Permachar
How could it work?
For starters
Mining (linear minerals + circular plants, with biochar)->Materials->manufacturing->technology->industry sectors connected in a circular bioeconomy
BUT will we ever have a 100% circular bioeconomy? Probably NEVER. But, it's goal posts on the horizon.
The problem is, for 'Made in Australia' week, I believe we need to move backwards from the ideal sustainable economy back to the technologies that will fit the ideal and benefit the Country with a possibility in some cases for exports.
I've blogged extensively for years about the ideal technologies we need for what I now call 'Sustainable adaptation'. It's a problem for the free market and what incentives and disincentives the Gov can offer.
The days of linear energy eg.fossil Carbon, are nearing an end but there's still a long way to go to 'phase out' completely, if it ever happens. 'Critical minerals' are open to debate. Why? Because green chemistry, including Carbon/plant based chemistry, is taking over industrial design thinking in my opinion.
There's also undiscovered technologies with applications that no one has ever imagined. Funding that is applied to all stages of idea to commercialisation is needed. Manufacturing needs new Industry 4.0 thinking but backed up with Australian manufactured tools, machinery, plant industry and critical minerals, with more apprenticeships keyed into the now and the future.
Circular renewable energy is possible with biomass to biochar and bio-electricity. Solar and wind turbines, with clever industrial design, can be upcycled at the end of their lifespan. Some big batteries are becoming more circular too, once again with upcycling potential at the end of their lifespan.
'Critical minerals' are a moving target. For eg. Sodium (Na) battery R&D, for consumer batteries, is getting a lot of attention as researchers and companies are looking for a greener and more ubiquitous option than Lithium (Li), which is still being considered as a 'critical' battery mineral. So much investment has gone into Li mining, which also uses a huge amount of water (especially from brine mining such as Salar de Uyuni) but Na is pulling ahead and can be mined from desalination brine produced from Redox Flow Desalination batteries while producing potable water and storing renewable energy at the same time. This is just a drop in the ocean in terms of what technologies are being designed, built and commercialised now. Years to start up a mine is a financially risky business. Plant industry can be built much faster and is more flexible with more sites for growing/harvesting than geologically specific mineral deposits. There's mine approval too.
There's one thing for certain in the biochar technology world - biomass waste and steel are King. 'Green steel' is really the next step towards a sustainable supply chain for biochar stoves and kilns. I'm hoping that our 'Green steel' thought leaders, such as Twiggy Forrest, will eventually greentech every step of the steel supply chain. Failing that, steel manufacturers could be buying Biochar Carbon Removal credits from CRM platforms and pay the Charistas making the biochar and permanently removing the Carbon from the atmosphere. Who knows, waste biomass (if it's accessible eg.desert areas have less) to biochar and bio-electricity tech could be used at steel mills earning BCR credits, possibly as a primary or backup power supply to solar and/or wind, even storing energy in the RFD batteries during desalination for potable water partly used for 'Green Hydrogen' or, as I've mentioned previously, produced directly from seawater (plus using energy from the RFD battery for electrolysis) enabling the arguably higher value potable water used for human consumption.
So overall, from biomass waste and seawater inputs it's conceptually possible to get biochar (various applications), energy storage for dispatchable power (industry and residential), potable water (drinking), 'Green Hydrogen' (for Iron ore reduction) and Sodium (from the salty desal brine for consumer batteries).
Work out the tech and reverse engineer all the way back to the mine and the field/forest/desert/savannah etc. atmosphere and oceans.
However,
There's also Dr TLUD's 'Obtainium' approach that is used by most appropriate technologists. Basically, design and build a technology with what you are able to 'obtain', preferably locally sourced
and using materials that are common throughout the world for a more global approach that can help more people. This is what I've done with many TLUD designs. For eg., the Rock Solid Oil Drum V3
TLUD (see web page) upcycled 2 x 20L oil drums from the tip/dump/waste recycling centre.
What do you think?
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