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1. Buying Biochar Ideal Compost Mike Lombard Peterborough, NH www.idealcompost.com New England Biochar Peter Hirst Orleans, MA www.newenglandbiochar.com Rainbow’s End Biochar Cornelius du Plessis Pawling, NY www.rainbowsendbiochar.com click to continue

2. How to Make Biochar Feedstocks sources of raw material Wastes Agriculture Crop residues Process residues Animal manures Forestry Timber Improvement Logging residues Milling Landscaping Yard wastes Woody debris Constuction Debris? Municipal Solid Waste? Compost or Char? wet or dry? Char needs compost Compost needs char Woody or Weedy? woody expectations particle size reduction micropore sizes Croplands for Fuel? Tree Plantations? click to continue

3. How to Make Biochar Processes Slow Pyrolysis Low temperature < 500C Traditional: dirty, pollution, inefficient, low char yield Modern: clean, contained, controlled, efficient, high yield Flash Pyrolysis Modern: high pressure, high temperature, high char yield Fast Pyrolysis Modern: high temperature, maximum bio-oil, low char yield Gasification Modern:, maximum bio-gas production, minimum bio-oil production, low char yield, but highly recalcitrant Hydrothermal Carbonization under development, wet feedstock, high pressure highest “char” yield, but quite different composition probably not as recalcitrant as pyrolyticbiocarbons Professional Engineer required for design & operation click to continue

4. NOT How NOT to Make Biochar How to Make Biochar Equipment Masonry Charcoal Kiln Portable Metal Charcoal Kiln Pine Plains, New York 1800’s Wired magazineTop Ten WaterPhotosJune 2008 Thacher Community Forest, Hancock, New Hampshire Eastern Pennsylvania 1800’s United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization Amazon Basin, South America 2008 Photographer’s caption: ”This man works making charcoal of illegal wood. He drinks the same water he is destroying……” click to continue

5. How to Make Biochar Technology of Controlled Combustion cold carbon smoke lo temperature hi temperature gasification carbonization click to continue

6. How to Make Biochar Pyrolysis • (gasification) • thermal destruction of biomass • excess energy is released and is self-sustaining • after ignition, no extra energy required if feedstock & oxygen are available process heat click to continue

7. How to Make Biochar Pyrolysis • (gasification) • thermal destruction of biomass • excess energy is released and is self-sustaining • after ignition, no extra energy required if feedstock & oxygen are available Danny Day, EPRIDA water H2 CO CH4 Syngas Formic Acid Acetic Acid Volatiles Combustibles weight decreases IGNITION Flammable Tars Resins Condensates low temperature preserve micropores increase char yield charcoal remains as temperature increases click to continue

8. How to Make Biochar Direct Burn Method Feedstock itself is burned Some is converted to ash instead of char Produces a lot of smoke steam = water = H2O gases CO + CH4 + H2 = vapors liquids formic acid = acetic acid tars & resins = volatile organic matter (VOM) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) smolder 1-2 hours 30 gallon drum AIR VENTS gravel or concrete SOIL click to continue