coffee beans becomes carbonized during the roasting process (particularly dark roasted ones) even if this is a miniscule amount. I've searched all over the web for this info and have even emailed Starbucks though they only deigned to give me a "Thank you for your interest...." reply. I'd like to know what portion of the coffee grounds that I compost/scatter around will remain in the soil as charcoal.
Thanks to anyone who can provide elucidation,
French roast or Vienna? ;-)
This all makes sense to me, as this stuff is essentially activated carbon, a product which has been used for decades to remediate contaminated waste. The process by which nutrients "stick" to particles of charcoal is known as adsorption.
There's one thing I don't understand though... why does this stuff persist so long? Why does it not get converted to CO2 by bacteria and/or fungi? Certainly, if a tree falls in a forest, it will be consumed and converted to CO2, methane, and other "stuff" within a few short years. One would think that charcoal would disappear even quicker because it has a much higher surface area....
I've used lump hardwood charcoal as a grill fuel for years. This year i smashed up several pounds of coal and added it to the mix i use when potting up pines and maples. The results seem encouraging. It seems like the coal is good for drainage and air space in addition to the biological benefits. It's also lightweight and apparently does not degrade very quickly. I'll be interested to see the roots next spring.
Years ago I remember that the recomendation was to put charcoal in the bottoms of the containers. I'm not sure why but in recient years it seems that the focus seems to have shifted more to stuff like perlite and vermiculite but that is probably more from marketing.
Can some one explain the process for making bio-char that also gets one bio-fuel? I've done some research into making bio-diesel from veg oil and it isn't really as safe/simple as some would make it sound.
Years ago people would put charcoal in the bottom of pots to "help drainage" and possibly (they thought) absorb excess nutrients, or "salts" because people then, just like now do not understand that not all charcoal will absorb "stuff". The absorb stuff, such as the activeated charcoal used in the filters in fish tanks, the charcoal needs to be processed to do that. The charcoal from your backyard grill, or your houses fireplace or wood burning stove, is not, and will not be, activated charcoal.
Some of the studies I have seen on the Terra Pretta concept is that there is only very short term benefit from burning off the forest cover. That some people 4 or 5,000 years ago burned off the forest, farmed that area for a time and then moved on and repeated that cycle does not mean it is a good thing.
Maybe revisit the terra preta concept. It is not at all the process of slash & burn nor is it "burning off the forest cover."
Recent efforts stimulated by Terra Preta research included the investigation of biochar (biomass-derived black carbon or charcoal) as a soil amendment to enhance nutrient availability and retention. Charcoal amendments were shown to significantly decrease nutrient leaching and increase crop growth (Lehmann et al., 2003), and the tests of slash-and-char systems were suggested as an alternative to slash-and-burn (Lehmann et al., 2002).
I sort of stumbled on this thread by chance. But, I live in Amazonia, Manaus, Amazonas and have been around Terra Preta first hand. It is amazing stuff. It is also littered with pottery shards. And, it appears that many of these were made for the purpose of soil enhancement. I have been on plots of up to 30 acres of the stuff. it is great for growing bananas, watermellons and even marijuana. The terra preta areas are favorites of the pot growers in the area. The population densities in our area were much greater than many imagined and terra preta is one of the reasons they could be sustained.
This will be a long one but worth reading I think. First of all biochar is NOT activated charcoal. It would best be described as slightly underdone charcoal. How underdone is really up to debate and study at this point. Most people making this stuff will be doing so for the many planetary benefits it may provide. A lot of people are making biochar the old fashioned way. Perhaps you have come across the barrel method. I have made a smaller batch this way with a metal five gallon bucket. You have to ask yourself 'do I want to blow out a lot of smoke for 5 or 6 hours'? Luckily I stumbled onto gasification. If you make a decent gasifier there will be little to no smoke. The best thing about it is that you will be burning the smoke to create the heat to make the biochar. So you can make your biochar without releasing a bunch of CO2 by burning wood. The size of your garden will determine how big of a gasifier you will make. Gasifiers get hot so use common sense and keep water handy. You will also want water to put out the charcoal once the gas has burned off. If you google 'wood gasifier' you will find many links showing you how to make one. Make a practice one to see how they work before building your main unit. Everything you need to make one is already in your house. I made mine with a putty knife, can opener, hammer and a metal punch(aka anything metal that will make a hole). This method produces better agrichar than the standard charcoal method(my opinion).
Now for a few special notes.
The fuel for the gasifier should be really dry and made into thumb sized pieces to allow air flow and deep pyrolysis.
Try various fuels. I have had difficulty with pine needles. Some of the best biochar I have made has come from alfalfa pellets. Variety of fuels will increase the chances of getting good results(my opinion).
Fertilize the biochar or it may sponge a bit off of your garden. I highly recommend soaking in urine for 2 or 3 days. Either straight or half water. The other method that I recommend is adding it to your compost. You could also use livestock manure in water with the char. Last resort would be a half or quarter strength commercial fertilizer.
My last suggestion is to add it to your garden over a period of 3-5 years. There is little information about how much to use. Adding it year after year will give you some control and give you a chance to read the plants.
Please keep in mind that this is my first year using it. The above was gleaned from A LOT of reading and searching. If I said anything that is not factual please correct me. And please make your biochar in an environmentally sensible way. If you have questions let me know.
I put up a couple of vids on how to make a biochar making gasifier. See them here
I used bio-char last fall. This season my plants do look very happy. I cannot say that it's from the charcoal alone. I did make a few other changes.
Last week there was another vendor selling bio-char on ebay. The price was way lower. I grabbed 15#. I'm going to blend it into the mixture for fall potting.
Paleorthid asked:
"Any suggestions as to what questions to address?"
A very nice web page, with lots of information many can use.
As I have said before, I am a mear layman who is fond of growing a good tomato or watermelon for family and friends to enjoy. Yet I have been doing some thinking as I observe my garden as well as five (5) others that I provide compost with charcoal added as they grow throughout this year. Hence there are some questions I have that could be considered for your web page. In this context a "pure carbon source" will equate to charcoal:
1. If a pure carbon source is added to compost pile or garden what will the soil food web do with this carbon source?
2. How long will the soil food web generate pre-digestive acids in an attempt to decompose this pure carbon source?
3. Where is the nitrogen coming from to digest this pure carbon source by the soil food web, and what happens to this nitrogen once digestion occurs?
4. If the soil food web doesnt care where a food source comes from (synthetic-vs- organic), why would the soil food web care if the pure carbon source is created at any given temperature or not?
5. What happens if one adds a pure carbon source to an oxygen rich environment such as a compost tea brewer teaming with organic microbes?
6. If a pure carbon source is added to an organic rich soil, amended with remineralization amendments (rock dust), what will happen to the plants growing in said soil?
7. How much C02 is generated by the soil food web as it digests this pure carbon source, and what happens to this CO2?
8. If compost tea is created with a pure carbon source added, what happens to the plant said compost tea is sprayed upon?
9. If a pure carbon source is forced to adsorb a pure nitrogen source such as alfalfa tea, what will happen to this pure carbon source when added to microbe rich environment such as a compost pile or well-amended organic garden?
10. Which will a pure carbon source perform better, a soil teaming with organic matter, or a soil lacking in any organic matter?
