Re: Potential big ag opportunities for biochar


 

I will be visiting the Dominican again next week and will do some more investigation on feedstocks and opportunities.
We have been learning about Biochar from Tom Miles, Kathleen Draper and the rest of the crew for past 7 years or so . We are focused on macro policy change in New York State and upcycling opportunities to functionalize various feedstock biochars to solve problems on Long Island while sequestering carbon and igniting a Bioeconomy


On Sun, Jan 16, 2022 at 6:31 PM Paul S Anderson <psanders@...> wrote:

Josh,

 

Thanks for  your interest.   Most sugar cane is processed in chopped form and yields “bagasse” which is smallish particles that are not well suited to the long length of the RoCC kilns (there are other tricks so that RoCC kilns can pyrolyze bagasse and rice husks and  other such small biomass pieces, but that is a different discussion).

 

BUT, the old way of extracting the sugar-juice was with trapiches (crushers like clothes ringers on old washing machines, but vertical) .   That squeezing between rollers results in long strands of what I called stranded or stringy bagasse, or crushed cane stems.   Those stems, when sufficiently dried,  can work very well  in  the RoCC kilns (probably 2 meters long would be good).  

 

Josh, do you have such stringy bagasse?   Or any other reeds?   Or other truly disposable biomass?   Please describe.   I will gladly help you get involved with RoCC kilns in DR. 

 

Please introduce yourself and tell us your interest in  biochar.

 

Paul

 

Doc / Dr TLUD / Paul S. Anderson, PhD --- Website:   www.drtlud.com

         Email:  psanders@...       Skype:   paultlud

         Phone:  Office: 309-452-7072    Mobile & WhatsApp: 309-531-4434

Exec. Dir. of Juntos Energy Solutions NFP    Go to: www.JuntosNFP.org 

Inventor of RoCC kilns and author of Biochar white paper :  See  www.woodgas.energy/resources  

 

From: main@Biochar.groups.io <main@Biochar.groups.io> On Behalf Of josh zeide via groups.io
Sent: Sunday, January 16, 2022 4:26 PM
To: main@biochar.groups.io
Cc: Carbon Dioxide Removal <CarbonDioxideRemoval@...>
Subject: Re: [Biochar] Potential big ag opportunities for biochar

 

You don't often get email from jzeide@.... Learn why this is important

I'm interested Paul if ok with you it's in Dominican Republic sugar cane fields

 

On Sun, Jan 16, 2022, 5:02 PM Paul S Anderson <psanders@...> wrote:

Tom and Antonio,

 

Thank you for pointing out the Arundo donax plant.   I have just now done some reading on websites.    Evidently a pest.   Potentially ideal for biochar production using RoCC kilns.  

 

Of course, it does need to be cut and adequately dried.   Could be cut near the ground or near the water line.   Or if the roots and even some dirt come up, that is fine for the RoCC kiln.   The biochar plus any dirt is going to go back to the soil.   And the  RoCC kiln will accept the leaves as well as the reed/cane.  

 

And if it grows back, it will be harvested again, and again, and again to make biochar.   This is an example of biomass that is so abundant and without any value (and even with costs to control it)  that  it is a pest.   The RoCC kiln can turn this into biochar that has value as physical biochar AND value for carbon sequestration (CDR).  

 

Compared to brushy invasive species that are bushes or bifurcating branches, such tall mostly straight reeds are literally “low hanging fruit” for easy biochar production.   Tom wrote:  “…we spend tens of millions of dollars every year to attempt control.”   If the money is really being spent, and assuming someone might want some new solutions that will  save money or even make money, we have every reason to become active for the purposes of making biochar.

 

Is there anyone who wants to work with me on this?   You will need to have access to the biomass and some funding to do first a modest trial and then, we expect, to launch commercial  activity.   I have many not-yet-released contributions (innovative design variations of RoCC  kilns) regarding the pyrolysis of such biomass, especially for the handling of biomass types depending on their shapes and environments.   I cannot do these many different variations of RoCC kiln efforts alone.   Grant money should be available, or simply using some of the tens  of millions of dollars already being spent each year.

 

Paul

 

Doc / Dr TLUD / Paul S. Anderson, PhD --- Website:   www.drtlud.com

         Email:  psanders@...       Skype:   paultlud

         Phone:  Office: 309-452-7072    Mobile & WhatsApp: 309-531-4434

Exec. Dir. of Juntos Energy Solutions NFP    Go to: www.JuntosNFP.org 

Inventor of RoCC kilns and author of Biochar white paper :  See  www.woodgas.energy/resources  

Author of “A Capitalist Carol” (free digital copies at www.capitalism21.org)

         with pages 88 – 94 about solving the world crisis for clean cookstoves.

