TED Community » Jason Aramburu

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I'm passionate about

Carbon-negative energy, cost-effective renewables, powering the developing world, sustainable localized agriculture, farming

An idea worth spreading

Biochar is the only viable technology to permanently sequester atmospheric carbon and improve the lives of small farmers globally. Biochar is a premium charcoal produced from agricultural waste. It can be burned in charcoal stoves like traditional wood charcoal, and can also be added to agricultural soils where it improves crop yield up to 200%. Biochar has been recognized in the journal Nature as having the potential to offset up to 12% of global CO2 emissions. re:char develops small-scale biochar production systems for small farmers in Haiti and East Africa.

Talk to me about

Energy, Food, Biochar,Biomass, Pyrolysis, Renewables, Distributed Generation, Sustainable Agriculture, Aquaponics, Climate Change, Rainforest carbon dynamics, Rainforest nutrient cycling

People don't know that I'm good at

Yoyo, cooking, singing

Comments

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• A reply on Conversation: Burying charcoal to improve crop yield and offset CO2

  May 12 2011: Thanks all. James, would be interested to learn more about your design.

• A reply on Conversation: Burying charcoal to improve crop yield and offset CO2

  May 9 2011: Energy is derived from combustion of the pyrolysis gases.

• A reply on Conversation: Burying charcoal to improve crop yield and offset CO2

  May 9 2011: Interesting idea, Anna. I don't know offhand of any trials of biochar with cotton but I'm sure they will develop over the next few years. We are finding that soil type is more of a determinant of biochar's effectiveness than crop species. In general, acidic soils are most improved by biochar irrespective of crop.
• +1

  A reply on Conversation: Burying charcoal to improve crop yield and offset CO2

  May 5 2011: Hi Rolf and Lindsay,
  
  Great points. Horticulture has been named as one of the initial markets for biochar in North American and Europe. Yes, larger-scale biochar production is quite possible. We are very interested in community or home-scale biochar use in the developed world. The question for us is-- do Western consumers prefer to purchase a simple device to make their own char, or purchase already made char? In Africa, cost constraints and abundant labor favor the former, but things could be different elsewhere. Any thoughts?

• A reply on Conversation: Burying charcoal to improve crop yield and offset CO2

  Apr 24 2011: We mitigate long chain carbon emissions during the pyrolysis process through efficient combustion design. Our team has 40+ years of engineering experience. To answer this question in more detail would require us to disclose proprietary information about our technology, which I have little interest in doing for a stranger on the internet.
  
  As I've said, I don't understand what you mean by an 'energy flow chart.' Burning ag waste does not require additional fuel inputs. We work with poor farmers in Kenya who farm totally by hand. They manually load and unload the units.
  
  We find up to 10 tonnes/ hectare of char can be added to agricultural soils before improvements in yield plateau. Studies have tested concentrations up to 20 tonnes/hectare and found no adverse effects on yield or germination. It is conceivable that concentrations higher than 20T/hectare could reduce yield or lead to 'nutrient imbalance' but it would likely take decades to produce that much char in-field.
  
  Fast-growing, water-hungry crops like corn and rice respond the best to char, followed by vegetable and green crops. There is currently insufficient research on the effects of biochar on slow-growing tree species, but this is an emerging topic for many scientists. In general, acidic, weathered tropical soils respond the best. As I said, it's not as though biochar is a replacement for compost. It improves the effects of compost. We find that in Western Kenya, manure+biochar outperforms DAP (chemical fertilizer) 2:1 and plain compost 1.5:1 in staple crops including corn and beans.
  