11. What happens to the humic acid and fulvic acids generated by the soil food web trying to decompose a pure carbon source?
12. What will happen to the microbe population if a pure carbon source is added to the soil or compost pile if a balanced nitrogen source is present?
13. If a pure carbon source is added to a soil rich in nutrients, what will happen to said nutrients as it relates to any given plant growing in this soil?
These are some of the questions I ponder as I watch my own and others gardens grow. I trust a few of these questions and answers will be of some service
Harvey Gardner asked:
"Is this the same as Carbon Black?"
No. I am speaking of charcoal, both activated and what is known as "bio-char".
From Wikipedia:
"The current International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) evaluation is that, "Carbon black is possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B)". Short-term exposure to high concentrations of the carbon black dust may produce discomfort to the upper respiratory tract, through mechanical irritation."
Not a good thing to have around IMO. I trust this is of some use...
Balsam Girl,
That is one of those loaded gun questions due to the controversy of mining peat moss. In another recent thread it was discovered that recycled paper offers the same benefits of peat moss and is found just about everywhere, plus the paper is free. Thus using recycled paper could be the resolution many have sought to stop the mining of peat moss and save the bogs they are found within. As to weather peat works in the same manner, I do not know, I dont use peat
Thanks for the reply. I somewhat disagree that peat is "mined" like non-renewable resources are mined. A peat bog begins filling in again as soon as the peat harvesting operation is completed and the water table restored. A water-filled basin is then created that plant life (moss) immediately begins to encroach upon and refill. Peat is a renewable resource.
As to newspaper I use all I can get in my woodstove and mulching my garden. I can dig peat for free on my own land and therefore find it very convenient and useful. It makes a good soil ammendment in this sand I have, but it would nice to know how it compares to the charcoal ammending.
What I'm left with after digging peat is a little frog pond and amphibians need all the help they can get.
Balsam Girl,
Like I said, I stay out of the controversy of what peat is or is not. Now that I have thought of it, peat does not compare to what charcoal/bio-char can do IMO. There are aspects of charcoal that are only now beginning to be understood, while peat in its form of humus is very limited in its application, again IMO. I am sure you are doing what is best for your gardening situation, and I do convey the best in your organic adventure...
Mixing Peat and charcoal (with chicken manure, and compost, plus topsoil from between beds) seems to produce fine results in my shallow-to-rock, sandy soil. I sense that the slight alkalinity of the charcoal is nicely balanced by the acidity of the peat.
Since making the charcoal involves burning which destroys valuable nutrients as well as pollutes the air why would making this charcoal be better than composting the same material and conserving those nutrients that are lost by burning and is proven to be much less of a pollution source?
Kimmsr, scientists are still studying biochar and are a long way from understanding all of it. But it appears that charcoal seems to be sort of unique in it's ability to retain nutrients. I don't know that they even know all the WHY of it, but it does appear to have to be charcoal, and not just unburned, buried wood.
The charcoal apparently traps both nutrients and moisture and holds it for use by the plants. The eye-opener for scientists was that the Amazon gets about NINE FEET of rainfall per year, and usually it leaches all water soluble nutrients out of the soil there. But in the spots where Terra Preta exists, the nutrients have been retained, even after many years, in spite of all that rainfall. And the scientists are measuring the still-existing charcoal in MICRONS, which is how they measure bacteria. That is the big WOW of it.
Personally, I think what the native peoples in those areas of the Amazon did was strictly accidental, and not any Big Plan on their part.
Here's MY theory, which may be totally crackpot, and I give you leave to laugh at it:
The native peoples of the Amazon had a hard life. Their natural soil was poor, leached by tropical rains, and acidic. They had wild animals like jaguars roaming around, looking for easy meals. They probably ate whatever they could find, hunt or grow, and were glad to get it. They also had to make their own pottery under primitive conditions; some of it came out good, some broke in the firing and just from use. They had all kinds of debris: human waste, pet and livestock waste, leftover bones from meals, probably blood from butchering, entrails, non-useful weeds, ashes and charcoal left over from cooking fires.
They did plant crops, and some of the mapping I've seen indicate that the planted areas were right next to their huts, where they could scare off crop predators and keep their own livestock safe. They may have burned some areas to limit the weed competition. This area was probably their dump, too. They may have spread the refuse out and worked it into the soil from as simple a reason as to keep the smell and the flies down, as well as to keep predators from cruising around.
Since I have wood heat, I collect the charcoal when I clean out the stove. If I have meat with bones, like a chicken, I put the carcass in the wood stove and burn it. I reserve the sifted charcoal and bones, and put the ash in a barrel to use as potash in the garden. I add the charcoal and bones to my garden beds and to my compost piles.
I have some broken terra cotta pots. And while I'm not sure that pottery is a valuable additive, it MAY be, so I will pound the shards to powder and add that, too. But soil scientists here say that clay traps nutrients and sand doesn't, so I guess it's a good idea to add some clay to your sandy soil. Do the pottery shards act the same way as the clay they're made from? Or do the shards act the same as the charcoal?
This may not be doctrine, but it's what works best for me, until I find that there is something else I should be doing.
But there's no real bible on it yet, and it will be interesting to see how it all turns out.
The Acres article mentions 20% to 30% by weight, but then relates that "(i)n row crops, this would translate to 30 percent by weight of the top 6 inches" (of soil). The photos that I've seen on the net of Terra Preta are definitely not just the top 6 inches, but 2' or more. I recall the numbers 10% to 30% from the reading that I have done, so the parameters are the same.
In the book 1491 by Charles C. Mann, it was indicated that the pottery was specifically produced to be incorporated into the Terra Preta by the abundant quantity, and required a substantial community effort to produce. That reminded me of the work of Dr. Philip S. Callahan, ANCIENT MYSTERIES MODERN VISIONS the MAGNETIC LIFE of AGRICULTURE, and PARAMAGNETISM relating to the effect magnetic forces have on plant growth. He related that red clay pottery exhibits paramagnetic properties that enhance plant growth. Some of his later work indicates that volcanic dust/particles also are paramagnet, but I'm going by recollection, so take that with one of those particles.
The earth's magnetic field isn't as strong in the equatorial regions as it is at the poles, possibly the Amazonian pottery in the Terra Preta soils has a paramagnetic effect that lends to its productivity. It would be interesting to know.
The wildfires went through here late last October, so I incorporated some of the charcoal from part of a stairway that burned into a garden plot. I cannot tell one way or another if there was a positive effect, but am going to continue to experiment.
By the way, only a part of the stair burned. We were fortunate that the house survived even though the Chaparral and some of the landscape plants on the property burned as well as the homes of three of our immediate neighbors.
This morning I calculated out the amount of charcoal / bio-char a square foot would require in the top six inches of soil. The BIG boys and girls figure that an acre to a depth of six inches has Two Million Pounds of soil. One acre is 43,560 square feet.
2,000,000pounds / 43,560square feet = 45.9137pounds per square foot to a 6" depth
46 lbs. x 10% = 4.6 lbs.
46 lbs. x 20% = 9.2 lbs.
46 lbs. x 30% = 13.8 lbs.
