Charcoal in agriculture: Experimental research at Fourth Corner Nurseries
Richard Haard, Fourth Corner Nurseries, Bellingham, Washington, January 3, 2008

Greetings

I just finished over the last few days organizing images and data from my charcoal experimental plots. I am presenting a new set of posters showing root systems of the native shrub, Lonicera involucrata or black twinberry that I used as an experimental subject in these treatment plots this summer.

This will be the last of a series of piecemeal postings about my findings on the terrapreta reading list. In time, I will prepare a summary of what I have accomplished this year, the shortcomings, what I feel I have learned from this work about using charcoal and my plans for continuing this experiment for 2 or more growing seasons.

Quick background - my employer, Fourth Corner Nurseries is a bare root native plant nursery. We grow more than 350 kinds of plants for environmental restoration and landscaping purposes. Our farm is 60 acres in 2 fields. Shown here is our east field. Formerly, I have been trying charcoal as a soil additive for several years and this season I attempted a controlled experiment. It did not go without a hitch.

What I established this year was a series of 28 - 17 foot long treatment blocks that are a pair of treatment sets consisting of untreated soil, charcoal only, fertilizer only compost only and combinations of charcoal, compost, fertilizer. In each treatment block 3 kinds of plants were installed: a native shrub, Lonicera; a native perennial - Aster subspicatus; and a vegetable - swiss Chard.
All were selected for their heavy nitrogen consumers and all production was removed from the plots, roots and tops, then the plots replanted and cropped again without further fertilizer, compost or charcoal.

The most detailed measurements accomplished this year is 2 sets of soil chemical analysis completed at a University laboratory. Plant response measurements this year, for several reasons was only visual observation. This set of posters I am presenting today shows subtle but interesting and positive additive effects of compost and charcoal.
Further analysis will be presented at a later date.

How it went. Early April while the plants were still dormant I took 2 year old bareroot Lonicera seedlings trimmed tops and roots and planted in peat/perlite mix in 4X4 inch containers. At these same time I planted
sprigs of Aster in the same manor. After the plants had firmly rooted into the containers and our field soil had warmed, I prepared a growing bed in our normal propagation field ( Field 13, row 8). The growing bed is about 4
feet wide and 500 feet long. I divided this into 17 foot beds with separate treatments in a systematic way. Here is charcoal 1, a fine powder that was donated by JF Waste energy systems. Here is charcoal 2 a lump and powder mix that
Larry Williams and I made with a top draft earth covered mound. I am using the lump charcoal because I can observe microbe utilization over time as Larry has been studying for several years.

Here are the charcoal test beds are they appeared before rototilling. In this image furthest is compost only, then compost/charcoal1,then compost/charcoal2,then compost/charcoal 1/fertilizer and so on in a systematic pattern repeating again in a second duplicate set on the north end of the field. In discussing these tests I sometimes discuss each set separately, are are called south set and north set.

Here are the plots immediately after rototilling. Note that the charcoal does not appear to be uniformly dispersed. After harvest with the
lifter-shaker charcoal is better mixed in the soil. Each bed received about 30 gallons of charcoal. Fertilizer and Composti were applied at rates normal for our farming practices.

We planted the plots in mid May and by late June they looked like this and this and this .

By the end of August the Swiss
Chard had matured and we had our first harvest. Yields were impressive but no trends specific to treatments were noticed.

Here you can see our plot method for measuring yields of swiss chard and also how the separate treatments, Lonicera, Asteri and swiss chard have grown together making assessment of total production rather difficult.
In late October I conducted a survey of the Lonicera component of the research plots. It was the end of the growing season but before the frost defoliated the plants.

Here is how the plots looked. My first look at the data that showed a subtle but encouraging trend of improvement from the use of charcoal 1.

In this set of images notice that the treatments with compost when combined with charcoal tended to be larger.
The same trend is also noticed in the compost/fertilizer/charcoal combinations. By mid November we were ready
to lift all the plant material from the plots, examine the roots and fall replant with a single species crop for next year. Here we have our lifter shaker harvesting the plants, Lonicera with charcoal staining roots and Rena picking up the plants. Later we replanted with our 4
row seeder and reseeding with another native shrub species, Oemleria cerasiformis, chosen because it too is an agressive nitrogen consumer.

Finally the posters I have prepared to compare top growth and root growth in each of the treatment sets. I have organized the images according to groups of treatments as follows: The links are to the larger size images for better viewing. Edit note root images were created 11/15 not 10/25

First Groups 1 and 2 the control sets that received no treatment or had charcoal only
Roots
Field View

Next Groups 3 and 4 fertilizer sets Edit Roots is labeled as Groups 1 and 2
Roots
Field
View

Next Group 5 South end plots compost set
Roots
Field
View

Next Group 6 North end plots compost set
Roots
Field
View

I think these findings will be encouraging information for John Flotvik and many thanks for his donation of charcoal from his pyrolyser and thanks again to Larry Williams , his thoughtful work and helping when it is most needed.

I am looking forward to another season of data from this set of test plots. Comments, ideas, criticism, discussion whatever are appreciated as I am now preparing my season end report.

