Erich J Knight

Plentiful Coal - Not Peak Oil - Is Greatest Global Warming Threat

Now that Carbon will have a price;
Biochar, the modern version of an ancient Amazonian agricultural practice called Terra Preta (black earth), is gaining widespread credibility as a way to address world hunger, climate change, rural poverty, deforestation, and energy shortages… SIMULTANEOUSLY!

The IBI Announces Success in Having Biochar Considered as a Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Tool;
POZNAN, Poland, December 10, 2008 - The International Biochar Initiative (IBI) announces that the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has submitted a proposal to include biochar as a mitigation and adaptation technology to be considered in the post-2012-Copenhagen agenda of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). A copy of the proposal is posted on the IBI website at
The International Biochar Initiative (IBI).

Modern Pyrolysis of biomass is a process for Carbon Negative Bio fuels, massive Carbon sequestration,10X Lower Methane & N2O soil emissions, and 3X Fertility Too.
Every 1 ton of Biomass yields 1/3 ton Charcoal for soil Sequestration, Bio-Gas & Bio-oil fuels, so is a totally virtuous, carbon negative energy cycle.

Below is an important hurtle that has been overcome in certification in the EU. Given that their standards are set much higher than even organic certification in the US, this work should smooth any bureaucratic hurtles we may face.

EU Permit Authority - 4 years tests
Subject: Fwd: [biochar] Re: GOOD NEWS: EU Permit Authority - 4 years tests successfully completed


Doses: 400 kg / ha – 1000 kg / ha at different horticultural cultivars

Plant height Increase 141 % versus control
Picking yield Increase 630 % versus control
Picking fruit Increase 650 % versus control
Total yield Increase 202 % versus control
Total piece of fruit Increase 171 % versus control
Fruit weight Increase 118 % versus control
HOMEPAGE 3R AGROCARBON: 3ragrocarbon.com

The Biochar provisions by Sen.Ken Salazar ( AND now Secretary of Interior!) in the 07 & 08 farm bill,
biochar-internatio...

NASA's Dr. James Hansen Global warming solutions paper and letter to the G-8 conference, placing Biochar / Land management the central technology for carbon negative energy systems.
arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/pa...

The many new university programs & field studies, in temperate soils; Cornell, ISU, U of H, U of GA, Virginia Tech, New Zealand and Australia.

Glomalin's role in soil tilth, fertility & basis for the soil food web in Terra Preta soils.

Given the current "Crisis" atmosphere concerning energy, soil sustainability, food vs. Biofuels, and Climate Change what other subject addresses them all?

This is a Nano technology for the soil that represents the most comprehensive, low cost, and productive approach to long term stewardship and sustainability.

Carbon to the Soil, the only ubiquitous and economic place to put it.


Also:

October 28, 2008

U.S. Department of Agriculture to Evaluate CQuest™ Biochar

Non-Funded Cooperative Agreement Signed

The objective of the biochar research is to quantify the effects of amending soils with CQuest™ Biochar on crop productivity, soil quality, carbon sequestration and water quality. Field trials will involve incorporation of biochar in replicated field plots and on-farm strip trials with monitoring of crop yields, soil quality, water quality, emissions of greenhouse gasses, and soil carbon sequestration. Laboratory studies will involve amending soils with biochar and quantifying changes in soil quality and microbial activity during incubations.

Biochar will be shipped from Dynamotive's West Lorne facility to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) locations in Iowa, South Carolina, Idaho, Washington, and other ARS locations. Initial results are expected during the 2009 growing season.

dynamotive.com/en/...

Whither Canada's Tar Sands?

But which one?;

Symbol Name Last Trade Type Industry/Category Exchange
PBE.BE PETROBANK ENERGY 12.40 Stock BER
PBE.DE PETROBANK ENERGY 15.00 Stock GER
PBE.F PETROBANK ENERGY 12.33 Stock FRA
PBE.MU PETROBANK ENERGY 12.72 Stock MUN
PBE.SG PETROBANK ENERGY 12.33 Stock STU
PBG.OL PETROBANK ENERGY 237.50 Stock OSL
PBG.TO PETROBANK ENERGY & COM NPV 19.97 Stock TOR
PBEGF.PK PETROBANK ENERGY & R 15.58 Stock PNK

Whither Canada's Tar Sands?

Below is a blog post on the in situ development of Tar sand, what do you think of it??

"Petrobank commences THAI/CAPRI Pilot

I share this recent release from Petrobank who is pioneering the THAI protocol for producing the tarsands. They have successfully implemented THAI and are now testing CAPRI which is a catalytic sleeve in the production well. They are also installing a slotted liner system
which should eliminate the sand inflow problem.

Remember this pilot system is only two years old. They are now also ramping up the air input in order to maximize production. Remember that in the early going, the burn front would be small preventing full air flow.
Now with plenty of oil removed it should be easy to expand air flow. It is projected that each well will achieve production rates of around 1000 barrels per day and sustain this for at least three years if not a great deal longer. No one is that courageous yet.

Read my post of a year ago to get a quick description:

globalwarming-arclein....

I cannot over exaggerate how important THAI technology
is. Without CAPRI a THAI well is converting 8 degrees API oil to 12 degrees API while also producing some lights. It is doing this without mining the tarsand or putting any fuel into the formation. The environmental footprint is little different that that of a conventional oil well with perhaps a little more CO2 allowed to escape that is surplus to what is dissolved into the formation itself which is beneficial in releasing the oil from the sand.

With CAPRI, it seems possible to bring the gravity up to perhaps 17 degrees API and that will make it directly shippable into the pipelines, or so close as to be easily upgraded."