A Terra Preta soil that had charcoal / bio-char to a depth of 2' at a 10% concentration would have 18.4 pounds of biologically active carbon under each square foot of surface area. That would be 36.8 lbs. and 55.2 lbs. at 20% and 30% concentrations respectively.
Also I requested that my Senators cosponsor this measure in S.1884.
Find your Senators @ http://www.senate.gov/
Title: A bill to amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to reauthorize and improve agricultural energy programs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Salazar, Ken [CO] (introduced 7/26/2007) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 7/26/2007 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Harvesting Energy Act of 2007 (Introduced in Senate)
Title IX of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8101 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
`(a) Definition of Biochar- In this section, the term `biochar' means charcoal or biomass-derived black carbon that is added to soil to improve soil fertility, nutrient retention, and carbon sequestration.
`(b) Grants- The Secretary shall award competitive grants to eligible entities to assist in paying the cost of research and development to develop and commercialize biochar production systems on multiple scales (including on a single farm, local community, and cooperative scale), with a goal of creating production systems that maximize the coproduction of renewable energy and biochar for use as a soil enhancement.
`(c) Eligible Entities- To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an entity shall be an eligible entity described in section 9003(d).
`(d) Authorization of Appropriations- There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012.'.
So is it better to use fresh lump charcoal instead of the leftover ashes or are ashes fine? If you use fresh lump charcoal, do you break it up with a hammer or just add it straight in?
I'm hoping to transform my property one day into la terra preta, lol
The current issue of the National Geographic has a great feature article on soil (also an online soil quiz), which includes an in-depth section on terra preta.
Biochar could be just what our sandy soil needs. But some parts of the concept just won't sink into my skull, leaving these possibly dumb questions circling overhead.
Why are the deposits so deep - as much as 6 feet - when most crop plants have shallow roots? Are the deposits stockpiles, meant to be spread on the land, and if so, why weren't they?
How can the use of biochar be carbon neutral when making it involves so much smoke?
Do clinkers from the wood stove count as biochar?
There's a ceramics studio a few miles from here and I'm thinking of asking for their broken/dried out bisque (once-fired) or greenware, and dig it into some of our very sandy soil. Any thoughts on whether this would benefit it?
As I understand it the pottery and the biochar attract and hold nutrients but how and why are those nutrients released to plants?
The deposits are so deep because they were dug that deeply into the soil. I have bookmarked a photograph that I'll try to find and link that shows a human burial urn below the Terra Preta soil. This is man made soil akin to the depths achieved by the double dug Grow Biointensive concept - http://www.growbiointensive.org/.
In the book How to Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons, there is a diagram that depicts the root system of selected vegetables. Beet roots can penetrate to a depth of 10 feet (3.048m), carrot 8' (2.438m), and sweet corn, lettuce and tomato 4' (1.22m). Bioactive soil developed to enhanced depths can produce amazing results. I personally have grown parsnips in such soil. The resultant produce was 2" (5cm) at the crown, took a short time to cook, and were very tender unlike store bought.
Terra Preta is carbon negative. Although smoke is released by burning to create the charcoal, plants as part of the Carbon Cycle can recapture that portion, while the charcoal, by one estimate, is locked in the soil for up to 50,000 years.
Clinkers count while ash doesn't. Last week I was at http://e-alkalinesoilsterrapreta.blogspot.com/ . It is interesting to note that in this practical research the charcoal clinkers are applied to the fields after the ash is washed off; I assume to lessen the effects of ash on pH in this already alkaline soil. In time, the clinkers will break down to provide more habitat for the soil microorganisms that inhabit the pores of the charcoal and that are responsible for a great part of the benefit of Terra Preta. If I remember correctly, the pores in the charcoal that are the habitat of the microorganisms that researchers are studying are on the micron level, and in the photos of the Amazonian Terra Preta the charcoal is unidentifiable.
A Surform plane was used to separate the charcoal from unburned parts of the stairway that I mentioned in a previous post. I'm going to purchase Cowboy Charcoal and am thinking about running it through the Chipper/Shredder.
Before expending the energy to collect pottery shards to add to the garden, I think that I'd read Dr. Callahan's book Paramagnetism: Nature's Secret Force of Growth. In Nova Scotia, the earth's magnetic forces are much more concentrated than what they are at the equator and if there were a question in that regard an ergs test would probably allay any fears. Besides, the amount of energy that the Amazonians expended as a community to produce and incorporate that much pottery into their soils may have been for reasons that we would consider Metaphysical. In that regard, consider the book Agriculture by Rudolf Steiner.
I have nearly finished burying our underground dome house. It has taken 9 years to get this far. There is no topsoil left, I now have about an acre of clay subsoil on top of and surrounding my house. Would it be useful to add charcoal to clay soil, or is it primarily useful for sandy soil?
I finally got around to working on the charcoal project again yesterday. I had 44 pounds of Cowboy Charcoal soaking in a 32 gallon trash barrel that had Effective Microorganisms (EM) mixed with water and unsulphured molasses. It had been soaking for just under two months.
I decanted the liquid and put it in one bed, and then ran the charcoal through the chipper. The consistency of the material after that was from granulated sugar to a slurry, and formed a layer about two to three inches thick on a 21 square foot bed. After it was dug into the top twelve inches, it just about disappeared.
This morning I sprinkled the beds with 3 ounces of unsulphured molasses in two gallons of water just to give the microorganisms breakfast.
There are a few volunteer parsley sprouts in the bed that received the liquid; they seem to be happy. I'd better cover them, though, to keep them safe from the migrating birds. I'm a little surprised that the birds hadn't already snacked on them.
To paulns about the Nat Geo article:
A possible explanation for the ancient 6' deep terra preta deposits is that they pertain to tropical conditions of agriculture. Where you are from (Canada), the short growing season ensures that no food crop could ever live long enough to achieve such deep roots as 6'. Conversely, some of the crops grown by primitive Amazonians could not only live for several years, but also grow year round, which explains the utility of deeply ammended soil "discovered" there.
Charcoal is a very inert material and adds nothing except perhaps aeration to the soil, the ashes hold all the nutrients.As a plant food, ashes contain 5 to 7 percent potassium and 11/2 to 2 percent phosphorous. They also have 25 to 50 percent calcium compounds. Hardwood (e.g. oak) ashes contain more potassium than those from softwoods (e.g. pine). If left out in the rain, because these nutrients are water-soluble, the ashes will lose their nutritive value. The less soluble carbonates which cause alkalinity will remain longer. So, I think we are talking about ashes here, at least that is what I want from fire box residue.
Biologically active Carbon holds at least four times its weight in water. Ash does not hold water.
From the post on this thread of September 5th 2008, "[i]n the book How to Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons, there is a diagram that depicts the root system of selected vegetables. Beet roots can penetrate to a depth of 10 feet (3.048m), carrot 8' (2.438m), and sweet corn, lettuce and tomato 4' (1.22m)".
Mother Earth News recently sent out an online 'How To' article on making Bio-Char in the garden for those signed up to receive info via e-mail at
I'll post a link and hope that it works.
Hola Pennymca,
Soaking the charcoal made a big difference in the chipper/shredder just by keeping the dust down. I went out to smash a piece of charcoal with a sledge hammer used as if it were a tamper to check for you and it broke up easily, but wanted to scatter.
