Biochar Presentation Mackay, Qld.

[bazman]

Mackay Conservation Group - Public Education Series 2012
What is Biochar?
So, what is Biochar? Biochar is char produced in a controlled manner from organic residues such a cane trash or green waste the charring process creates a stable form of carbon that is used as a soil improver for garden and agricultural applications and can remain stable in the soil for thousands of years, thus also sequestering carbon. This is a subject we expect to hear a lot about in the coming years and will be of special interest to gardeners, farmers, graziers and indeed anyone who has a back yard or looks after a patch of land.7pm, 18 April 2012, CQU Mackay
Event: What is Biochar presentation
Followed by a light supper
Date: Wednesday, 18th April 2012
Time: 7pm-8.30pm
Venue: Room 1/G.03 (Cook Lecture Theatre), Central Qld University, Boundary Rd Mackay CQU Mackay
For a map click here >>>>
Cost: Free
RSVP: All are welcome, but we request you RSVP on mcgmail"@"bigpond.com to assist with catering.
Questions: call Peter on 0458 767437
Our Presenter - Barry Batchelor - Black Earth Products
Barry Batchelor is an award-winning organic gardener, permaculture designer and the owner of Black Earth Products. Australia’s first company to produce and supply Biochar for backyard gardeners, horticulture and agricultural businesses. Barry will talk about the history, present and future of Biochar production. It’s use from organic gardens to farm applications, blending with composts, liquid nutrient biological teas and application with conventional fertilisers.
Barry will also cover some of the basics on how to make a small scale Biochar gasifier. Barry works with Australia's leading commercial pyrolysis developers and has used this knowledge to develop a simple open source style project so other Biochar enthusiasts can cleanly make their own Biochar.
Barry has formally spoken about biochar with horticultural societies, farm, garden and permaculture groups and was part of the Seymour Alternative Farming Expo NMIT Seminar Series.

[eco4560]

Wow Baz! What a great opportunity! Using mill by products to generate heat to generate electricity and then using the char to improve the soil is a very effective closed loop system.

[bazman]

It's a fine balance between sustainable feed stock sources close to the processing site, feed in tariffs, developed biochar markets, multi-million dollar biochar production and power generation plant costs.

My preferred option is to find industry that needs heat energy, furnace, kilns, drying, hot water or anything along those lines so you can remove the million dollar power generation element of the project and use the direct heat energy. This is the smart way to use this heat energy.

I have looked at most energy conversion options and they are extremely expensive to set up and run. If you have cheap grid power available the numbers don't add up in general. If you have a remote town who is not on main grid power and uses a large diesel gen-set with lots of available biomass (20-30 tonnes a day) then the numbers start to look better.

Mackay Sugar’s $120 million Cogeneration Project >>>> This is a high pressure boiler and steam turbine generator. It won't produce Biochar.