Thanks for highlighting us on on the issue of phytoliths and energy forests. Energy forests has long time been "acknowledge" by this forum either used for charcoal or directly in the TLUD`s.
What happend to the link of the video presenting biochar as a "tree-saver"? Otto > From: Roger Samson [[email protected]] > Sent: 2010-09-15 20:23:48 MEST > To: [email protected], [email protected], 'Discussion of biomass > cooking stoves' [[email protected]] > Subject: Re: [Stoves] The Biochar myth..another stovers myth > > > Frank > > Here is a really nice power point on phytoliths, grasses and soil organic > matter formation. I think this is brilliant work they are doing in Australia > on forming soils while growing energy crops > and one of the best practical means to produce loads of bioenergy from > farmland while creating great soils. > http://www.plantstone.com.au/NSC%20Adelaide.pdf > > I simply don't think you can develop a more efficient system of producing > energy and soils in the same field. > > Its time to bury terra preta thinking and move on to a more efficient ways > of using the land to produce energy while building soils. > > > Roger > -----Original Message----- > From: frank [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 2010 2:00 PM > To: [email protected]; Discussion of biomass cooking stoves > Cc: Roger Samson > Subject: Re: [Stoves] The Biochar myth..another stovers myth > > Roger, Crispin, and Stovers, > > Just a few comments below: > > <snip> > > > > > > > "Saving of trees" happens when we "stop cutting the trees". > > Personally, I am very much against unreasonable cutting of trees. > > > I do not necessarily agree with this. Farming biomass such as trees for an > energy source or carbon sequestering (and making money doing it) will > encourage more land being used for growing biomass. I think this should be > the goal. There are lots of land in the US along rivers, creeks and in the > mountains that are owned by lumber companies, open to the public and > protected from development. If we stopped using lumber because we replaced > it with a different product I wonder how long it would take the loggers to > realize it is not worth hanging on to the land for another 50 years. Of > course there need be control over harvesting the present day biomass so the > future is in mind. > > <snip> > > > > >> Phytoliths in grasses are also an important carbon source for > >> forming soils. > > > Phytoliths are made of silica. They are isotropic meaning like glass, a > melt. Light bounces back and force to go straight through and not like > quartz that is a crystal bending light in a fixed direction. They look like > fragments of glass under the scope with many amazing shapes. I believe they > from from soluble silica in water taken up into the plant and solidify in > the veins in places where there is branching making the shapes. I have found > them in roots, stock, leaves, flowers etc all parts of the plant. > > I'm thinking they may cause more problems than a benefit for us as I think > they may form a hard to remove crust in places we don't want - but I have > yet to see a deposit in burners that is traced back to phytoliths in the > fuel. > > >> > > To my knowledge, carbon from biochar remains in the soil as carbon for > > much longer time - compared to carbon present in compost ( which gets > > converted into CO2 ). Please correct me if I am wrong. > > > > Best Regards, > > > > > > Rajan > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Stoves mailing list > > [email protected] > > http://listserv.repp.org/mailman/listinfo/stoves_listserv.repp.org > > http://stoves.bioenergylists.org > > http://info.bioenergylists.org > > > > UNSUBSCRIBE HERE; > > http://listserv.repp.org/mailman/listinfo/stoves_listserv.repp.org > > > > > > -- > Frank Shields > Soil Control Lab > 42 Hangar way > Watsonville, CA 95076 > (831) 724-5422 tel > (831) 724-3188 fax > [email protected] > www.compostlab.com > > > > _______________________________________________ > Stoves mailing list > [email protected] > http://listserv.repp.org/mailman/listinfo/stoves_listserv.repp.org > http://stoves.bioenergylists.org > http://info.bioenergylists.org > > UNSUBSCRIBE HERE; > http://listserv.repp.org/mailman/listinfo/stoves_listserv.repp.org >
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