Terra Preta - The parent thread which started it all

[Michaelangelica]

I love how searchable this Blackwell Synergy site is,

 

here are the results from "Terra Preta soils" search:

 

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/action/doSearch?searchText=Terra+Preta+soils&journal=ter&filter=all&journalCode=ter&volume=18&issue=4&searchbutton.x=45&searchbutton.y=12

 

And Their Home page: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/

 

Erich

Thanks, lots and lots to read there. I have agoogle alert going for Terra preta and it didn't pick up any of those articles.

 

This one was interesting

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Effects of the application of charred bark of Acacia mangium on the yield of maize, cowpea and peanut, and soil chemical properties in South Sumatra, Indonesia

Masahide YAMATO1, Yasuyuki OKIMORI1, Irhas Fredy WIBOWO2, Saifuddin ANSHORI2 and Makoto OGAWA3

Abstract

 

Charred bark of Acacia mangium (bark charcoal), which is made of wood waste from pulp production, was applied as soil amendment for the cultivation of maize, cowpea and peanut to examine its effects on crop yield and soil chemical properties in South Sumatra, Indonesia.

The yields of maize and peanut significantly increased after the application of bark charcoal under a fertilized condition in an infertile soil environment.

In addition, increases in the root amount and colonization rate of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi after bark charcoal application were also observed in maize.

In general, the application of bark charcoal induced changes in soil chemical properties by increasing the pH value, total N and available P2O5 contents, cation exchange capacity, amounts of exchangeable cations and base saturation, and by decreasing the content of exchangeable Al3+.

The amelioration of the soil chemical properties could be effective in highly weathered infertile tropical soils.

The application of charcoal in agriculture is expected to lead to the formation of a carbon sink in soil and to increase crop yield because it has been suggested that charcoal is highly resistant to abiotic and biotic degradation, even in a soil environment.

I wonder if the increase in soil PH was due to charcoal or wood-ash by-products of charcoal production?

[erich]

Hi All:

 

Here is a reply from Danny Day of http://www.eprida.com/hydro/

Also, be sure to read the " See an initial analysis. NEW " LINK of the variation of this technology to clean up Coal fired power plants that utilizes exsiting infrastructure.

 

 

"Dear Erich:

 

We are in the early stages of marketing equipment to produce fuel and char for 1-8ton/hr dry biomass conversion systems. The initial beta units are being designed/deployed at 1tph. Our field trials with the university look promising. Thanks for your support. If you are in the Athens area, give us a call for a tour.

 

Danny

 

 

On 8/14/06, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:

 

Dear Dr. Day:

Could you please update me on any progress on the hydrogen production/ ECOSSTM Fertilizer Project?

 

Erich J. Knight

[Michaelangelica]

People are starting to be come aware of the full implications of Terra preta:-

http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/004815.html

Claims for biochar's capacity to capture carbon sound almost audacious. Johannes Lehmann, soil scientist and author of Amazonian Dark Earths: Origin, Properties, Management, believes that a strategy combining biochar with biofuels could ultimately offset 9.5 billion tons of carbon per year-an amount equal to the total current fossil fuel emissions!

 

Indeed, there is profit to be made in this black earth, for if green is the new black, then black could be the new green.

Biofuels are touted as 'carbon neutral', but biofuels and biochar together promise to be 'carbon negative'. Danny Day, the founder of a company called Eprida is already putting these concepts into motion with systems that turn farm waste into hydrogen, biofuel, and biochar.

 

The Eprida technology uses agricultural waste biomass to produce hydrogen-rich bio-fuels and a new restorative high-carbon fertilizer (ECOSS) ...In tropical or depleted soils ECOSS fertilizer sustainably improves soil fertility, water holding and plant yield far beyond what is possible with nitrogen fertilizers alone.

The hydrogen produced from biomass can be used to make ethanol, or a Fischer-Troupsch gas-to-liquids diesel (BTL diesel), as well as the ammonia used to enrich the carbon to make ECOSS fertilizer.

 

We don't maximize for hydrogen; we don't maximize for biodisel; we don't maximize for char...By being a little bit inefficient in each, we approximate nature and get a completely efficient cycle.

 

Terra preta's full beauty appears in this closed loop.

Unlike traditional sequestration rates that follow diminishing marginal returns-aquifers fill up, forests mature-practices based on terra preta see increasing returns. Terra preta doubles or even triples crop yields.

More growth means more terra preta, begetting a virtuous cycle.

