Biochar Machine

All biochars are not created equally

B.C. — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:01:07 +0000

The folks over on the biochar list have recently released a paper called “All biochars are not created equally” that looks at the many factors that dictate biochar quality and methods of testing. With so many variable in feedstocks and char production methods this is a great conversation to have.

Here is a link to the pdf for download:

All-Biochars–Version2–Oct2009

Biochar Machine now for sale

B.C. — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:50:39 +0000

We are pleased to announce the release of the Biochar Machine for sale. The purpose of our unit is to make productive use of the other 98% of the biomass that other biochar systems can’t process, thus turning waste into a valuable product or tool to combat climate change. In order to make biochar as accessible as possible, we have kept our prices very low to speed adoption of this technology in both the first world and the third world. Whether you are a villager in Tanzania or a suburbanite in Bellevue, the Biochar Machine can turn your plant waste into beneficial biochar.

We are also providing custom automated electronic modules for use by research universities into slow pyrolysis and torrification. Call to discuss your needs.

Our “biochar maker” is designed as light weight modules that can be wheeled around to where the biomass is. Irregular shapes, higher moisture content and even rocks and dirt won’t stop it from making great biochar. Stainless steel construction ensured a long life outdoors. Multiple modules can be used in tandem to increase production.

Home owners will love getting rid of their yard waste bills and green entrepreneurs will benefit from being pioneers in biochar sales. Call us today to order your personal biochar module.

Ditch the propane & power with woodgas

B.C. — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:41:22 +0000

While propane is quick and simple, some of you may want to use your higher quality biomass to power your Biochar Machine. For that you will need to go to WoodyGasifier.com and look at our Off Gridder gasifier. It can turn your wood chips into a fuel gas much like propane as well as powering engines to make electricity. It’s the total biomass power solution.

Northeast Biochar Symposium

B.C. — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:15:25 +0000

Join some of the brightest minds in biochar on November 13th, 2009 at the Northeast Biochar Symposium. The Symposium will highlight current biochar research and technological advances and provide vital information to public officials, researchers, farmers and landscape professionals, green industry businesses, and sustainable energy professionals. Biochar is considered a significant strategy for removing net carbon from the atmosphere for safe storage in soil, enhancing soil resources, and creating clean energy from agricultural stover and forest biomass.

Symposium Schedule

7:30am – 8:30am Registration & Continental Breakfast

8:30am – 9:00am Welcoming Remarks

9:00am – 10:00am Biochar: Strategies and Potentials – David Laird, USDA

10:00am –11:00am Biochar and Mitigation of Climate Change – Dr. Johannes Lehmann, Cornell University

11:00am – 11:15am Break

11:15am – 12:00pm International Biochar Research – Dr. Christoph Steiner, University of Georgia

12:00pm – 1:00pm Lunch

1:15am – 2:45pm Concurrent Panels/Break-Out Sessions

Biochar 101

Dr. Hugh McLaughlin,
Alterna Energy Co.

A basic discussion about how Biochar came into the public eye, char properties, how it fits into soil application, carbon sequestration, and production.

Local Small-Scale Biochar Production

Biochar Production and Greenhouses Heating
Alex English,
Burt’s Greenhouses

Brush/Slash Fuel for Stoves, Furnaces and Gasifiers
Dr. Thomas Reed,
The Biomass Energy Foundation

Farm Units
Peter Hirst, Keziah’s Forge

Soil Biology and Biochar

Effect of Biochar on Microbial Communities
Dr. Janice Theis,
Cornell University

Applying Biochar to Soil: Is It Worth the Expense?
Dr. Jeffrey Novak USDA

Adsorptive Properties of Biochar
Dr. Janice Theis,
Cornell University

2:45pm – 4:05pm Concurrent Panels/Break-Out Sessions

Feedstocks & Characterization

All Biochars Are Not Equal
Dr. Hugh McLaughlin,
Alterna Energy Co.