As I mentioned, I let the batch that I made soak for about two months and the chipper turned the saturated charcoal partially into slurry. I would think that it would be better to have the charcoal moderately soaked if it were to be broken by hand, so that the bits would still want to fracture. As a matter of fact, I think that it would work better that way, as well, in a chipper/shredder.
With the next batch, I am going to test the way the charcoal breaks apart every so often while in the soak to see if I can reduce the amount of slurry. The big boys and girls relate that the microorganisms live in the nooks and crannies of the charcoal particles. I would guess that by the time the charcoal is reduced to a slurry there wouldn't be much habitat left, if any. My thinking, though, might be too mega instead of micro, so who knows?
Hello terran,
Sorry for butting in. I am curious and have a question about putting your soaked charcoal through a shredder/chipper. How much of it became that small, I mean the part that are smaller than say, 1/4"?
My understanding was that the charcoal serves as a "reservoir" for all the ingredients the charcoal was soaked in that the soil/plants can draw from over time. Consequently, the smaller the charcoal particles, the easier/faster for those ingredients to be leached out of the charcoal, reversing the purpose of it to be the reservoir. It would almost have the same effect as just watering the soil with that ingr. mixture.
I have bought 2 big bags of charcoal and haven't done anything with them other than opening 1 bag. Some are really big lumps, too big for my pupose of mixing them w. my potting soil. I am still thinking how to break them into smaller pieces w/o creating a lot of dust and getting very small pieces. I am going to break them before soaking.
No chipper/shredder here either, so once it gets warmer outide, rather than taking the sledgehammer directly to the charcoal, I'll try driving a big nail and hammer it through the charcoal. I realize this won't be as fast as just hitting them with the sledgehammer. So much for relax-therapy, lol.
CCC (comments, critics, corrections) welcome.
Hola Otis,
I'd say that most all of it was smaller than 1/4 inch.
I can see some of the tiny bits on top of the soil, but until I harvest I won't know for sure how much of the bits are at depth, have broken down, or disappeared. As I mentioned, I'm not sure of the size particle that would still be gargantuan to a microorganism.
I have, also, wondered about the bio part of bio-char. It seems that most of us are experimenting with the charcoal, while at least one person is working with an amount of Eprida BioChar. It has been a long time since I perused their site, but my recollection is that their process can be variable in the extent of carbonization, and might be, somewhat, more comparable to the result the Amazonians obtained in their smoldering middens. It would be interesting to know if there have been any studies on nutrient availability derived from the incomplete combustion of green matter in a midden.
I may have to talk to the CDF (California Department of Forestry) to see what hoops I'd have to jump through to experiment with a pile of ice plant that I collected recently. We have, actually, had rain recently, so they might not object to an open fire. Basically, it would be to see how burning (¿ steaming ?)green matter differed from processing it through a compost pile.
Your welcome Penny.
I'm new here and have read much of the posts on this thread, but didnt see anyone mention a book called "The Carbon Connection" by Leonard Ridzon and Charles Walters, Jr. 1990. Over 10 years ago, I purchased a barrel of a certain type of soft bituminous coal screenings from Ridzon Farms. It was called Nutri-carb. He has 2 books which discusses his research into pure forms of carbon which benefit plant life. Unfortunately, Leonard has passed away and I don't know if anyone is continuing his work. He was from Ohio and had a backpage ad in AcresUSA for many years.
Hola Giza3030
I attended a Reams Basic Soils seminar in, I believe it was, 1985 presented by Dr. Dan Skow with Dr. Reams in attendance. The subject of Humates was brought up but not discussed in detail.
It seems that the studies of Bio-Char, coal dust, and humates are related to the need for biologically active carbon in the soil for increased productivity and plant health.
A search for 'humates' brought up this site that seems interesting.
Don't pay $5.00 lb for char, go to Lowe's or Ace Hardware, they have Cowboy Charcoal $8.00 for 10lb. (Lowe's) and Frontier 18lb. for $9.00 (Ace Hardware) they are natural hardwood only charcoals. No chemicals or additives. It is what I am going to use, read it somewhere on line, it has the same properties as bio-char, from what I read on the bag.
As a kid we cleared garden spots on farm. Burned alot of mesquite trees, brush etc. The gardens grew massively with zero failures for years. We never watered nor did any soil work. The charcoal and or ash may have helped.
I bought a bag of natural charcoal from lowes for 8.00. I tried few different ways to make particle size smaller. Gave up put the charcoal in bucket with water, It fell apart fast. I just got 4 bags of royal oak for under 7.00 each. I will break it up with water and scatter it.
Not sure if this will work, but I am willing to try it. Steve
Am making my own charcoal from black locust using a retort that re-burns the woodgas, the end product is generally a bit lighter than Cowboy, probably from firing at a higher temperature. This means less residual volatiles, which may or may not be a bad thing depending on who you listen to.
The retort burns quite cleanly, and since charcoal is being produced, in theory there is less carbon going into the environment than through composting. (black locust takes forever to compost anyway.)
Crushing is done with a 150 pound concrete cylinder like a garden roller, rolling in a trough of paver blocks. I moisten the charcoal with diluted fish emulsion as it comes from the retort, and use the same solution to dampen the charcoal during crushing if dust appears. I periodically sift the contents of the roller trough with 1/4 mesh, since the charcoal tends to compact, which slows crushing.
I divided an 8 foot by 6 foot bed of sandy loam in half lengthwise, and worked in 5 cubic feet of charcoal eight inches deep into one half. The other half simply got fish emulsion equal to what was applied to the charcoal. There are three "Better Boy" tomato plants in each half of the bed, i am quite curious to see what effect, if any, the charcoal will have.
Building the retort was a lot of work, but enjoyable...i got to recycle junk and learned to weld!
Making the five cubic feet of char was easy, i just fired up the retort over several days and kept an eye on it while doing other garden stuff.
I'm dealing with sandy loam that holds water and nutrients poorly, so hope for some early positive results regarding water, nutrients will take several seasons.
I did a simple test last night and learned something interesting. A teaspoon full of home made char weighs .9 grams, same amount of Cowboy weighs 1.75, and is way harder to crush. Over 12 hours floating in water, a 5 gram chunk of Cowboy absorbed 1.2 grams of water, a five gram chunk of home made absorbed 3.4, which is hopeful regarding soil moisture.
Pictures of my baby, are you kidding? There are some posted on the Yahoo biochar group, i think you have to join to view them, but the group is worth joining.
I have about 2 1/2 acres, much of it wooded, nearest neighbors about 100 yards away. The retort puts out a little smoke for the first few minutes as the fire is lit, after that it burns clean with just heat shimmer, it's about as objectionable as a charcoal grill, be great for a suburban location.
Interestingly, it also cooks well if you just put a few sticks in the retort to provide smoke and a bit of steam, and then build a small fire in the firebox. I did maple smoked baby back ribs in it for some guests a couple of weeks ago. I figure that if somebody ever calls the cops about my infernal machine, i'll just tell them it's a barbecue/smoker!
The retort has a fast firing cycle, if you are dampening the char to use in the garden it takes four hours to run off a batch.
I had done a google on retort and found an article by a knife maker making his own char. His was made of 2 55gal drums. No welding, just threaded pipes to get the gas back under into the fire.
