BiocharWhat Why How

1www.charman.com.au

Trevor Barrowscharman@charman.com.au

0413 438 039

What is Biochar

2

Biochar is made from any form of waste biomass using a PYROLYSIS process of heating the biomass from the top down and limiting the oxygen. This produces a fine grained, highly porous pure charcoal that is the remains of a plants cellular structure.

Biochar is ‘Simple Genius’ in that it creates something of long term environmental and business value from otherwise nuisance waste

3

4

Biochar Broad Acre Application

5

Biochar Active and Naked Benefits

6

• Boosts plant growth and yield

• Enhances microbiological of propagation mix formulations

• Lifts tube stock potting mix/compost effectiveness

• Swells water holding capacity by 4 times (no perlite or other water holding component required in mix)

Native Hakia plants left no biochar right with biochar

9 months after tube

stock transfer

www.bigchar.com.au

Watered once a week – results after 3 weeks

www.charman.com.au7

Pyrocal Biochar Production Technology - BIG2200 Whitton NSW

8

http://www.bigchar.com.au/ Black is Green (BIG)

Pyrocal Biochar Production Technology - BIG2200 Whitton NSW

Oxidiser

Hearth

Feedstock In-feed

Biochar Out-feed

and quencher

Exhaust

9

http://www.bigchar.com.au/ Black is Green (BIG)

BIGCHAR 1200 Unit with Hot Water Heat Exchanger

10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyL2Oa86IXE

The key to economic commercial viability of biochar is:1. having the biomass feedstock source at or within 50km of the production facility2. utilising the heat generated for energy generation and or a production process3. zero or negative cost (nuisance or low value biomass)

Voyager Craft Maltwww.voyagercraftmalt.com.au

11

Heat from BIG1200

production facility in Whitton NSW is

utilised in organic malt processing in building next to the

biochar unit

Latest BIG1200 Biochar Unit

12

BIG1800 Energy Generation Unit

13

(Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) working fluid,

Top Lit Up Draft (TULD) Biochar Unit

14

END TO END BIOCHAR CLOSED LOOP PROCESS

15

Rice Husk

Walnut Shell

Pecan Nut Shell

Grape Mark Waste

Biochar Produced by different Feedstocks

16

Background to Biochar technology: What it can do.

• Products• Char 25 – 50% of energy 10 – 40% of dry mass

• Combustible off-gases 35 - 65% of energy 60-200% of dry mass

• Heat (from off-gases) 30 – 75% of energy in feed

• Oils, wood vinegar and tars are alterative by-products

• Electricity potential 200-600 kW per tonne feedstock processed per hr

Cogeneration = Electricity + Heat

Tri-generation = Electricity + Char + Heat

Biorefinery = Electricity + Char + Liquid and gas products

17

Background to Biochar technology: What it can do.

• Things that combustion and convention gasification cannot• Retain plant nutrients in the char product

• Nitrogen, Sulphur, Minerals

• Otherwise these can become air pollutants

• Char product has much more moderate pH than ash, so easier to use in agriculture

• Operate in two stages at two different temperatures for energy recovery

• Char production at 400 – 900oC Off-gas combustion at 1000 – 1800 oC

• Avoids ash agglomeration and slag formation.

• Be economically viable at relatively small scale, due to the multiple product/value adding features.

• Provide large quantities of heat for:• the sterilisation of pathogens and disease

• deactivation of most pesticides, herbicides & other toxic chemicals

• manufacture of fossil fuel substitutes, including torrefied fuels

18

Background to Biochar technology: What it can’t do.

• Economically process wet wastes (>60% moisture)

• Handle halogenated compounds (eg. PVC, PCBs)• leads to dioxin formation.

• Produce a safe biochar when processing significant quantities of plastic.

• Produce a safe biochar when processing significant quantities of heavy metals.

• Safely process radioactive materials.