Richard Haard, Fourth Corner Nurseries, Bellingham,Washington.

Copyright January 3, 2008
Permission for distribution of these materials and images is granted for entire text and images only so long as the author and initial place of publication;"http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/" is
cited. Individual images may be used by permission only from author.

Dynamotive in Iowa Biochar Test to Boost Corn Yields, Water Quality and Sequester Carbon
Business Wire, May 29, 2007
Joint Research Project to Use Ancient Amazonian Farmland Soil Enrichment Techniques

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Dynamotive USA, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dynamotive Energy Systems Corporation (OTCBB:DYMTF), a leader in biomass-to-biofuel technology, announced it is taking part in a project to test biochar, a co-product of the company's BioOil([R]) biofuel, as a soil enhancer to increase fertility and corn crop yields.
The project is led by Heartland BioEnergy LLC, based in Webster City, Iowa. Heartland proposes to build a biorefinery in central Iowa that would include a BioOil([R]) and biochar plant developed in partnership with Dynamotive and several agriculture equipment companies.

Heartland works closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Soil Tilth Laboratoryi, Iowa State University and Iowa Soybean Association in studies coordinated by the Prairie Rivers of Iowa RC&D, an organization that addresses regional environmental issues and economic development opportunities.

From Dynamotive SEC Form 6 K Filing May 30, 2007:
ARLINGTON, Virginia, May 29, 2007 -- Dynamotive USA, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dynamotive Energy Systems Corporation (OTCBB:DYMTF), a leader in biomass-to-biofuel technology, announced it is taking part in a project to test biochar, a co-product of the company's BioOil(R) biofuel, as a soil enhancer to increase fertility and corn crop
yields.
The project, initially involving 14 tons of Dynamotive-produced biochar, is centered in Iowa's Corni Belt, and aims to replicate ancient Amazonian Indian soil fertilization practices. The soils created then are now
known as "terra preta", which means black soil, and are considered among the most fertile in the world.
Dynamotive's BioOil(R) biofuel is produced using carbon-neutral fast pyrolysis. However, the use of its biochar co-product as an agricultural soil enhancer means the company's production processes would be carbon
negative - resulting in a net reduction of carbon by "sequestering" it in the soil.
The project is led by Heartland BioEnergy LLC, based in Webster City, Iowa. Heartland proposes to build a biorefinery in central Iowa that would include a BioOil(R) and biochar plant developed in
partnership with Dynamotive and several agriculture equipment companies. Heartland works closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Soil Tilth Laboratory, Iowa State University and Iowa Soybean Association in studies coordinated by the Prairie Rivers of Iowa RC&D, an organization that addresses regional
environmental issues and economic development opportunities. "Not only has Dynamotive's biochar the potential to raise high-yield rates of corn another 20%, but we believe there is a real possibility the char trial could also result in evidence that could point the way to dramatic improvements in water quality,
which could have far-reaching beneficial consequences,"said Dr. Lon Crosby, of Heartland BioEnergy.
Dr. Desmond Radlein, Dynamotive's chief scientist behind the company's proprietary fast-pyrolysis technology, added: "Because the biochar does not readily break down, it could sequester, apparently for thousands of years, nearly all the carbon it contains, rather than releasing it into the atmosphere as the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Crucially, we expect it to boost agricultural productivity significantly through its ability to retain nutrients and moisture and host beneficial soil micro-organisms." President of Dynamotive USA, Andrew Kingston, said: "By enhancing
productivity of the land and crop yields, sequestering carbon by putting it back into the soil, and producing alongside ethanol and biodiesel our BioOil(R) that displaces hydrocarbon fuel use in industrial applications, we aim to show, with our partners, a virtuous circle of land, crop, fuel and environment management. The Amazonian Indians created the most fertile soils in the world, and today we may be able to benefit from adopting their land management methods."
Dr. Crosby said the field trials will involve three strips of corn crop land 800 feet long and 30 feet wide. One strip will have no char applied, but the second one will have 2.5 tons of char applied per acre, and the third one will have 5 tons. Further tests will follow.
For several decades, scientists have recognized that the most productive soils in Europe have a char base, classifying these lands as "black carbon" based. The role of char was poorly understood and believed to be an indirect effect, resulting from the routine burning of crop residues from naturally productive
soils over centuries. Recent research from South America has shown that the application of char to low productivity soils can turn them into highly productive soils.
Dr. Crosby continued: "Subsequent research has shown that the char, per se, is playing an active role in changing bulk density, modifying soil structure, regulating water storage ability and loosely binding soil nutrients so they are retained and released for plant growth. Outside of the black carbon soils of Europe and the terra preta soils of South America, biochar is a minor soil constituent. However, when scientists have looked, they have found it, suggesting that char was, at one point, an important soil constituent in many soils. It has been found at low levels
in native prairie soils in the U.S. and Canada. This suggests that char application can significantly enhance soil
productivity."
Heartland BioEnergy's proposed biorefinery is expected to serve as the prototype for a series of biorefineries strategically located across the Corn Belt that would use up to 17% of the 10 million dry tons of annually available cornstalk biomass within a 50-mile radius. Cornstalks represent the single largest source of annually renewable energy in the U.S., and Iowa will produce over 40 million tons of cornstalks harvestable on an annual and
sustainable basis.