Really amazing stuff, I plan on doing some thing like this when I'm back home in UT. Don't think I could do it in my little back yard of military housing.
In the following, I'll give you some message regarding the potential of charcoal in the field of energy harvesting. The same message has been posted in my own blog. (If you like, please visit my blog at the following URL.)
"Possibility of Energy Harvesting using Charcoal"
I read a recent online article relating to energy harvesting that reports some findings of electricity produced by a tree, i.e., a potential difference between the tree and the ground. Specifically, it is reported that University of Washington (Seattle) researchers recently demonstrated a nanoscale "boost converter" that integrates the ultra-low-voltage potentials generated by trees.
Tradition from old times in Japan credits that the potential (it is called âpositive life forceâ) gathers in a mass of charcoal chips or powder and is good for health of a human as well as the environment in the vicinity. According to the findings of âinjured potential in earthâ by Mr. Satsuki Narasaki (1899-1974), a Japanese physicist, the potential can increase in earth when injuring the earth by digging a pit and then charcoal powder of high purity (pure Japanese cedar based charcoal powder) fully fills in the pit and it is covered with earth. Such findings have felt into oblivion for most as a phony, but the minority has experienced to date for themselves the presence of this strange phenomenon.
A large number of tests according to Narasaki findings has been studied and reported before. For instance, one electrode stuck into earth (about 2 inch in depth) and another into earth in more depth (about 10 inch in depth), in any case, both electrodes in earth are placed above the pit (a square about 60 inch on a side) filled with charcoal powder (about 240 pounds), compacted with water over powder and then covered with earth. The potential difference between them was measured at about 120 mV initially. Two months later, it shows 242 mV when measured again. Further, it is reported that the potential difference was measured continuously between those levels even after that.
From other point of view, it is known that the charcoal made from woods contributes both the fertile ground and the CO2 fixation in earth (âcarbon negativeâ). Therefore, I think one electrode in the tree and another in earth above the pit being filled with charcoal powder may be a good idea to circulate the green-tech energy system and to change the trees to the credit, i.e., âcarbon negativeâ for a debt, i.e., âcarbon emissionsâ, and then a mini-power plant as well as a power collection system when they connect with each other.
Nothing venture, nothing win. Have a try! Here, I recommend using charcoal powder produced by my friend in Nanmoku-village at Gunma-pref. (near northwest of Tokyo) in Japan for your experiments. High quality charcoal powder is a specialty of this village.
Incidentally, do you consider harvesting the power (electricity) from vibrations of a tree by wind in windy locations? If a gyroscopic power generator such as âSTABILITY ANALYSIS OF GYROSCOPIC POWER GENERATORâ published in âProceedings of PowerMEMS 2008+ microEMS 2008, Sendai, Japan, November 9-12, (2008)â can be downsized by the latest micromechatronics and a large number of mini-gyroscopic power generators can be installed in the tree (and in more vibrant branches), I anticipate more feasibility of energy harvesting like the production of electricity from wave-motion energy off the coast (Study of Kobe University).
Electricity can be used for a sensor network of self-diagnosis of trees, into each of which trees a sensor for self-diagnosis is installed and operated by electricity self-generated, and it can be utilized for the study of thigmomorphogenesis and mechanoperception in trees (see, http://www.plantbiology.msu.edu/faculty/faculty-research/frank-w-telewski/ Prof. Frank W. Telewski, Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, is an expert in this field). The goal of this study is summarized in âEcosystem Adaptabilityâ (see http://gema.biology.tohoku.ac.jp/01gcoe_e.html , study of Tohoku University). In any case, no more bulky and expensive wind turbines (it is reported that the wind turbine may cause symptoms to a human in the vicinity, i.e., hypersensitivity due to the swish sound at low frequency from its vane)! ⦠it may be a laymanâs way of thinking.
I have used fire ash since the 1940's when my father cleared his vegetable plot each year by turfing the top inch or so and forming a large heap in the centre of the plot.The heap contained everything from weed seeds through to worms and wood lice.He would then set the heap alight and add more organic material as the clearing continued.The pile would slowly burn for several days and hopefully the worms and other good people had sense enough to migrate from the heap back to the soil.This material was then spread out over the ground and planting proceded.[a common practice in UK at the time]
These days I use the ashes from my wood stove .All my ash is thrown into the chooks pen and they procede with the break down and mixing processes.My garden is a series of small compounds where I grow a large variety of vegetables ,berries and fruit figs etc.( the compounds are bird, wallaby and possum proof]The chooks migrate between different pens occupying an area for a few years.
The chooks do much of the work and the soil soon becomes magnificent.
I believe that charcoal needs time in the soil to increase its benefits.Most people are looking at small time spans.I get quite amazing results, and can't understand why companies and governments are so reluctant to start solving food and climate problems using charcoal.
I took some cheap natural charcoal (no paraffin, not briquettes, looks like black sticks) and crushed it up. I soaked it in water with fertilizer. I have started adding it to soil. It makes the soil look better. :) It lowers the pH. Charcoal doesn't rot in the soil. Has a lot of intricate little holes with surfaces that hold fertilizer. Does it do any good? No idea.
I'm very interested in the experiences of other gardeners. Not looking for high-minded carbon-offset hopes so I can drive my car around guilt-free or spooky "biochar" crystal power belief structures. Just want to know if plants do better. I suspect that soils prone to leaching benefit from something that hangs onto N, P, K. And, like perlite, etc. anything that improves drainage is good. But I'm a charcoal agnostic so far.


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Over the winter (and what's blooming!)
Hi All!
Well, the dogs managed to get into my nursery and kill/break off 9 or 10 Japanese Maples I'd purchased. Right at their graft points, too. A bunch of small Dynamite Crape Myrtles are broken off at the ground, several different plants that were peeking out of the ground were smashed to death, my small nandina sprouts were stomped, labels and pots ripped out of the ground and tossed about.
Actually, on one bed, I'm not sure it was the dogs because my cat was also mauled and my dogs didn't have scratches. Bentley is recovered nicely, thank GOD, and I've double locked and tied my dogs in and my cats still don't go outside without me. What a nightmare the first and only time they've gotten out!
I tried overwintering some plants inside. Pauley (another cat) had daily salad, Lucy (another cat) threw up in one -- hairballs, you know -- Tosha (another cat) nestles in the ficus pots, and the dryness I think killed everything but the latter and a hibicus. Woe for my beautiful coleus I tried to bring in, but at least I tried.
On a brighter note, my Helleborus are both blooming. A lovely greenish color and another a deep purple. I am thrilled! Day lilies, tulips and daffodils are sprouting out of the ground, my sedums are making their little rosettes and today I'm putting out my seeds. Oh, sure, I should have had them out before, but better late than never! :)
I'm looking forward to the swap and seeing you all!
- Oh, so sorry to hear! Bad as an infestation of deer + woodchucks combined, it sounds like. Let me know if there's anything in my gardens you can use some of to fill in. And you are always welcome to all the horse apples you care to shovel. (Can i double their tax deduction value if i call them "horse truffles?")
- i think your cats and Ivan the Indoor Jungle Cat have formed a secret pact. Ivan has killed off about a quarter of the hundred or so plants i've been trying to over winter. Well, as long as the CAT is happy, that's what counts. i mean, he is the cetner of his universe, right?