• Handle municipal solid waste (too much contamination)

• Perform miracles

19

Biochar vs. “Next best use”

These numbers exclude the avoided

emissions and crop yield benefits of

biochar and composts

www.charman.com.au

Biochar

20

BenefitsProvides additional sources of income and employment for the community, and:

• Sequestration of 3.7 tonnes equivalent CO2 for every tonne of carbon retained in the soil

• Reduction of nutrient leaching and run-off into waterways

• Reduction in Nitrous Oxide (NOx) and methane emissions fromcomposting and landfill

• Reduced carbon footprint in relation to the manufacture andtransport of synthetic fertilisers

• Reduction in methane emissions from odour control

• Tri-generation of power, fuel, heat, from a renewable resource

21

Biochar Products

20 L Naked

Bulk Bag 1000 L Naked

Contact: Trevor Barrows0413 438 039

Charman@Charman.com.aufor further information including:

• Full Truck (Trailer) Loads • Biochar Formulations• Specific Feedstock Production• Nursery, Landscape and Agricultural

Application

5L Active

22

Video Links• Lexicon of Sustainability – Biochar

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arTAwCNAaFA

• Charman – Biochar Water Holding Capacity• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW0JRk8AXc4

• Pyrocal Biochar Production Videos• BIG 2200 Unit Whitton NSW on various feedstocks:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyL2Oa86IXE• BIG 2200 Unit Whitton NSW on rice husk and cotton gin feedstocks:

• http://youtu.be/b9WVN-KCjuk• BIG1200 10 Day Test on rice husk for S Vietnam – biochar

sequestered back into rice fields heat used by brick kilns• https://animoto.com/play/lWn1q4Hbr0HPq4mQuudIwg?autostart=1

• Big1200 unit first pilot in S Vietnam• https://youtu.be/_h3B3APYefs

23

References• International Biochar Initiative: http://www.biochar-international.org/• NSW DPI research and proof of concept of biochar -http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/research/topics/biochar

• The Australian and New Zealand Biochar Researchers Network http://www.anzbiochar.org/index.html

• Green Left – Biochar ‘Menace or Benefit’ http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/41498

• CSIRO Biochar fact sheet, research and proof of concept http://www.csiro.au/resources/Biochar-Factsheet.html

• Life Cycle Assessment of Biochar Systems: Estimating the Energetic, Economic, and Climate Change Potential http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es902266r

• The Biochar Project http://biocharproject.org/

• Department of Agriculture Fisheries Forestry - Soil carbon for productivity or trading? http://agencysearch.australia.gov.au/search/search.cgi?query=biochar&collection=agencies&form=simple&profile=daff

• Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) Soil Carbon Management and Carbon Tradinghttp://www.abare-brs.gov.au/

• Biochar Blog Site http://www.outbackbiochar.com/

• Sustainable Biochar to mitigate global warming change http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2964457/

• Tim Flannery talks biochar and why we need to move into the renewable age http://beyondzeroemissions.org/media/radio/tim-flannery-talks-bio-char-and-why-we-need-move-renewable-age-080111

• Bio Energy Australia - Bio energy conference presentations on biochar http://www.bioenergyaustralia.org/index.html

• Biochar compost research, December 2010, http://www.biochar.net/biochar-compost-research/

• Biochar Discussion Web Site, http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/taxonomy/term/389,

24

Plant Propagator Formulation

5L Biochar Active to 50L of Propagation

Mix 1:10

25

Biochar Active and Naked

26

Biochar Active is a product charged with organic nutrients, moisture balanced and

inoculated with a blend of microbes & fungi selected to benefit the widest possible range of plant species.

The biochar component

• Reduces propagation mix/soil bulk

density

• increases porosity

• improves drainage

• increases plant available moisture

• boosts drought tolerance and plant

health

• is a favourable host to beneficial

microbes

• acts as a reservoir for plant nutrients

• eliminates need for perlite

The added nutrients

• are organic

• avoid initial depletion of nitrogen

which can otherwise occur when

carbon is added to soil

• include natural beneficial microbes

The inoculation

• adds selected microbe & fungi

beneficial to plant root development

and health

Biochar Naked (non-inoculant activated biochar)Experienced Plant Propagators may choose to work with Biochar Naked (pure biochar) by inoculating with their own preferred sources of nutrients and beneficial organisms producing the same results as Biochar Active

1 m3 Biochar + 5 m3 Organics = 3 tonne/acrePotting Mix 1 part Biochar 10 parts Compost

No need for Perlite or any other water retention ingredient

27