Comments on: Carbon Sequestration in Vineyard Soils

By: Schmidt

Schmidt — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:50:02 +0000

Dear Reg, As we can’t completely exclude oxygen while the organic material enters the Pyreg-reactor, we get about 8% ashes.
How does your soil ph evolves after carbon introduction?
Sincerely, Peter

By: Reg Preston

Reg Preston — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 14:02:57 +0000

We produce biochar by gasification (5KW from Ankur India) of sugar cane bagasse and tree stems after consumption of the leaves by goats. Yields from 100 kg dry biomass are 80KWH of electricity and 10 kg of biochar which contains only 35% carbon, the rest being alkaline ash. What is the ash content of the biochar in your system?
Growth promotion of maize from our biochar is spectacular when soil pH is less than 4.5. No effect on soils with pH over 5.5.

By: Peter Schmidt

Peter Schmidt — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:24:19 +0000

Eric, the increase of water retention capacity through bio-char depends very much on the soil and it’s quite difficult to propose precise figures. We just began a research project with the University of Zurich where we analyze different vineyard soils in Spain, France, and Italy with the objective to determine the influence of bio-char on water retention capacity. In the end of 2009 we should already have some tangible results.
Peter

By: Peter Schmidt

Peter Schmidt — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:59:23 +0000

The Pyreg-machine that we use is still a pilot-plant. The approximate price for a 500 KW plant would be around $500′000 and for 100 KW around $170′000.
Here are some more features of the Pyreg-plant
Pyreg 500 KW-plant
Input: 3600 tonnes biomass (tree lopping)
Produced Bio-Char: 1000 t
CO2-Sequestration: 489 kg CO2 / tonne tree lopping
MW/year (thermal-energy): 1500 MW
MW/year (electricity): 370 MW

For CO2-sequestration potential see here:
http://www.delinat.com/ithaka/wpForschung1/uploads//2009/01/co2-sequestration-eng.pdf

Thanks for your comments,
Peter

By: Administrator

Administrator — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:03:27 +0000

Eric, A number of universities and biochar organizations have visited this page, including Cornell, UC Davis, Stanford, U of Oregon. I am hoping for a comment from some of these folks. And I’ve asked Peter Schmidt to weigh-in.
I, myself, will look into the matter. Cheers.

By: Eric

Eric — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:23:18 +0000

Fascinating article, is there any more information available about water retention capacitys?

By: Administrator

Administrator — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 07:03:42 +0000

Derek, I’ll ask Peter Schmidt. And I’ll look into prices stateside. One company you might want to contact in the short term is Biochar Engineering. They are out of Golden Colorado, phone number: 303.279.3776.

By: Derek

Derek — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 06:52:21 +0000

Very interesting concept. Thanks for the post! I’m curious what the up front costs are for a smaller biochar machine.

By: Administrator

Administrator — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:43:26 +0000

Thanks, Alfonso. One novel concept discussed by Peter Schmidt that I did not properly develop was that of ‘climate farming’. Of it Peter writes:
“There is nothing on earth that uses solar energy more effective than plants while growing (with the solar energy, the carbon from the atmospheric CO2 and the water, nitrogen and phosphates from the soil, all are transformed to long molecular carbon riche cells). But if this biomass rots at the end of it’s life-cycle, the whole energy stocked in the plants gets lost. The pyrolyse process can use about the half of the energy stocked in the long carbonic molecules to produce thermal and electric energy. Another 1/3 of the biomass becomes pure carbon that, put into the soil, keeps stable more than 1000 years and won’t burn to CO2 as it would if left to rot. “

By: Alfonso

Alfonso — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:56:14 +0000

great post..really fascinating stuff!