Karl: Yeah...Pyrolysis certainly generates CO2. It's 50% of so of that of the total carbon content of the biochar (WHICH IS CARBON NEUTRAL). The other 30-50% is locked up as biochar for 100-1000s of years. (WHICH IS CARBON NEGATIVE).
Of course this requires a sustainable biomass harvesting system, which generally means small scale, distributed CHP systems that do not require significant hauling distances. This also requires not competing with land for food crops. And it means local manufacturing and local jobs... something much needed in Western New York and here where I live in Ohio. Solar panel manufacturing doesn't have that benefit. Good rotational grazing, organic no-till, mulching, manuring, cover crops... there are a lot of ways to get good C into the ground, but biochar is special in that it is a highly recalcitrant C that is not easily mineralized. I seriously recommend looking into it before simply giving the "knee-jerk" anti biofuel reaction. I'm no fan of corn ethanol but pyrolysis is something entirely different Best, Ryan On Thu, Aug 6, 2009 at 12:47 AM, Thomas Shelley <[email protected]> wrote: > At 03:46 PM 8/5/2009, you wrote: > >> On Wed, 5 Aug 2009 10:36:42 -0400 Ryan Hottle <[email protected]> >> writes: >> I am convinced that ... >> > biomass pyrolization/gasification, and, in particular areas, wind >> > are >> > likely to be the best way for Ithaca and surrounding areas to go. >> >> Where has any promoter of biomass pyrolization/gasification tackled the >> all-important questions of where all the biomass is to come from, what >> will be the life cycle energy costs of the biomass production, and what >> alternative uses of the biomass are to be sacrificed? >> >> Karl >> > > .....not to mention the CO2 and other pollutants released when the > biomass/gasification happens. Biochar might rescue some percentage of CO2 > from the air, but lots still going into the air. Tom > _______________________________________________ > > For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, > please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ > > RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: > [email protected] > http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins > Questions about the list? ask > [email protected] > free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org > -- Ryan Darrell Hottle LEED-AP Environmental Science, PhD Student Carbon Management and Sequestration Center The Ohio State University Rm. 454 Kottman Hall 2021 Coffey Road Columbus, OH 43210 C: (740) 258 8450 NOTE: This e-mail and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail, delete this e-mail and destroy any copies. Any dissemination or use of this information by a person other than the intended recipient is unauthorized and may be illegal. _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins Questions about the list? ask [email protected] free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
