Comments on: Eco-charcoal soil-to-fuel revolution

By: rob

rob — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 03:16:34 +0000

This is a very old process for Smithy’s. Blacksmiths make this stuff for their forges. You can take this char and use it in a forge because it burns hotter than the raw wood itself.

Campers make this stuff out of pure cotton T-shirts because char is extremely easy to light and burns hot enough to ignite even the dampest of tinder.

Survivalists make this stuff because you can filter raw sewage with it to make drinkable water.

Families SHOULD keep this stuff on hand because a spoonful of it will help alleviate the effects of accidentally swallowed poisons from under the kitchen sink.

You can easily make this stuff by taking a metal 55-gallon drum with a lid, throwing your wood in it, closing the lid, then building a fire under the barrel. Make sure to vent the barrel or it will explode. That’s how the smithy’s make it.

By: bob

bob — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:59:10 +0000

“The use of biochar was pioneered by Amazonian Indians over a thousand years ago. Today Amazonian soil remains fertile without need for any added fertilizer, say experts.”

what an amazingly deceptive and misleading paragraph…trying to imply that the use of biochar is why amazonian soil doesn’t need fertilizer? how patently, utterly and totally absurd. i shouldn’t have to explain why, at least not to anyone with at least 1/8 of a functional brain.

By: cadfael

cadfael — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:37:36 +0000

Ray Mears showed producing charcoal and “Norwegian tar” in one of his programmes using a cut down 45 gallon drum
So simple, why bother buying it!!!

By: Robert

Robert — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 22:35:08 +0000

Who made a collector a few years ago which had a series of parabolic mylar reflectors MOUNTED ON THE GROUND so that controlling them and aiming them at an overhead focal point became much, much simpler and weatherproof than other typical trackers or mountings? It would be a great array to heat anything in a pipe – like pre-heating combustion air for a retort, for instance. I think this was an open source invention which btw would allow for big cheap solar. Please help & post it back here.

By: Lee Staszak

Lee Staszak — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 20:30:21 +0000

Are you interested in purchasing quality biochar?

We are distributors of EternaGreen TM BioChar.
This is the product produced by Mantria Industries and partner CDI.

Check us out and improve your garden!

Copy our quick link. http://biochargrows.com

By: Claude Lamarche

Claude Lamarche — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 15:53:39 +0000

Simply fantastic…
I am interested in trying this Biochar PELLETS that will be produced in August.
Since I live in the Montreal region, I would be willing to drive south to Massena N.Y. or Plattsburg N.Y. to purchase a few bags to prove the efficiency of what I just read.
So, if you can give me a couple eMails or phone numbers of suppliers of the new pellets in this US area, I would be VERY glad to take action the moment this new product is vailable.
Thanks for an early reply!
ClaudeL

By: Lornkanaga

Lornkanaga — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:36:42 +0000

Could biochar be made in a solar oven? Granted, the oven would have to be designed specifically for the purpose, but I would think that “burning it with sunshine” would be far better than setting fire to the stuff.