- and i thought philodendron were foolproof.
- Happily, he hasn't killed off the last one of anything, so if they do well during their sumemr vacation on the verandah, perhaps i can re-stock enough pots for next winter to keep him amused.
- Nice to hear about your helleborus doing well. i got a couple pot's worth in trade in the fall, a week too late to put in the ground,a nd Ivan has killed all but one of them. So, i don't know if i'll have any to plant in the spring or not.
- The first hundred daffydillies are up and blooming!
- Christine, thanks for the deadnettle. It's one of the very few plants that are actually up and growing now that isn't a weed!
- Spring is coming! Spring is coming!
- happy gardening,
Hi Christine,
Sounds like wildlife to me, very possibly raccoons. They will destroy and pull things up just for spite. If they get caught in an enclosure, forget how they got in, they can do incredible damage.
Remember, we have a lunch/shopping date this spring ;-0
Thanks, Vlad. :) I'm glad to hear the dead nettle is lively. It's encouraging when we're in such an inbetween stage, isn't it?
Philodendren isn't cat proof, but it is poisonous if I'm not mistaken. Don't let him chew!
Laurel, the plant stomping was definitely the dogs. The cat attacking, I'm not certain. The feral-turned-domestic cat nexgt door's spine was snapped and we had to put her down. My own Bentley was mauled, but I think thanks to his magnificent claws, managed to escape. I'm fairly certain whatever got him, got him in my "nursery" where he was trying to get under the porch. That would explain the demise of 6 nandina sprouts, 6 Japanese Maple grafts, a Kentucky Coffee Tree, and 3 more saplings I had there.
Would a raccoon attack a 20 pound cat? And if it does during the day, it would probably be rabid, I'm afraid. The autopsey on the neighbor's kitty showed negative, though, thank God.
What a nightmare. I cried over my gardens, though. I'm frustrated about the labels being ripped out, too. I try to be careful about that for trades!
Yes, we have a lunch/shopping date! Your schedule is tougher than mine, so when it's warmer, you decide and off we'll go!
Sorry about your trees.
I learned this winter that cats really enjoy eating the leaves off pepper plants. I finally put up a barrier to stop them, and I think 4 plants have made it through.
I also learned that with more than 1 cat, I am never absolutely certain which cat made the mess unless I see it with my own eyes.
Sorry to hear about your troubles!
Having a real good year with my helleborus, started out with 3 blooms, looks like it's now close to 10 blooms. Also, lungwort is putting on some nice flowers....daffs are about 50% up now, along with the other early spring bulbs. This has been the slowest spring to arrive in a very long time. Suz
Hmm, what's blooming...the daffs are almost there, and my crocis are up and lookin' good! Chickweed's thriving too! :)- I notice my peonies are starting to show and now that Flanders the Flibber-de-gibbet has been banished from the front yard due her fence-jumping skills till the end of time or until pigs sing--which ever comes first--they might actually have a chance!
What a bummer about your maples -- heartbreaking!!
Suz - I don't know why, but my lungworts NEVER bloom. They're in partial shade and get reasonable water, so who knows. Maybe too much competition from tree roots. I'll try fertilizer and see what happens.
However, the bulbs are putting on a pretty show. I experimented as usual last fall, and here's what's looking good:
chionodoxa - pink in one bed and blue in another -- pretty, lots of blooms, not troubled by squirrels or voles, and they are proving to be very long-lasting.
tulip turkestanica -- suddenly came up and bloomed, all in one day it seemed, and still going strong. Small, white/yellow blooms close at night and on cloudy days, but fortunately the plant form is graceful even when the blooms are closed.
ipheion "Rolf Fiedler" -- a few pretty blue flowers; nothing spectacular but the star shape is pleasing.
My crocus came and went fast -- squirrels and voles love them too much.
No daffodil blooms yet, but the neighbors' early ones are up, so I expect mine will pop soon.
Sedums are looking pretty. They get more sun this time of year, before the sage and caryopteris fill out and take over that part of the bed.
Foliage plants are still important, this time of year. I'd like to get more heucheras and try some new sedums... my lot is too shady for cannas .... Merrifield's heucheras -- Raspberry Ice, which is what I bought from them a few years back -- never look as good as that original one, so I keep putting it off.. and my original has never grown big enough to divide. I've got to move it.


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International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) research in Nigeria has resulted in shorter drying times of cassava peels from 3 days to about six sunshine hours. Two new products (feed ingredients) have been developed and are being standardized. Continue reading
This page brings together ILRI and partner resources on Nigeria. Click different tabs to see news items, research outputs, journal articles, video materials and presentations as well as ILRI projects and people related to Nigeria. See ILRI research on other countries
ILRI clippings, Feb/2015
Did you miss some information from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) this year? Here are some BIG tags to help you find it. Take a look! Continue reading
ILRI news blog, Dec/2014
The district of Kailahun, in eastern Sierra Leone, bordering Guinea, is home to this 88-bed largest Ebola treatment and isolation centre set up by Médecins Sans Frontières (photo on Flickr by ©EC/ECHO/Cyprien Fabre). This opinion piece is written by Eliza Smith 'By now, it seems we've heard everything there is to hear about the mysterious … Continue reading
ILRI clippings, Oct/2014
Typical long-horned goats of Abergelle Amhara, Ethiopia (photo credit: ILRI/Zerihun Sewunet). 'Quantitative information on the importance of livestock systems in African drylands is scarce. A new study by Tim Robinson, of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), and Giulia Conchedda, of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), helps to redress this. The study … Continue reading
ILRI clippings, Sep/2014
ILRI's Tim Robinson maps the changing demand for livestock products and associated changes in production that will be required to meet future demand in African drylands. Continue reading
ILRI clippings, Sep/2014
Aflatoxins: New briefs disclose the threat to people and livestock and what research is doing about it
A damaged maize cob that, if harvested with clean cobs, can contaminate all the cobs with aflatoxins (photo credit: Joseph Atehnkeng/IITA). 'The UN World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that billions of people in the developing world are chronically exposed to aflatoxin, a natural poison on food crops which causes cancer, impairs the immune system, inhibits … Continue reading
ILRI clippings, Mar/2014
ILRI research on food safety in informal markets featured in special supplement of Tropical Animal Health and Production
Nigeria's agriculture sector generates one-third of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs two-thirds of the workforce. Its recent growth dominates Nigerian non-oil economic growth. Small-scale, semi-commercial farms, settled agricultural households and transhumant pastoralists dominate production. Livestock is the second largest agricultural subsector and features 16.43 million cattle, 34.69 million sheep, 55.15 million goats, 7.18 million pigs and 183.16 million poultry. These provide nutrition and food security, and a range of services including...
ILRI clippings,
Mark Tran in the Guardian's Poverty Matters Blog warns us this week not to keep chickens under our beds. On the other hand, he infers, chicken bought on the street in poor countries may be safer to eat than that from the supermarket. Tran is reporting on a new in-depth study by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) of livestock keeping in urban areas of Nigeria and Kenya. That study found that wh...
ILRI clippings,


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2 Mar 2015The EA Insider has launched a new video for March exploring the exclusive resources provided by Engineers Australia's Library.
