I'm a technologist with an interest in not just technology but also the politics of technology - or, 'technology politics'. I blogged a while ago that sometimes technology and politics get mixed up. They have got mixed up. There's now an energy war, with the technology of energy, and the competition of ‘linear energy systems’ V ‘circular energy systems’ ramping up. A real ‘transition’ is when linear energy systems get replaced with circular energy systems – circular energy systems being the kernel, if you like, of ‘Circular bioeconomy’. Yes, there's a grey area in between the two systems, especially with fossil fuelled logistics (which can always purchase Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) credits from a Carbon Removal Marketplace (CRM) platform), but I would argue there's not much in between and not much time left for the breaking climate system and the choices we make to sustainably adapt to it in order to make the switch. I call it a ‘Climate emergency Renaissance’.

How to fund it? I believe the best source of income in Australia is, rather than taxing working people for the transition (including fossil workers), up the ante and introduce a 'Fossil Carbon export tax', pioneered by Prof Ross Garnaut and Prof Rod Sims. Additionally, the 'Fossil C import tax' would be good for many/all? fossil eg.Natural Gas (NG) or fossil derived products eg.coal briquettes, except for petrol and diesel. There's also only 2 operating oil refineries in Australia with limited oil mining in the Country. Obviously, we need to get off petrol and diesel and will increasingly do so with electrification of civilian and possibly military logistics but an import tax that hits commuters in the hip pocket in the mean time is not a great idea, especially with the 'Cost of living' inflation problem. It seems pointless to tax petrol and diesel imports then subsidise them. There's also a possibility of condensing bio-oil from plastic pyrolysis (addressing the plastic waste problem) and converting it to Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) which burns cleaner than regular diesel with the bonus of a plastic char byproduct that can be used as a feedstock to produce advanced Carbon materials. There's also a possibility using microalgae for biodiesel, though seawater grown microalgae in near coastal areas would be the most sustainable option.  Finally, in my opinion, the Country should reluctantly milk what fossil fuel we are currently mining and ban future fossil mines and expansions. 

Undoubtedly, there’s a contractual problem with fossil fuel exports with various types of contracts already in motion in this space. We could treat it like China treats it’s rare earth mineral monopoly and game it so the contracts remains globally competitive but tax as much as possible. Not that it would bother me if it did become noncompetitive which it probably will be anyway over time, but it seems like a great source of Gov revenue that is more or less untaxed! I agree with the late Hugo Chavez’s idea to use fossil wealth to 'float more boats' (which requires taxation) but I disagreed with his idea to put an oil pipeline through the Amazon rainforest which is already under logging, oil mining and farming pressure. If the infrastructure is environmentally or culturally damaging, then it shouldn’t get built. Ideally, wealth could be achieved without any fossil fuels. Also, there’s the issue of the 'Natural Gas' shortage on the East Coast, and possibly elsewhere? It’s an artificial shortage, that, like Santos, has committed to fossil exports without first supplying NG to meet domestic NG demand. Mark Ogge, from the 'Australia Institute', wants a National Reserve of NG. So do I.

But, I’m also working towards meeting that NG shortage with a semi-retired 'Top-Lit UpDraft' (TLUD) business that could provide stoves to replace NG stovetops using biomass/wood pellets but due to indoor fire restrictions and safety, the system would need to be used outside, but could be viable in most other countries with no indoor fire restrictions. I also wanted a cheaper system than the Fabstove, that is half the price and provides 2 burners without needing any electronics to cover most water pasteurization (though not needed if you’re connected to the water grid) and cooking options.

So, from what I've read so far, I would describe the Renaissance period as a great case study for understanding the climate emergency. I tried searching perplexity.ai with this: "could the climate emergency be a tipping point for a circular bioeconomy Renaissance?" There are some gobsmacking parallels between 'Renaissance' and 'climate emergency' which can inform how this new Renaissance of circular bioeconomy can be conceived. And yes, we're at a tipping point for economic transformation. There's still a lot more research to do in this area! I've been especially interested in the connections between circular bioeconomy, the plant industry, manufacturing, renewable energy and housing and how these could synergistically work together in policy. Too much change too quickly? An oasis in the desert? Read on...

Key priority policy reform areas for circular bioeconomy
- climate change acceleration  
    - science  
        - Universities   
        - more CSIRO climate scientists

        - AI, used as a research tool  
    - policy  
        - adaptation and resilience  
        - fossil Carbon export tax (Prof Ross Garnaut and Prof Rod Sims model)  
        - fracking ban  
        - circular bioeconomy (see below)  
        - renewable energy (see below)  
        - water  
            - Redox Flow Desalination (RFD)  (at model stage)
            - greater groundwater protections  
            - stormwater managed sponge cities with Biochar pavements, roads and water filtration   
            - water tank subsidies  
        - Permaculture bioregional planning   
    - prescribed burns for bushfire management using First Nations 'cool burning' techniques   
    - emergency services  
        - more funding for logistics (how long is a piece of string?)  
            - mobile command centres eg. Sesame Solar
- circular bioeconomy 
    - plant industry 
        - regenerative growing systems
            - agriculture, forestry, agroforestry and horticulture 
               - industrial hemp
               - bamboo
               - microalgae 
            - macroalgae/seaweed farming 
            - aquaculture
            - fishing  