While a global rollout of terra preta is still a ways away, it heralds yet another transformation of waste into resources.

 

How ironic it is that ancient humans cultivated the very fertility of Earth's most pristine places so seamlessly as to be nearly invisible.

Perhaps then our challenge as planetary gardeners is not to preserve nature in a bubble but to reweave ourselves into it-to invert our footprints into handprints.

The whole thing is incredibly ironic and beautiful.

How important is preserving ALL our history of ALL mankind!

 

Next we need to start preserving the herbal knowledge of indigenous peoples before the verbal tradition dies out. (It won't take long to disappear 1-2 generations)

 

I wonder if gardeners took it up wholeheartedly that more than "offset 9.5 billion tons of carbon" could be sequestered? Anyone want to do the math?

[Michaelangelica]

A Buckmister Fullerine Carbon molecule

Would't this make agood home for Terra preta critters?

[Michaelangelica]

Fullerine

[Michaelangelica]

I had two daisy plants one doing poorly( on your right) the other doing well; if a little wonky.

I took the poor one and repotted it in a charcoal rich potting mix to see if it would catch up.

usually repotting a plant would stress it and you would loose some growth

However it did catch up.

 

I also noticed bigger leaves on the "poorly" plant and better water retention in the pot.

They were both fertilised with liquid fertiliser

[Ganoderma]

was everything else the same? i think repotting it would create far too many variables. maybe try putting charcoal into the bunk pot?

[Michaelangelica]

was everything else the same? i think repotting it would create far too many variables. maybe try putting charcoal into the bunk pot?

Repotting anything should stress it and slow it down. This didn't happen. The pot with charcoal thrived. The other pot is flowering earlier but is not as lush.

What's 'bunk'

[erich]

"Religion Is Bunk" T. A. Edison

[Turtle]

"Religion Is Bunk" T. A. Edison

That Thomas sure could tell a good horticultural joke! You crack me up Erich.:)

Bunk, Micha, is slang for "lacking in" or "less than optimal", or in the case of your pansies, "the unhealthiest" of the two.:ip:

[Michaelangelica]

That Thomas sure could tell a good horticultural joke! You crack me up Erich.:)

Bunk, Micha, is slang for "lacking in" or "less than optimal", or in the case of your pansies, "the unhealthiest" of the two.:ip:

Thanks for the translation.

It had me puzzled

 

By the way both plants were frequently given liquid fertiliser (MiracleGro).

[erich]

New Study of 13Carbon in Terra Preta:

 

Characterisation of black carbon-rich samples by 13C solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance

http://www.springerlink.com/content/b1745755384388l7/?p=65dc20eaabd044a2b1200b50ae2d534c&pi=2

 

This may have been posted before:

 

Ameliorating physical and chemical properties of highly weathered soils in the tropics with charcoal - a review

http://www.springerlink.com/content/jlfy6u3r3n9cyplw/?p=4e054e84adc046d4ab0211d6d24799b2&pi=1

 

 

 

Erich J. Knight

[Michaelangelica]

This may have been posted before:

 

Ameliorating physical and chemical properties of highly weathered soils in the tropics with charcoal - a review

http://www.springerlink.com/content/jlfy6u3r3n9cyplw/?p=4e054e84adc046d4ab0211d6d24799b2&pi=1

 

Erich J. Knight

I haven't seen either article before Erich, thanks.

It would be nice to know what exactly the second article means by this

"Higher charring temperatures generally improved exchange properties and surface area of the charcoal"

Unfortunately it costs money to find out.

Most people talk about charcoal produced at c400C, being best for soil (especially that produced from resinous trees) but most easily available charcoal is 'activated' and produced at much higher temperatures (Which may not be as good in sequestering carbon(CO2) too?)

[erich]

The registration at the Springerlink is free, and you get one journal of your choice free with your registration

[Michaelangelica]

The registration at the Springerlink is free, and you get one journal of your choice free with your registration

Did't get offered ajournal

Just got this

Access to this resource is secured.

Add this item to your shopping cart for purchase later.

Description Price

Individual Article (Electronic Only) $30.00

It is 2004 so most of the article shoud be around by now.

Temperature the charcoal is produced at seems to be important however and it would be nice to see what they say

[erich]

HOT DAMN!!!!!........We made it into Nature!!

 

If this doesn't get Terra Preta some real traction , I don't know what will.

 

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v442/n7103/full/442624a.html

[erich]

I got a Terra Preta story accepted at this science news site:

 

http://www.sciscoop.com/

 

Erich