My own business

So it has come to pass that we started our own business. Vuokrapuu was founded in early 2020 with the aim to rent out trees. Potted living trees, mainly Christmas trees are a new thing in Finland and we are very excited.

What on earth does it have to do with biochar you might ask. Well, let me explain. Our goal is to make biochar out of trees that don't make it and use the thar in our potting soil. I'll probably get back to this in the future when we get our kon tiki kiln up and running.

Biochar in Finnish urban growth medium

The Finnish company TerraWise has introduced a growth medium for urban plantations. It contains gravel, biochar and compost based organic matter. Have a read for yourself. Similar growth media has been used in the city of Stockholm for a number of years.

Homemade biochar

A few years back, I posted about the "Primus stove". It still works and this week I made a few batches of biochar. It will later be used for my christmas trees that I plan to rent. I'll keep you posted on the results. Here are a few shots from the stove.

primus stove in action

Biochar can help mitigating loss of nitrogen in fertlizers

http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2019/03/biochar-soaks-ammonia-pollution-study-shows?fbclid=IwAR2wAJq43cktvImLKtEEpELSI-p9jLTvJwyupvuTsEeIshKL5d7ijHsbj94#.XIPxJsLDTDw.facebook

The times are changing

As of this month I have begun pursuing a career as an entrepreneur. No details are finalised BUT several people have joined and our buisnessplan is in the making. Some market analysis has been done as well.

The direct connection of this venture to biochar is still unclear, although I can recognize some apparent synergies. If you are interested in NIR spectroscopy of solids or liquids hit me up on for example twitter where I go under @TobySpruceMt

Mandatory update for 2018

Look, there is so much happening right now in the world of biochar. One huge thing to mention would be the creation of the Finnish biochar association https://www.suomenbiohiili.info of which I am a proud member. My personal life is taking some new turns and I hope to be able to post updates on some new innovations in the near future.

Horticulture and biochar

Over at Carbon Gold in the UK some really interesting results are emerging. Applying their enriched biochar once when planting has given on average 11% of increased crop yield.

http://www.hortidaily.com/article/29764/European-biochar-trials-show-promising-results

China and biochar

Why do I get the feeling that when a chinese person hears the word "small business" he or she is not applying the same mindset as a westerner?

Anyhow, enough of my philosophy lesson. Here is a "small" business from Beijing, China focusing on a variety of uses for the biochar they produce. Manufacturing as well as R&D is on their list of endeavours. They have had great success in using biochar as a purifier of heavy-metal polluted soils.

http://www.biowindbell.com/

PS. The blog is in a state of occasional updates. I need the blog to stay alive, but not to be filled with useless posts. Balance is the key word here.

The PYREG 500 from Germany

This exciting piece of equipment is the kind of machinery I was envisioning a few years back.

Combining heat, power and biochar production in a mobile construction is one of my long term dreams. 

Energy Farmers Australia

This awesome contraption chrystalizes my idea of biochar making. The mobile biochar kiln by Energy Farmers Australia

Other Finns on biochar

I don't know this guy (yet) but he seems to have an interest in biochar just like me.
Ville Karttunen, pleased to meet you.

Sanga Moses, a life changer from Uganda

It is said that this guy sold his bed in order to develop a biochar making kiln. Here he is featured in national geographic :
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/12/141215-sanga-moses-uganda-energy-wood-burning-fuel#b01g16f20b15

So Science took an interest in biochar

http://www.nature.com/news/agriculture-state-of-the-art-soil-1.16699

Charboard and 55 uses of biochar in paper products

The Biochar Journal is now online. In this ad free, open source journal you will be able to read articles from the cutting edge in biochar research. Personally I find the article about charboard, an excellent example of concrete use of biochar in everyday life. The idea of charboard is to replace the traditional filler component of cardboard with biochar. This gives new and beneficial properties to packaging materials. At the end of the article is a list of 55 potential uses for charboard. Imagine wall paper that would absorb odors and that could be composted afterwards, mitigating CO2 in the process.

The journal is asking for my and your help to support upcoming issues of the journal.

charboard with different levels of biochar. From: biochar-journal.org

This is amazing stuff. I can't wait to test this out for myself. How do I make charboard in my back yard?

I thought about this the other day...

Seems like somebody got to it before me.

Conversion of cacao pod husks by pyrolysis and catalytic reaction to produce useful chemicals.

Justus von Liebig the first biochar rock star

Making way for the industrial revolution with his insight in chemical fertilizer and his work on the use of charcoal makes this guy my new hero. Read the article by Kelpie Wilson over at Ithaka Journal

Ithaka-Journal für Terroirwein, Biodiversität und Klimafarming » Blog Archiv » (English) Justus von Liebig and the Birth of Modern Biochar

New findings regarding biochar and N2O emissions from soils

Over at nature, members of the Cornell university have investigated the effects of biochar on reduced emissions of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas.

Oxfordbiochar

Over at bigbiocharexperiment.co.uk/ you can find really interesting stuff about biochar and even the instructions on how to start your own experiments. The pages are really easily read and I for one will investigate them further.

National Geographic on biochar

Put the word biochar into google and one of the top results is this article featured on the NG homepage. I think it was worth mentioning since it debates a lot of the issues and possibilities with biochar on a global scale as well as benefits for the individual.

Charcoal dust

I came across this video and I have to say, I don't know how to react. The idea is good, yes, but the execution is not optimal to say the least. On the other hand it shows what could be done differently. I mean the technique is 5000 years old...