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Biochar: A Multi-level Technology for Creating a More Green and Sustainable World David Lantz

Biochar: A Multi-level Technology for Creating a More Green and Sustainable World David Lantz. David L antz Who am I and how did I come to know about B iochar. Over ten years experience in environmental health and safety particularly hazardous waste and material disposal.

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Biochar: A Multi-level Technology for Creating a More Green and Sustainable World David Lantz

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  1. Biochar: A Multi-level Technology for Creating a More Green and Sustainable World David Lantz

  2. David LantzWho am I and how did I come to know about Biochar • Over ten years experience in environmental health and safety particularly hazardous waste and material disposal. • Heavily into building resilient communities, growing healthy food responsibly and equitably. • Volunteer at several sustainability and green organizations and events. • Attended class last year on making Biochar.

  3. What is Biochar? • Biocharis a modern take on a 2000+ year old technology, which produces charcoal as a result of pyrolysis which is low oxygen burning of organic matter. • Used by natives of the Amazon basin centuries before the Spanish came to make the soil more fertile for growing food.

  4. Soil/crop comparison

  5. Pyrolysis

  6. Production process

  7. Whatare the benefits of using Biochar? • Sequesters carbon in the soil for long periods of time, • Promotes plant growth and soil improvement with some fantastic results, • Helps soils retain nutrients and water. • Boosts food security. • It has been reported that it can even be mixed with cattle feed to help control methane production.

  8. Benefit • Perfect Circle Solution— Burning Biomass through pyrolysis to produce energy (heat and power) instead of burning fossil fuels is a carbon neutral process; it neither adds to the climate change problem nor reverses it. • Biochar holds 50% of the biomass's carbon and when applied to soil, sequesters that carbon for centuries, reducing the overall amount of atmospheric CO2 by removing it from the active cycle. Biochar also enhances plant growth which absorbs more CO2 from the atmosphere. Overall, these benefits make the biochar process carbon negative as long as biomass production is managed sustainably.

  9. What can Biochar be used for? • Soil amendment. • Filter medium for fish tanks, hydroponics and aquaponics, and then can be placed in the soil containing all the nutrients it has collected • It has been reported that it can be added to cattle feed to reduce methane production. • By-products from production of Biochar include; syngas, bio-oil, and power generation among others.

  10. Earthen kilns

  11. Backyard TLUD

  12. Ugandan Bamboo Stove

  13. Senegal

  14. Syngas cogen rotary& pyrolysis reactor

  15. What’s Biochar Worth? • Current research focuses on avoided costs from Biochar's ability to: nourish soils; increase crop yield; protect water quality from avoided burning; produce alternative energy and fuel byproducts through pyrolysis. • Biochar is sold as a soil amendment for up to $500 per ton or $12.50/50 lbs. plus shipping • Carbon credits sold by sequestering carbon in biochar are economically competitive when prices reach $58/ton CO2e.6 Carbon prices have ranged from $15 to $44 in the last two years

  16. What’s Biochar Worth? • Syngas and bio-oil markets are evolving. Most pyrolysis manufacturers retain these byproducts for on-site use or sell as fuel for local industry. • Costs, savings and benefits vary by region and situation. Studies of community-sized operations with multiple stakeholders predict a return on investment within three years. Industrial sized applications are more costly.

  17. Legislation WECHAR" Bill • "On Thursday, September 24th, 2009, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, and four co-sponsors (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.

  18. Legislation Clean Energy Partnerships Act • The Clean Energy Partnerships Act of 2009 wasa bill designed to ensure that any US domestic cap-and-trade bill provides maximum incentives and opportunities for the US agricultural and forestry sectors to provide high-quality offsets and GHG emissions reductions for credit of financial incentives. • Carbon offsets play a critical role in keeping the costs os a cap-and-trade program low for society as well as for capped sectors and entities, while providing valuable emissions reductions and income generation opportunities for the agricultural sector. The bill specifically identifies Biochar production and use as eligible for offset credits, and identifies Biochar as a high priority for USADA R&D, with funding authorized by the bill.

  19. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 • $6 billion for renewable energy and electric transmission technologies loan guarantees. • $3.4 billion for carbon capture and low emission coal research. • $500 million for training of green-collar workers (by the Department of Labor). • $190 million in funding for wind, hydro, and other renewable energy projects.

  20. Legislation The Huntsville Project • The purpose of this campaign is to inform the global public about Biochar, one of the most promising developments in our fight against climate change. • They are asking global leaders to support this important new clean technology. On June 25, 2010 the G8 will meet in Huntsville, Ontario. On June 26 and 27 the G20 will then meet in Toronto. Their goal is to publicize and gain support for Biochar and Biochar offsets. They want to help implement and scale up the global Biochar industry by creating public awareness and new markets for Biochar. • They are asking G8 and G20 delegations to make a commitment to recognizing Biochar carbon sequestration and offsetting with Biochar.

  21. Businesses & Organizations Exploring Biochar Technology/Uses • Fishnet Aquaponics Santa Cruz CA • Cool Planet Biofuels Camarillo CA • Genesis Industries Redondo Beach CA • CarbonZero Project • 3R Environmental Technologies Ltd. • Hawaii Biochar Products • Pacific Pyrolysis • Eprida • Biochar Engineering • Biochar Fund • WorldStove • Dynamotive

  22. Businesses & Orgs 2 • Ensyn • Agri-THERM Ltd. • Advanced BioRefinery Inc. • PYREG - http://www.pyreg.de • Carbonscape • Alterna Energy • HydroCarb GmbH • Black is Green Pty Ltd • eGenesis Industries • Eco Technologies Group • Tolero Energy LLC • Quadra Projects Inc.

  23. Bibliograpy/Credits • The Biochar Revolution Edited by Paul Taylor PhD • International Biochar Initiative http://www.biochar-international.org • Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biochar • Sonoma Biochar Initiative http://sonomabiocharinitiative.org/ • US Biochar Initive • http://www.biochar-us.org/ • http://www.agrinews.com/biochar/research/rooted/in/ancient/history/story-2745.html

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