The Terra Preta Phenomenon

The Terra Preta Phenomenon
Ray O’Grady and Rod Rush, DesertSmart Technologies, WA
‘Managing the Carbon Cycle’ Katanning Workshop 21-22 March 2007 www.amazingcarbon.com

Abstract
The greatest legacy the Amazonians left to the World was not the famed ‘City of Gold’ but the Terra Preta. These man-made ‘Indian black earths’ cover an area the size of France. They hold a secret to carbon sequestration that could reduce carbon dioxide emissions and global warming. We require only 10% of our productive, degraded lands to absorb the estimated 6.1 gigatons of carbon dioxide of emissions to make a carbon negative world possible in our life-time. If we open our eyes, increase our understanding of how we can generate carbon negative fuels and scrub fossil fuel emissions of pollutants, we can reverse our historic increase in atmospheric carbon. The question must then be asked: ‘Do we need nuclear power to reduce Global Warming?’ The micro pores and cracks in charcoal provide two important resources for the soil microbial community – a source of entrapped nutrients and ‘safe housing’ for the protection of beneficial bacteria from grazing protozoa. The activated portion attracts and holds nutrients for the microbes, ‘like having food home delivered’. In most situations when charcoal is used in combination with inorganic or organic fertilisers, crop yields increase from improved fertiliser efficiency by reduced nutrient loss from leaching.