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not 100% sure on that but i think unlce microbe dude did something similar, with charred rice hulls
from my understanding,non activated char is very high in carbon...
like C/N balancing in composting,we need nitrogen to help micobes process or inoculate the char
as a possible nutrient drain may accrue as our "soil" microbes move into the non activated char..
this is why i ferment(let sit in solution) or use fish hydrolysate,FPT,LAB,kelp extract,BIM etc & humisolv first,as im hoping the char will suck up this rich concoction so the "cook"compost & cure ensures a excellent end product...
just adding char to compost or wormbin; as a carbon/brown source, is much much easier but u should first learn how to make quality compst/casting.
i find char best mixed to what one is already using as a texture amendment, & the dust great for worms..
Oregonism
Active member
The main problem with bbq charcoal at least in the states, is that VOC and SOC's are prevalent in the ash and the briquets, because of the pre-treatments they use to get them to catch fire and stay ignited. Sulfur, other things. I am sure somebody uses it, but time and time again you see it being discouraged.
In England they used to practice coppicing, where they did a heavy prune on small hardwood trees/shrubs. Birch, hazel, etc. were common. It used to be a big deal, nowadays its lost art, side-income for Romany etc. They would provide high quality cooking briquets for the area's residents.
A couple of times a year I burn a pile of sawdust and sticks to make ash and I bury tall ammo cans full of cherry/alder/birch/hazel directly underneath in the pile, maybe a little bit of dirt or something to cover it, then burn it till coals and then dies out, you should have good charcoal that way, the fire consumes all of the oxygen out of the not quite air-tight ammo can, works great.
[old survival guide buddy taught me the trick for making t-shirts into mantles. ]
Pyrolysis.O
[charcoal is also a by-product of wood gas] Once it gets to 450F or so, methane is released and then others as heat [not combustion] increases. Its estimated that over 50% of the North Koreans rely on this method for powering transportation. Crazy.
Jack Harer
Member
BioChar is a step towards sustainable soils. If you incorporate biochar, I highly rcommend the re-use of your soils, as they become more fertile each time. The pockets of Terra Preta discovered in the amazon are every bit as fertile today as they were 5 to 8 thousand years ago when they were made. In a no till environment, eventually there would be no need to fertilize.
S
SeaMaiden
Yes. And essentially good biochar is a lot like good activated carbon in its chemical properties (adsorption/absorption).
Still on the hunt for volume rice hulls to get larger portions of the property done, as it's a good adjunct for building up poor soils. I'm also open to suggestions for a replacement because no one's carrying them locally, may have to go the serious bulk route otherwise. The rice hull method can be done without using a pyrolizer, and where I live we're allowed to do open brush burns as long as they're no larger than 4'x4'x4'. Tis the season, and all that.
We are experimenting (one year now) with charring wood shavings (pine, fir, hemlock), soaking with ACT, then mixing in soil at 7 to 12%. Most plants are thriving in it. There are a couple of species that did not like it (trefoil & Chinese lantern). It may be a coincidence though.
S
SeaMaiden
Eh... how predictable. (Not you, Mm.) I've never had a whole group of stalkers before.
How are you charring the shavings? Are you utilizing a pyrolizing chamber? Do you recall seeing the video on doing the rice hulls out in the open, without using the pyrolizing chamber? I'm ready to do this, but can't source the hulls locally and have contacted an operator that wants to bring me a rather gigantic load. If I'm stuck doing that, then I'll be adding another product to my marketing plan, because I cannot use all that char myself.
How are you charring the shavings? Are you utilizing a pyrolizing chamber? Do you recall seeing the video on doing the rice hulls out in the open, without using the pyrolizing chamber? I'm ready to do this, but can't source the hulls locally and have contacted an operator that wants to bring me a rather gigantic load. If I'm stuck doing that, then I'll be adding another product to my marketing plan, because I cannot use all that char myself.
We built a pyrolizing furnace which does 55 gallons of shavings at a shot. I'm wanting to build something which does not produce so much smoke (polution). We found that a very fast burning fire using cedar and pine scrap boards produces less smoke. I'd love to build a gas fired furnace.
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SeaMaiden
Do you recall, or did you ever see the video I'm referring to? My mind is made up about doing this, I just need the material. The method utilized a small fire out in the open that was buried with hulls. As soon as a vent opened up, they buried it with hulls. Once all the hulls were used, they began turning them so as to ensure all the hulls were charred, but not burned. Then, out came the hose.
Do you think I can do this with the much more readily available wood shavings, that I can get right now? I'm talking about the type used for animal bedding that's sold by the several cubic feet, or in bulk by the ton.
Do you think I can do this with the much more readily available wood shavings, that I can get right now? I'm talking about the type used for animal bedding that's sold by the several cubic feet, or in bulk by the ton.
Charmaster
New member
Hello Folks
I have a great Biochar Information site with plenty of easily understandable biochar information. It is my passion and I have been doing it for 5 years in Australia.
Currently I have 4 hectares of Hemp under Biochar trials and will be doing a write up as soon as I harvest. I am going for Yield this year.
If I can help in anyway with your biochar understanding drop me an email.
The website is Biochar Project Australia
Charmaster Dolph Cooke
I have a great Biochar Information site with plenty of easily understandable biochar information. It is my passion and I have been doing it for 5 years in Australia.
Currently I have 4 hectares of Hemp under Biochar trials and will be doing a write up as soon as I harvest. I am going for Yield this year.
If I can help in anyway with your biochar understanding drop me an email.
The website is Biochar Project Australia
Charmaster Dolph Cooke
seamaiden i would have some minimal concern for bedding shavings based on whether they were treated w/ anything {which seems unnecessary} FTMP you can assume the pyrolysis converts anything unwanted
you should determine a) what kind of wood and b) whether it is treated
its probably untreated pine aspen or cedar and that would be fine
you should determine a) what kind of wood and b) whether it is treated
its probably untreated pine aspen or cedar and that would be fine
S
SeaMaiden
Very good points, although I'm fairly certain that if it's packaged for use with animals (direct contact and ingestion must be accounted for) that the packagers are probably a bit more keen to ensure it's safe and not treated. It's been many decades since I've owned horses and had to mess around with keeping stalls and corrals clean. The shavings we used to get were 100% pine, and we bought them by the ton.
The other main question for me is that I do not plan on building a pyrolizer, I'm limited by what I can do mostly by myself because my husband has a full time job and I no longer have outside help (aka: kids). I've been trying to find that video about doing the rice hulls in the open, sans pyrolizer, and must search harder because I'm not finding it. Anyway, I'd like to do this in the open, on a burn day. That's a huge part of the goal. If I have to buy the rice hulls in bulk, then I'm going to repackage them for sale as I think I mentioned previously. But, then again, considering how few people around here have any knowledge of something like bio-char, and my discussion with one of the sisters who runs the best local garden center we have, it could turn out to be a decent adjunct to my whole business plan. Inputs are minimal, my bigger issue is that burns are only allowed during certain times of year.
Sorry for the musing, but this *is* a thread about biochar, right?
S
SeaMaiden
Looking up your stuff right now, thanks for joining up and dropping in!
S
SeaMaiden
O
OrganicOzarks
Great videos on the site! Everyone should have a look see. Now I must make my own charring drum, and pit!
O
OrganicOzarks
The percentage that you are mixing is this in potting soil? I was wondering at what rate to use to test in potting soil? Most people are using this in the ground.
OrganicOzarks
Check and see if Riceland is still offering CRH (Carbonized Rice Hulls)
Check and see if Riceland is still offering CRH (Carbonized Rice Hulls)