2 Dec 2014Engineers Australia members may soon be receiving an invitation to participate in phase 2 of a research study being conducted by Pollinate.
26 Mar 2015EngQuest is Engineers Australia's national primary school outreach program, giving students all around Australia the opportunity to participate in free, hands-on STEM projects.
19 Mar 2015CELM Sydney is offering up to three (3) sponsorships for outstanding Young engineers (under 35 years) and Women in Engineering members to attend the Engineers Australia Fellows Luncheon. Apply now
18 Mar 2015Women in Engineering (WIE) Sydney program for its 10th year started off with a bang at the inaugural Golf Day held to support the personal and professional advancement of WIE members.
EA Sydney Division Sponsors
- Everything Infrastructure
- Norman Disney & Young
- Roads and Maritime Services - NSW Government
- University of Sydney
- UNSW Faculty of Engineering
- Business Events Sydney
- Cochlear
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Engineers Australia Sydney Division currently serves over 22,000 members, in metropolitan and regional New South Wales. Sydney Division has over 40 Technical, Special Interest and Regional Groups. From the Engineering Excellence Awards to Australian Engineering Week, Sydney Division conducts numerous annual events that allow engineering professionals an opportunity to publicly demonstrate and celebrate their skills and achievements, whilst also encouraging young students to consider the profession.
President's Column
2015 - Our Year Ahead
Members of our Division, it is both an honour and a privilege to be able to serve you during 2015 in representing your interests and in the promotion of our profession throughout our community.
Our profession is an important contributor to our society's quality of life and our organisation is constituted to advance the science and practice of engineering for the benefit of the community.
A number of important organisational initiatives have come to fruition this year. Read more...
If you have any comments or feedback please send them to Sydney Division office by mail (PO Box 1389, Chatswood NSW 2065) or by email to: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Please note that my views and opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of Engineers Australia Sydney Division, or the Division Committee.
Bruce Howard FIEAust CPEng
Latest News
30 Mar 2015Do you hold engineering qualifications that are not accredited or recognised by Engineers Australia, but seeking admission to Engineers Australia on the strength of your qualifications and experience? This workshop is for you.
31 Mar 2015The presentation provides an interesting insight into the colourful history of some of the hazardous area classification and design principles applied in plant design today, a history rich in learning by accident. This includes principles such as maximum experimental safe gap and adequate...
31 Mar 2015After last year's hugely successful event, we invite you to immerse yourself in an even bigger night of networking with your fellow engineering colleagues.
1 Apr 2015This presentation will cover the side lifting foil and the supporting structure fitted to the super-maxi yacht Wild Oats XI, most famous for being the race record holder and an eight-times line-honours winner of the "blue water classic" Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. Speaker: Warren Miller
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Click here to print the obituary below
John Thoman(1949 - 2013)
John Richard Thoman
Hyde Park - John R. Thoman, 63, passed on to spend eternity with Jesus his Savior on Sunday, January 20, 2013 after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer.
John was born on October 22, 1949 in Bellefontaine, OH, to Richard and Helen Regier Thoman. He lived in Hyde Park the past 34 years.
He received his Bachelor's degree from Ball State University and his Master's from Southern Illinois University. He was Executive Director at Abilites First in Poughkeepsie until his retirement in 2012.
Mr. Thoman was also a member and past president of Arlington
Rotary Club
, past board member of Hospice and past board member of Love INC. John loved to golf and was a member of the Dirty Dozen golf league.
He was also involved at New Beginnings Church for many years and most recently attended Calvary Chapel of the Hudson Valley.
His main enjoyment in this life was spending time with his family. John was so proud of his kids and grandkids. Active with the Hyde Park Little League, he spent several years coaching his sons' teams and serving on the board. In addition, he loved to travel with his wife, Sharon.
On July 12, 1969, in Metamora, IL, he married Sharon Bachman. She survives at home. He is also survived by two daughters: Traci Slaton and husband, Mark, of Yorktown, VA, Amy Kriebel and husband, Steve, of Harleysville, PA; two sons: Kevin Thoman and wife, Jennifer, of Kernersville, NC and Ryan Thoman of Pleasant Valley, NY; 11 grandchildren: Sydney, Alexa, Caleb and Braelyn Thoman, Ethan, Kylie, Jared and Micah Slaton and Tyler, Samantha and Brianna Kriebel; two sisters: Joy Bragg and husband, Gary, of Wapakoneta, Ohio, and Janice Chupp and husband, Ed, of Sarasota, Florida; an aunt, cousins and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by both of his parents.
Many thanks to Dr. Rachamalla and the staff at the Dyson Center in Poughkeepsie for their wonderful care for John this past year.
Calling hours will be held from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 pm, Thursday, January 24th at Sweet's Funeral Home, Rt. 9, Hyde Park.
The funeral service will be held at 10 am, Friday, January 25th at Calvary Chapel of the Hudson Valley, 36 Fireman's Way, Poughkeepsie, NY.
Burial will follow in Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Samaritan's Purse, P.O. Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607 (
) or to Abilities First, 70 Overocker Rd., Poughkeepsie, NY 12603 (
To send an online condolence or for directions, please visit
Published in the Poughkeepsie Journal from Jan. 22 to Jan. 24, 2013


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Pope Francis
Pope Francis to visit White House in September
The pontiff is due to address a joint session of Congress.
Pope will address Congress in September
It will be the first time the head of the Roman Catholic Church has addressed a joint session.
Rubio calls out pope on Cuba
Rubio said he would "ask His Holiness to take up the cause of freedom and democracy."
How Will the Pope Play in 2016?
Francis' softer brand of Catholicism kept his bishops out of the midterms, and they're likely to tone down their message next time too.
Cardinal Dolan: Pope Francis focusing on inclusion
"He's walking right down the middle of the road, and he's trying to bring everybody with him."
How Republicans became more conservative than the pope
Opinion: On gay rights, inequality, and the environment, Pope Francis is making the GOP look positively medieval.
Argentina crash kills pope's relatives
The Vatican says two great-nephews of Pope Francis and their mother died in the car accident.
Pope OKs protecting Iraq minorities
But Francis also says the international community, not just one country, should intervene.
De Blasio hopes for Pope N.Y. visit
The mayor confirms that he sent an invite to Pope Francis through Timothy Cardinal Dolan.
Francis vs. Benedict, the soccer match
Like many contests of athleticism, the papal shootout may come down to endurance.
Pope says no to legalizing drugs
He says limited attempts to legalize recreational drugs "fail to produce the desired effects."
Pope works on Mideast peace
Pope Francis welcomes the Israeli and Palestinian presidents for an evening of peace prayers.
Historic day of 4 popes
Pope Francis declares his two predecessors saints in an unprecedented ceremony in St. Peter's Square.
Pope prays for Ukraine
More than 150,000 tourists turn out for the Mass at St. Peter's Basilica.
Obama's overseas trip: 5 takeaways
He displays a foreign policy agenda that looks more robust and consequential than his domestic one.
Santorum: Obama sought Pope 'spin'
He says Obama is trying to "spin" the situation to "piggyback on the popularity of the Pope."
A president, a pope and a black cat
For 52 minutes, Pope Francis and President Obama talked alone in the papal library.
Podcast: ACA; Obama meets Pope
Obama's trip to Europe, an ACA loophole and media coverage of the missing plane are discussed.
