Origins of the Biochar Idea

Alacrates's picture

I wrote a new blog post, "The Origins of the Biochar Idea":

https://ecotechnicinklings.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-origins-of-biochar-i...

I used that phrase "the biochar idea" that because it is by no means about the origin of making charcoal, but more about where the idea of using charcoal as "biochar" was drawn from, that is, using charcoal as a soil amendment and means to draw down carbon from the atmosphere and sequester it, either in soil or in various other materials.

The post goes into some detail about the "terra preta" soils (Portuguese for "dark earth") that are were left behind by the civilizations that once lived in the Amazon river basin. The main reason I wanted to write this post was to look into what might have been the practices of this forest-dwelling civilization that left behind these fertile soils. There is a lot of conjecture and speculation here, but I think it is fascinating from perspective of someone interested in green wizardry.

The original inhabitants of the Amazon river basin did not clear cut the land they wanted to live in and grow food on, they chose to live in the forest, and built a wide array of projects, from canals, weirs, dikes, ponds, bridges, roads, and raised garden mounds and ridges, in order to deal with floodwater from the Amazon, and to grow the gardens that supplemented what the food they could hunt and gather from the forest.

Their garden mounds and ridges had a high charcoal content included within them, along with food wastes like animal and fish bones, turtle shells, and also traces of human feces, and a lot of pottery shards. It could be that the peoples of the Amazon river collected their wastes, both kitchen and bathroom, in clay vessels of various sizes, and layered with crushed charcoal, in order to dry out wastes, and set up the conditions for fermentation. These clay refuse containers could have been built up, with soil, over time, to create mounds & ridges for new gardens within the rain-forest.

Anyways, this blogpost is the first in a series that I would like to write, from how biochar might help in various types of soils, to some biochar producing projects, and to how biochar could be incorporated into a number of materials that have economic value, from concrete, mortar and plaster, to bioplastics, marine arrays for kelp to grow on, as outlined in Albert Bate's latest book.

I don't place a lot of faith in high-tech carbon drawdown methods, the large-scale carbon capture and scale (CCS) plants, but I have a small amount of faith for draw down methods like biochar or afforestation, that can be attempted at personal, community, and regional scales (and I wonder if some CCS plants couldn't be implemented as well as these methods, to draw down really adequate levels of carbon from the atmosphere.)

In general, I only trust carbon sequestration activities that make economic sense in and of themselves, without government subsidies (though maybe the subsidized methods could help in addition to the more viable routes.) If biochar could be shown to really improve fertility in the climates of North America, that would be great. It may rely on inoculating the pores of the char with the right nutrients and soil microbiota. Similarily, if biochar could be accepted as a substitute for aggregate in concrete or as an additive in asphalt, that would have a positive economic value, then I think there could be a sustainable route to carbon drawdown, that could be added to resilient practices like reducing energy demand, and increasing renewable energy sources.

Blueberry's picture

Growing up in Tampa when my dad would plant a tree we would build a fire in the hole for several hours then pour water on the fire. Place dirt on top of the coals. Next compost was mixed with the dirt to finish filling the hole. When we went fishing the heads and guts were placed in holes around the different trees. My dad did not spend money on fertilizer. The practice of building a fire in the planting hole is used all over the Caribbean.

Alacrates's picture

Ah, that is an interesting practice - wonder if that porous char under the tree provides a good habitat for fungi & microbes to inhabit, so maybe the symbiotic relationships with the tree roots get a better start.

I remember reading something about the early colonists in the America saying that certain Native American groups would build up a mound when they were planting certain crops, dig a small hole at it's center, and put a fish in the mound before planting the seed. (If that is accurate & was true, I'm guessing either these were small fish, or maybe more like the heads & guts like your father, or I would think that is a lot of fish spent during planting that people might like to eat directly! Perhaps there was an abundance of fish at that time)

Blueberry's picture

The planting of corn was 7 seeds to a hill with a fish or fish guts in the center of the mound. The corn would be what today is call field corn. There are many different types of Native American corn depending were in North America the corn was grown. In the same area would be planted pumpkins ie winter squash and some type of bean that would grow in the area. Going to post 2 links to what is called Seminole Pumpkin. When you have time in the fall look around at local farmers markets or road side veggie stand and see what you can find. http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/edibles/vegetables/seminol... https://www.slowfoodusa.org/ark-item/seminole-pumpkin Since you like to cook see if you can find dried field corn and get one of the little hand mills and grind your own corn meal and corn flour. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JZZKLHI/ref=twister_B07DLMZTML?_encoding=UT...

Alacrates's picture

Ah, very interesting again. I had vaguely remembered that plant being corn, with squash grown underneath, but I wondered if I was remembering it correctly. That makes sense with many plants to the mound, I was visualizing from memory one fish per seed planted.

That's a great idea of grinding field corn, things like tortillas and polenta are some of my favorite foods. I do have an old cast iron grinder packed away somewhere, but if I'm remembering right, it was probably more for grinding meat into sausage. I think a new, well-made hand grain mill would be a good purchase, at some point I'd like to try whole grain breads.

Blueberry's picture

The corn will be ready to eat in about 2 weeks you can see the pumpkins on the ground. At this size you can harvest slice dip in water with a little salt then coat with self rising flour then fry. The corn is Peaches and cream never planted that variety.

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Alacrates's picture

Looks great! The fried pumpkin sounds tasty. Amazing that you will have corn ready to eat in a few weeks, where I am in Manitoba, people are just planting their gardens now - usually May long weekend is when a lot of people plant, but there was an unusual frost last week, some people lost some plants. Oh the variations of climate.

Blueberry's picture

Living in N Florida we have 2 short growing season. Planting time for spuds Feb 15 to March 10 harvest starts around May 10. Planting time for corn March 10-25. From June 15 - middle of September the sun is not kind to a veggie garden. I will start growing my second crop of pumpkins under tress in the next few weeks. My Fall garden planting of transplants last week of September. Pepper plants that make it thru the summer will start making pepper in the fall and will last until the end of November.

Blueberry's picture

The mill in the link is great for corn. Not so good for grinding wheat. A mill for making good flour is $$$$$. https://www.lehmans.com/product/lehmans-own-hand-cranked-grain-mill/ or this https://www.lehmans.com/product/country-living-grain-mill/

Alacrates's picture

That is the exact grain mill I had in mind, I had researched it a few years ago and this one seems to be the gold-standard.

lathechuck's picture

I recently read (can't recall where, exactly) that thrifty folks may find inexpensive surplus coffee mills when a coffee-shop goes out of business, and re-purpose them for grain. Of course, they are electrically driven, but perhaps a crafty mechanic could expose the drive mechanism and connect it to some alternate source of torque (hand-crank, treadmill, waterwheel, etc.)