 

From: main@Biochar.groups.io <main@Biochar.groups.io> On Behalf Of Tom Miles via groups.io
Sent: Sunday, January 16, 2022 11:26 AM
To: main@Biochar.groups.io
Subject: Re: [Biochar] Potential big ag opportunities for biochar

 

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The giant red, Arundo Donax, the clarinet reed, is an invasive species that we spend tens of millions of dollars every year to attempt control. It establishes along waterways particularly in the Southern US. Plantations projects in the South determined that it can revegetate unless it is field chopped to less than ½ inch (12 mm). A major energy project based on Arundo plantations was abandoned in Florida and then in Oregon. The difficulty of controlling it is a major problem. It is not an environmentally friendly feedstock.

 

Once dried it is an excellent fiber. A US company has attempted to promote it for fiber purposes for many years.

 

Tom

 

From: main@Biochar.groups.io <main@Biochar.groups.io> On Behalf Of Paul S Anderson
Sent: Sunday, January 16, 2022 9:12 AM
To: main@Biochar.groups.io
Subject: Re: [Biochar] Potential big ag opportunities for biochar

 

Antonio,

 

I have some ongoing experience with pyrolysis of giant reeds.  In various arrangements, I have dealt with miscanthus, bamboo, papyrus, corn stalks, biomass sorghum, misc. thin reeds, stranded bagasse (sugar cane that is crushed, not chopped), and some other long stuff (such as slabs at sawmills, which are not reeds).   Now I offer a specific way to handle them, preferably in their intact, long forms.

 

My RoCC kiln is able (and actually is very compatible) for receiving long biomass as it comes in from the harvest.   Being dry is very important, but many reeds are dry during winter.   Or can be air dried with some time.  

 

Please look at my several documents about RoCC kilns in the production section at  www.woodgas.energy/resources.      The right RoCC kiln for you would be determined based on desired operational size (related to diameter of the kiln) and to length (related to the biomass length/handling).   RoCC kilns are currently in  diameters from 0.6 to 1.8 m (~2 ft to 6 ft) and lengths from 0.9 to 2.7 m (~3 to 9 ft.)   RoCC kiln lengths of over 6 m (~20 ft) are possible if your reeds are that tall.    Loading is along the long side (dropping in the intact long biomass), not pushed in from  the end.   RoCC kiln technology is still “young” and being enhanced with each new unit and distinct biomass.  The patent (pending but close to being issued) covers these many variations.    

 

Please tell us about the height and diameter and species characteristics.    Do you have test results of biochar from those reeds?   If so, be sure to indicate the type of equipment (simple retort, rotary kiln, TLUD, flame-cap, etc.)   The maximum temperature to which all or most of the biomass is exposed for sufficient time is what is important in the char characteristics, but not in the handling..

 

Are you making a general observation or do you own or control lands with these reeds?   If there is a business  proposition for using this biomass (and if it  is too specific or private for a public  Discussion Group), please contact me directly.  I would be very interested in participating in operations in Italy (or other areas).  Others with such biomass are also encouraged to contact me or to discuss general situations on this discussion  group.

 

Paul

 

Doc / Dr TLUD / Paul S. Anderson, PhD --- Website:   www.drtlud.com

         Email:  psanders@...       Skype:   paultlud

         Phone:  Office: 309-452-7072    Mobile & WhatsApp: 309-531-4434

Exec. Dir. of Juntos Energy Solutions NFP    Go to: www.JuntosNFP.org 

Inventor of RoCC kilns and author of Biochar white paper :  See  www.woodgas.energy/resources  

Author of “A Capitalist Carol” (free digital copies at www.capitalism21.org)

         with pages 88 – 94 about solving the world crisis for clean cookstoves.

 

From: main@Biochar.groups.io <main@Biochar.groups.io> On Behalf Of Antonio Volta via groups.io
Sent: Sunday, January 16, 2022 1:35 AM
To: main@biochar.groups.io
Subject: Re: [Biochar] Potential big ag opportunities for biochar

 

You don't often get email from avolta@.... Learn why this is important

Hi everyone,

I'm new in the group.

Did someone try to produce biochar from giant reed? 

In Northern Italy yield of this biomass in marginal lands is very high and not used at all.

 

Antonio

 

Il giorno dom 16 gen 2022 alle ore 04:52 Tom Miles <tmiles@...> ha scritto:

Cane tops and leaves are an opportunity biochar feedstock. 

T R Miles Technical Consultants Inc.

Sent from mobile. 

 

On Jan 15, 2022, at 7:38 PM, James Tomell <james.tomell@...> wrote:



Most of the bagasse from sugar cane is burned as boiler fuel. Excess is traded as a commodity to other mills as fuel.

It also makes a good substrate for vermi beds.

 

On Sun, Jan 16, 2022, 3:34 AM Ian McChesney, <ian.mcchesney@...> wrote:

Very impressive ! - and not just for Ethanol. A number of Ag. industries, cane sugar, palm oil etc could take this route.............   ! 



--

Josh Paul Zeide, ESQ, MBA
Chief Sustainability Officer, President
917 721 1062

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