Maybe you could take a picture? Then maybe someone will know exactly what it is.
Rindert
2 Likes
And the rate of absorption seemingly would change over time as well. And it would all depend on the size and porosity of the char. A smaller piece would have more surface area available. TBH it is something that would be a research project, but in practice you would go with a time type of method, and if there is a huge concern you are probably already checking water quality. The cost of testing might exceed the cost of replacement.
I am just going to make a wild guess since basically it is 30 years worth, and it will be based more on how much I make and the ease of implementation without watercraft then anything scientific.
Phosphates are in laundry detergent and other soaps, but I think they put a limit on how much they can use now.
3 Likes
It is probably water shield.
5 Likes
Yep thatās exactly it.
5 Likes
according to these guys, biochar does not improve root respiration, but it does increase how much carbon stays in the soil. You get the increase from the biochar but it also must hold other carbon in the soil, which isnāt quite how I was thinking it worked.
3 Likes
It holds some water and other nutrients, it also provides surfaces that are good for microbes to attach to. So microbial activity (living carbon) increases.
Rindert
2 Likes
The numbers looked like pretty major increases. I am wondering if there is more going on.
3 Likes
I was very surprised by the numbers I saw for the amount of CO2 that was released when a forested area was flooded after a dam was built. Wish I could point you to a site but I canāt find it now.
Rindert
2 Likes
You donāt have to. I know it is a lot. Just the sheer amount of carbon they were getting in the soil, makes me wonder if some bacteria or fungi is converting the CO2 to something else. I mean we didnāt know azospirillium did nitrogen fixing until the late 70s, and most of the species worldwide were discovered less then 20 years ago.
3 Likes
Did they make measurements, or estimates?
2 Likes
seek and ye shall find. God I wish I had google when I was a kid.
These guys apparently live in guts especially ruminents or mouths and cause mouth disease. But they consume CO2. So there are bacteria that do consume CO2 without light. The world isnāt dead yet! LOL The probably goes WAY up that some made it out of their host and mutated and survived, or they were ingested and that is how they got in. and that was the second google hit, the first one was cyanobacteria that live near volcanos. )
Edit: It wasnāt characterized as consuming CO2 until 2004.
3 Likes
OMG. That was a torturous listen. Leave it to academicians to drain the life out of any subject. Being your basic knuckle dragger I am only interested in whether I get a positive end result. I like CO2. All my trees are big fans as well. I always thought of bio-char like a sponge that sucks up elements and then slowly dribbles them back out when water is applied. I have found that there is the possibility of too much of a good thing. I try and keep my planting mix right around 10 per cent bio-char because I know that it will be added to whatever was put into the soil previous years. I have watched a lot of actual soil tests for quantity of Bio-char and over 20 per cent is usually the point where it does more harm than good however a very few crops seem to thrive even at 50 percent. Iām just going to continue as I have been.
7 Likes
My apologies. I thought I mentioned, I skipped to the end to see the results. But now i donāt see the comment.
The results were somewhat interesting.
Was there any speculation as to where the extra carbon was coming from?
2 Likes
Just as a note. The Dollar Store laundry bags seams started to rip, and the handy little loop they put on, ripped off completely. It was only about 1/4-1/3 full of char that was moistened a bit. So it might completely fall apart when I pull it back out. I might have to splurge and get a 5 dollar one with welded seams. I am unsure how they expected it to hold laundry.
5 Likes
Yup, I donāt go there anymore.
1 Like
I was saying to my wife Joy just yesterday. 
Oh how I miss Sears, Roebuck & Co. Chicago, IL. Reasonable prices and mostly good quality. Free catalogs for everyone. Or even K-Mart.
Killited by Wally World, Dollar Brush, and the internet crapfest. 
6 Likes
Still using the same stove and refrigerator we bought at Sears in 1998 Mike. I think whirlpool made their appliances then. Not one chip or electro gizmo in either one.
7 Likes
They were more killed by mismanagement, and raking profits off instead of reinvesting in their business to modernize and cut costs. They never really got back on track after the 70s downturn. A lot of their buildings were old and energy inefficient, and susceptible to theft. In a store half the size of a super walmart, they had 10 entrance/exits. Where walmart has 1.
But probably more then anything they failed to get their mail order business on the internet. They didnāt want to spend the money to do it, and their management thought it was a fad, and they gave the contract to like one of their kids. They had a chance to be competitive with Amazon. They already have 5000 locations for pick up and returns. A logistics system for store to store (not very good but), etc.
4 Likes
I donāt know if it is wishful thinking, the heavy rain, change of wind or if it is actually working, but I donāt see as much surface algae on the pond when I had to walk down to say hi to the blue heron who was trying to have a fishy breakfast.
4 Likes
I didnāt think they get biochar, but this reactor design is different.
https://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2024/05/26/the-digests-2024-multi-slide-guide-to-the-jen-zero-system-for-high-pressure-gasification-of-advanced-biofuels/
In another article they also are saying pla plastic is going to double in demand, and a new plant is being constructed in Thailand using sugar cane bagesse (sp?).
2 Likes