Deciphering the papal bull session
Obama says the "bulk" of the conversation focused on income inequality and world peace.
Obama downplays Vatican ACA talk
He says his conversation with Pope Francis focused on economic opportunity and global conflicts.


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Phoenix Mars Lander Declared Dead 154
from the so-long-and-thanks-for-all-the-pix dept.
We've improved Slashdot's video section; now you can view our video interviews, product close-ups and site visits with all the usual Slashdot options to comment, share, etc. No more walled garden! It's a work in progress -- we hope you'll check it out (Learn more about the recent updates).
It will soon spring forth from the fiery planet to destroy us all! RISE PHOENIX!!! RISE!
Did it sing "Bicycle Built for Two," slowing down and getting deeper as it ran out of power? Because that would have been awesome.
Opportunity: You hear about that new guy, Phoenix?
Spirit: Yeah, water ice...wonder what he'll find next.
Op: The dude's dead, yo!
Sp: What? He's only been here 5 months!
Op: I know. Lightweight. Gave some whiney excuse about 'only 3 months'.
Sp: What a wuss. I've been running on half power and 5 wheels most of this damn mission! I guess they don't make 'em like they used to.
It didnt even knew who won the elections
...you know what a Phoenix does when it dies, right?
It's only a flesh wound.
The most Illustrious Council of Elders has declared tomorrow a planetary day of celebration. K'breel, Speaker for the Council, spake thus:
"Triumphant Citizens, today all our gelsacs are engorged with delight! After a 160-day campaign in the arctic wastelands of our world, our day of victory has come. For the past thirty days, this latest terror from the blue world has been able to do nothing more but wave its pendulous plumb bob [slashdot.org] at us.
Its relentless chanting of the Day-Z War Song - which our linguists have assured us is about a war machine driven so half-mad with emotion that it would enslave two of its creators for use as propulsion mechanisms - has finally ended. The Day-Z War Song is sung no more.
Rejoice, podmates, for victory is ours! We answer in the affirmative, for we are able!"
(A small group of dissidents in the Press Corps reminded the Speaker that the Invader on the Plains had begun to stir [nasa.gov], and that The Twin at the Crater was rapidly advancing to the southeast [nasa.gov] after having made an obscene gesture. They were about to inquire as to what progress had been made over the past two and a half years against these threats, but K'Breel had already torn the antenna shaft from the Arctic Invader's lifeless hulk and made a shishkebab of their gelsacs before their question could be been fully heard.)
>The US space agency says it will continue to try to contact the craft but does not expect to hear from it."
Beep! Wait! I'm not dead yet! 010100101010010101001010010100101110....
Beagle 2: Wazzup!
It's not Phoenix's fault damnit. They gave him a red shirt at the start of the episode and we all know what that means!
Oohh... this reminds me of Wall-E...
So sad...
Are you a rocket scientist? Because I'll give your opinion more than 10% validity if you are
Maybe that explains all that spam then, the future is trying to send us a message! P'NIXISLARGER! But how can we use Icelandic Lager to destroy a mechanical monster?
Voyager: It's dark out here... so very very dark. Hum-mmmmmmmmmmm.
Real Users find the one combination of bizarre input values that shuts down the system for days.


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Create a free account to check out faster, store multiple shipping addresses, view and track your orders in your account, and much more.
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I really liked this product - it was light and provided that matte finish that I appreciate with a moisturizer. I didn't feel like I was getting greasy or oily, but my skin was still soft. I think it's a little pricey, which is the only reason I gave it 4 starts.4
I get pretty dry skin living in the northeast and this lotion works great. It's a little thinner than most normal lotions, but that just helps spread it around so you don't feel like you're using too much in one area. The smell is good too, but it generally loses its scent after an hour or two.4
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Digital Home & Smartphones Help
It's free to register, to post a question or to start / join a discussion
VHS to dvd
Likes # 0
Posted August 8, 2011 at 3:17PM
HI I am about to start transferring my VHS tapes on DVDs. I have managed to get the VHS onto my computer using arcsoft that came free with the leads I am using. This seems ok, the file is saved as a .mpg, I then create a project and do some rudimentary editing. I am now puting on DVD, but it tells me the file is too big. I have now noticed that this file will be saved in .AVI format. (i had a run through with a very small file)Is AVI what I should be saving as? It seems to do this without asking, I am not changing any default settings, Should I?
More problems are that my DVD rewriter is not working so I am exporting the file to an external hard drive, this seems to be going through the whole video very slowly as I am exporting the whole project not just copying the file? When it's on my external dive I can use a laptop to write the dvd. Would it normally take hours to produce the dvd (record)on the software and a very long time to write.
I am just a bit confused with it all and am working on trial and error. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.
Likes # 0
Posted August 9, 2011 at 6:50PM
If you have a lot to do, it may be easier to get one of these: http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/4-/5817720/Toshiba-RD-XV48DT-160GB-HDD-DVD-VCR-Recorder-Combi-With-Digital-Tuner/Product.html
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WatersTechnology is a multi-channel business intelligence platform with daily analysis and news to enable businesses to deliver better strategies with more efficiency than ever before.
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The trade-off between data sourcing transparency and confidential business interests makes it difficult to pursue higher quality data through cooperative or open efforts. Michael points to an Omgeo initiative that is proving an exception to this rule,...
Waters | Opinion | Industry Issues & Initiatives | 02 May 2014
Omgeo's opening of its Alert standing settlement instructions database for enhancement by contributors sets an example that those trying to navigate the balance between transparency and proprietary interests for data could find useful.
Inside Reference Data | Opinion | Data Management | 22 Apr 2014 |
In the field of standing settlement instructions, Omgeo appears to have found a way to improve upon data quality by opening sourcing and access to its database
Inside Reference Data | Opinion | Data Management | 17 Apr 2014
Itaú Asset Management has replaced faxes, emails and spreadsheets with Omgeo's central matching platform and settlement instructions database
Inside Reference Data | News | Data Management | 30 Jan 2014
Brazil's largest investment manager, Itaú Asset Management, has implemented Omgeo services for central trade matching and settlement instruction capabilities.
Buy-Side Technology | News | Buy-Side Implementations | 28 Jan 2014
Software giant SunGard has named Marianne Brown as chief operating officer of its financial systems business, effective February 24, 2014.
Buy-Side Technology | News | People | 21 Jan 2014
Paula Arthus will take over from Marianne Brown as president and chief executive officer of Omgeo on February 21
Inside Reference Data | News | People | 14 Jan 2014
Omgeo's move away from its long-standing Oasys platform to a new central trade matching (CTM) service for non-US trades is still playing out, but SWIFT business development director Paul Taylor says the industry banking utility already created new opportunities...
Buy-Side Technology | Analysis | Buy-Side Implementations | 04 Nov 2013
While the term straight-through processing gets thrown around a lot, Anthony spoke with Omgeo's Rick Enfield for a more precise definition for today's industry.
Buy-Side Technology | Opinion | Industry Issues & Initiatives | 25 Oct 2013
Industry utility Omgeo announced that it is teaming with TriOptima to beef up its derivative reconciliations capabilities, and with AcadiaSoft for its margin affirmation communication solution.
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