Designing Biochar Types to Modify Selective
Soil Properties
Dr. Jeffrey Novak, USDA

Lifecycle Assessment of Biochar Systems
Dr. Kelli G. Roberts
Cornell University

Community Ecology & Economy

Community Integrated Design
Peter Hirst, Keziah’s Forge

Carbon Farmers & Grasslands
Abe Collins,
Carbon Farmers of America

Farming w Biochar on Cape Cod
Bob Wells, Redberry Farm

Ongoing Field
Research Initiatives

Mycorrhizae-Inoculated Biochar in Wastewater Remediation
Jacob Kelsey & Felix Wai,
University of Vermont

Biochar in a Small Vegetable Farm
Ron Poitras & Susan Straubing
SARE Farmer Grant Recipient

Biochar in Small Grain Rotations
Adam Dole,
New England Small Farm Institute

4:15pm – 5:15pm Closing Plenary – Biochar and Policy: the UN Climate Talks and Congressional Legislation Debbie Reed, International Biochar Initiative and Christoph Steiner, University of Georgia

5:15pm – 6:00pm Networking, Cash Bar

6:00pm – 9:00pm Dinner & Meeting: Northeast Biochar Initiative

WECHAR Bill proposes biochar development

B.C. — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:09:10 +0000

On Thursday, September 24, 2009, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, and four cosponsors (Senators Max Baucus and John Tester of Montana, Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah, and Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico), introduced the “Water Efficiency via Carbon Harvesting and Restoration (WECHAR) Act of 2009.” The bill establishes a loan guarantee program to develop biochar technology, initiates a program of biochar landscape restoration projects on public land, and authorizes a competitive grant program to fund research on biochar characteristics, impacts and economics.

In the face of climate change, drought is an ever growing problem in the Western US, exacerbated by water-sucking weeds like tamarisk (salt cedar), which can consume 200 gallons of water a day, per plant. These invasive weeds, along with other excess biomass in the form of beetle-killed trees, forests with dangerous fuel loading, and dense pinyon-juniper thickets that have invaded native sagebrush ecosystems, are ideal feedstocks for biochar.

Here is a summary of the bill via biochar international

Water Efficiency via Carbon Harvesting and Restoration (WECHAR) Act of 2009

Section-by-Section

Sec. 1. Short Title. Water Efficiency via Carbon Harvesting and Restoration Act of 2009.

Sec. 2. Findings.

Sec.3. Definitions.

Sec. 4. Resource Assessment.
Directs the U.S. Geological Survey to assess the amount of feedstock in the form of invasive weeds and hazardous fuels on the public lands, the amount of carbon and biochar production potential in that feedstock, and the potential for water savings if it were removed.

Sec. 5. Technology Research.

Directs the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture to develop loan guarantee programs for development of mobile and fixed but temporary biochar production technology that can be deployed in remote locations and use excess biomass as feedstock.
Identifies that production units produced under these guarantee programs need to be primarily tasked to work with the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and Forest Service on invasive tamarisk in the Mojave Desert, pinyon-juniper buildup in the Great Basin, and bark beetle-killed trees in the Intermountain West.
Provides criteria for loan guarantee programs to ensure appropriate use and protection of funds and likelihood of success of the ventures accessing the program.

Sec. 6. Existing Technology.

Directs the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture to develop loan guarantee programs for construction or acquisition of existing biochar production technology that can be put directly into use.
Identifies that production units produced under these guarantee programs need to be primarily tasked to work with the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and Forest Service on invasive tamarisk in the Mojave Desert, pinyon-juniper buildup in the Great Basin, and bark beetle-killed trees in the Intermountain West.
Provides criteria for loan guarantee programs to ensure appropriate use and protection of funds and likelihood of success of the ventures accessing the program.

Sec. 7. Deployment.

Directs the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to develop 3-year programs for use of the technology developed in section 5, and identifies that initial programs shall be carried out by the Bureau of Land Management using Great Basin excess pinyon-juniper, by the National Park Service using Mojave Desert tamarisk, and by the Forest Service using Intermountain West bark beetle-killed trees.
Directs the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to develop plans for use of the technology developed in section 5, and identifies that these shall use Great Basin excess pinyon-juniper, Mojave Desert tamarisk, and Intermountain West bark beetle-killed trees.

Sec. 8. Application and Market Research.

Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to implement competitive grants programs to develop markets for biochar and bioenergy, analyze the production costs versus the economic benefits of biochar production, potential performance of biochar production in carbon sequestration programs, and compares biochar production with other biofuel production systems.
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to implement competitive grants programs to perform full environmental review of biochar production and use, including water savings, environmental benefits of biochar use in agricultural settings, and any potential adverse environmental impacts.
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to implement competitive grants programs to research and analyze potential uses for biochar in landscape restoration in different ecosystems and soil types.

Sec. 9. Authorization of Appropriations.
Authorizes the appropriation of such funds as are necessary to carry out sections 4 through 8.