  We have 750 smallholder (1-acre) farmers in Western Kenya using biochar. They are our focus. Charcoal is produced from sugarcane and corn waste that is otherwise burned in the field. This is about as 'down to earth' as one could get, and would have been clear if you read my previous responses. As I've said, please take the time to read and understand before jumping to conclusions and responding.
• +1

  A reply on Conversation: Burying charcoal to improve crop yield and offset CO2

  Apr 24 2011: George,
  
  I've answered all your additional questions below. Unfortunately, this will be my last response to you unless you wish to engage in a meaningful discussion. When you asked for 'data,' I provided you scientific papers. I'm a scientist, and I know of no better data than peer-reviewed scientific papers. Also to clarify, we have ongoing collaboration with several universities including Oxford U and Princeton. We have also raised considerable funds from private investors and grant foundations. In all cases where we have communicated with fellow scientists, professors or investors, they have greatly appreciated reading the peer-reviewed journal articles we send. Thanks for your time.
  
  Charcoal is a form of mineral or inorganic carbon, unlike organic carbon (compost, humus etc). Organic carbon is typically in the form of cellulosic materials like lignin and can be decomposed by microorganisms, mineral carbon cannot.
  
  Adding organic carbon to soil itself does little to stimulate plant growth. At best, it can help insulate roots during periods of cold temperatures. When organic carbon is composted, the microbes in the compost pile digest the organic carbon and concentrate the small amount of NPK present in the green waste. If one can produce sufficient amounts of compost and add it to soil, this does improve plant growth.
  Biochar improves the physical structure and adsorption of soil (as I have said several times). It improves the soil's ability to retain nutrients (NPK), water and microorganisms. In practice, adding biochar to soil makes compost or fertilizer much more effective by reducing runoff. It also fosters microbial activity in soil, which improves nutrient cycling. It is not as though biochar is a replacement for compost or vice versa. Feedstocks that make poor compost (wood chips, husks, cobs, pits, shells etc) make the best biochar.
  Burning ag waste is totally energy efficient. The only energy 'lost' is the energy in the match used to light the waste.
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  A reply on Conversation: Burying charcoal to improve crop yield and offset CO2

  Apr 20 2011: Agreed, this really isn't in the spirit of the discussion, George. I've provided 3 peer-reviewed scientific papers to you that validate Biochar, having never met you, and I've given you the direction to find many more. If you're interested in actual scientific discussion, then you are free to take the time to read them. The article you've sent is not peer-reviewed, provides zero data, only the anecdotal reports from the device's developer. If you'd like to engage in a real dialogue, please take the time to thoughtfully consider the facts presented and then make a reasoned case for or against them with sound supporting data. I'd prefer that this discussion did not degrade into Internet trolling and flame wars.

• A reply on Conversation: Burying charcoal to improve crop yield and offset CO2

  Apr 19 2011: Hi Anna,
  
  Yes, community-scale biochar + liquid fuel plants are very exciting. There are still some technical challenges to implementation, but I foresee Northern Latitudes being the ideal first markets. These regions have abundant wood waste, and a need for low-cost heating oil.
  
  I do not recommend using ordinary charcoal briquettes for agricultural amendment. Most charcoal briquettes in the west are made from treated wood, and are often impregnated with lighter fluid. However, if you can find a source of 'natural, lump hardwood charcoal' it could serve as a viable alternative until you can make your own. I'm not sure of availability in the UK, but Whole Foods in the US offers a viable product.

• A reply on Conversation: Burying charcoal to improve crop yield and offset CO2

  Apr 19 2011: Hi could you please clarify that statement? The quotes you cite just indicate that more research is necessary beyond the scope of this one scientific paper, which was written in 2006. Unfortunately, this is the only paper that does not require a university subscription to view. Please remember that ethanol failed to thrive in in the US in part due to lack of research. Research funds were cut off when ethanol became politically unpopular. Ethanol became politically unpopular after pundits with little understanding of science or engineering panned it.

• A comment on Conversation: Burying charcoal to improve crop yield and offset CO2

  Apr 18 2011: The prevailing theory is that biochar's benefits were discovered by accident. Indigenous peoples in the Amazon basin typically threw out their refuse along with the remnants of their cooking fires in large piles. Over time, they noticed that these areas tended to be more fertile, so they continued the practice. In our tests, and those of others, biochar + compost is significantly more effective than using compost alone.