POTENTIAL FOR PYROLYSIS CHAR TO AFFECT SOIL MOISTURE AND NUTRIENT STATUS OF A LOAMY SAND SOIL
J.W. Gaskin, Adam Speir, L.M. Morris, Lee Ogden, Keith Harris, D. Lee, and K.C Das, Proceedings of the 2007 Georgia Water Resources Conference, held March 27–29, 2007, at the University of Georgiai.

Abstract.

Pyrolysis of biomass for hydrogen fuel and bio-oil produces a char byproduct. There is evidence that land application of char may increase soil water holding capacity and the ability of the soil to retain nu-trients. Increases in these soil characteristics could be beneficial to plant growth as well as improving water quality. Chars produced under different conditions and from different feedstocks have different characteristics. Of the common feedstocks tested, peanut hull char con-tained higher nutrients and had a higher cation ex-change capacity than pine chip, pine bark, or hardwood chip chars. Preliminary moisture release curve data from a Tifton loamy sand indicated moisture holding capacity may be increased at very high rates of char addition. Soil moisture was periodically measured dur-ing the growing season in a field study of microplots amended with peanut hull and pine chip pellet char. Although the average soil water content of the plots amended at 22 Mg ha-1 was higher than the control, dif-ferences in volumetric water content were only signifi-cant on one date.

Characterization and Thermal Conversion of Charcoal Derived from Fluidized-Bed Fast Pyrolysis Oil Production of Switchgrass
A. A. Boateng, Industrial Engineering Research, November 8, 2007

Abstract:

The charcoal coproduct associated with pyrolysis oil (bio-oil) production can add economic value to the process operation if it can be successfully employed as an activated biochar for soil amendment applications or can be used as a combustion fuel to power the pyrolysis process or as a gasifier feedstock. Although proposed, none of these have been extensively studied. In this submission, the surfaces and interfaces of the charcoal produced from making pyrolysis oil from switchgrass in a fluidized bed were characterized to establish its usefulness as an adsorbent material. Its reactivity in air and in CO2 were also determined to establish its potential as combustion fuel or gasification feedstock. It was found that the surface areas were low, typically 7.7 and 7.9 m2/g, 2 orders of magnitude of the areas encountered in activated charcoal. Compounding this was high surface crystallinity of the structure as measured by X-ray diffraction, thereby suggesting poor characteristics as a sorption agent without further activation. However, this does not preclude its use for other soil applications including carbon storage and as a nutrient delivery substrate. Upon further pyrolysis in helium, the charcoal yielded equal amounts of CO and CO2, exhibiting reaction kinetics similar to that of coal pyrolysis. Furthermore, reactivity in CO2 and in air atmosphere resulted in activation energies of 8 411 and 11 487 J/mol, respectively. It appears that the charcoal could be better used as combustion fuel or gasification feedstock than as an activated charcoal applied for metal sorption for the fact that the latter application will require higher surface and interfacial areas than measured.

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., ASAP Article 10.1021/ie071054l S0888-5885(07)01054-8
Web Release Date: November 8, 2007

Charcoal and Wood Vinegar Reactors
Robert Flanagani, SAFFE, Huangzhou, China, July 31, 2007
Full of Bamboo

Australian developed technology wins United Nations World Environment Day Award – Press release
BEST Energies, Australia, June 5, 2007
Adriana Downie
BEST Energies wins top honour at the 2007 UN Association of Australia’s World Environment Day Awards for ‘Meeting the Greenhouse Challenge’.

Simpler Way To Counter Global Warming Explained: Lock Up Carbon In Soil And Use Bioenergy Exhaust Gases For Energy
Science Daily News, May 12, 2007

Writing in the journal Nature, a Cornell biogeochemist describes an economical and efficient way to help offset global warming: Pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere by charring, or partially burning, trees, grasses or crop residues without the use of oxygen.

Biotox - toxicity and biodegradability of a representative bio-oil
PyNe The Biomass Pyrolysis Network, June 2005

The aim of this project was to comprehensively assess toxicity and biodegradability of a representative bio-oil after preliminary screening of a wide range of bio-oils from different processes and temperatures in order to:

* identify the best operating conditions avoiding or minimizing the formation of toxic products from the composition of the bio-oils

Chapter 12 - Recovery of by-products from hardwood carbonization
in FAO Simple Technologies for Charcoal Making, FAO FORESTRY PAPER 41 FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome, 1987

Crucible Carbon to Australian Task Group on Emissions Trading Issues
Joe Herbertson, Les Strezov, Peter Burgess Crucible Carbon,Toront, NSW March 7, 2007

7 March 2007

Task Group on Emissions Trading Secretariat
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

Dear Secretariat,
Mega Tonnage Carbon Capture & Sequestration by Chars in Soils and its place in the Design of Australia’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)