            - See 'sitemap' for "Plant Civilization for sustainable adaptation to climate change" blog (11/24/2024)
        - National Pyrolysis Strategy 
            - ANZBIG funding ($11 million would be handy!)
            - National Carbon Removal Marketplace platform
               - Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) credits to replace ACCUs
            - Biochar and it's applications 
            - kiln and stove technologies startup capital 
            - advanced Carbon materials 
                - biomass
                - Biochar 
                - plastic upcycling/Pyrolysis 
                - more funding for Universities 
                - greater international collaboration eg. China, US, EU, Japan, the rest of the world

            - See 'sitemap' for "Key technologies for biochar circular bioeconomy" blog (5/19/2025)
    - manufacturing 
        - 'Future Made in Australia' planning and action
        - biotechnology (with close collaboration with the 'Plant industry' area)
        - renewable energy 
            - transition from linear energy systems to circular energy systems (try an AI search...) 
                - linear energy systems eg. fossil fuel
                - circular energy systems eg. main grid, community grids, household scales
            - biomass + big batteries for dispatchable power, grid firming and grid reliability 
                - biomass to bioelectricity, ?heat and biochar
                - Redox Flow Desalination (RFD) (at model stage)
                - Biochar eg.bamboo to Carbon based solid state batteries and supercapacitors (blue sky)
                - Biochar to Carbon based perovskite solar Photo Voltaic cells->panels (still at prototype stage)
                - electrified Military + Civilian logistics R&D with subsidies where needed
                    - close collaboration with Oz battery industry eg. 'Queensland battery industry strategy'
                    - potential new ventures with a rebooted automotive industry
            - free solar PVs and community batteries for remote First Nations communities 
        - mining

            - critical minerals eg. Cu, Al, Fe, Na, Mn, Si, Ga et al
            - Steam activated bamboo biochar-Mn-MOF for soil remediation of heavy metals etc. contamination and                  water filtration of contaminated water
            - efficient water use with better groundwater protections
            - ban of As in gold/other mines
            - fracking ban

        - housing for homeless
            - hemp(char)crete ecovillages
                - apprenticeships for homeless people to build them for themselves
                - linked in to the Global Ecovillage Network (ecovillage.org)
                - Permaculture design principles
                - close collaboration with the building industry
                - close collaboration with the hemp industry clustered in the 'Plant industry' area
                - close collaboration with the 'Renewable energy' area  

That's all for now!

The problem 

Here's an example of breaking down a research problem into it's parts and generating some learning issues to test hypotheses and maybe build Australia's renewable energy system... though I have to admit, it's a loaded 🎲 which wouldn't be unusual for the energy industry!!

Here it is:
Natural Gas (NG) exports are causing  East Coast NG shortages.
NG is considered a 'Transition fuel' by the NG industry and any journalist, lobbyist and politician that repeats their marketing propaganda.
There could be an opportunity for adopting 'Carbon neutral' biomass fuels and 'Carbon negative' stoves such as Top-Lit UpDraft (TLUD) stoves that pyrolyse the biomass fuels eg. Wood pellets, into Biochar to meet household cooking and water pasteurization/boiling demand to replace NG stovetops.
NG peakers are still used on the grid in some places.
'Carbon negative' bioelectricity has not yet replaced NG peakers.
Many hot water systems still use NG that could be replaced with electric heat pumps.
NG Corporations are paying minimal tax. 
A fossil Carbon export tax could be on the table to raise money for various policies.
A circular bioeconomy could be goalposts for a more resilient and sustainable future.
The plant industry feeding biotechnology applications and industry is key to a bioeconomy.

Data points/Keywords 
- natural gas (NG)
- NG exports
- NG East Coast shortages
- NG marketing propaganda 
- transition fuels
- 'Carbon neutral' biomass fuels
- wood pellets 
- 'Carbon negative' stoves
- TLUDs
- biochar
- cooking and water pasteurization/boiling demand
- NG peakers 
- 'Carbon negative' bioelectricity 
- electric heat pumps 
- fossil C export tax
- circular bioeconomy  
- plant industry 
- biotechnology 

Hypotheses
1. NG exports can be diverted to a NG domestic National Reserve to avoid NG shortages in the future 
2. NG is a fake or false transition fuel and doesn't meet adopted criteria 
3. Biomass can be converted to Biochar in TLUD stoves which is 'Carbon negative'
4. Biomass fuel meets adopted circular bioeconomy criteria 
5. Bioelectricity converting biomass to Biochar can replace NG peakers on the grid with AI load prediction since it can take some time eg. 1 hour, to fire up a bioelectricity kiln to full capacity
6. There could be an opportunity for electric heat pumps to replace NG hot water systems.
7. Affordable heat pumps could be manufactured in Oz with Gov subsidies
8. A fossil C export tax could fund manufacturing of biotechnology for a circular bioeconomy 

Learning issues

- What are the criteria of a transition fuel?
- Does NG meet the criteria?
- Does biomass meet the criteria as a transition fuel or as a circular bioeconomy fuel, the endgame of a transition, and therefore not a transition fuel?
- Would a NG National Reserve meet East Coast/National demand and would NG Corporations cooperate? Eg., could the Gov legally prevent some NG exports and instead lock it in for domestic consumption? Alternatively, would a fossil C export tax disincentivise fossil exports, to a degree, and ensure domestic NG demand is met?
- Are biomass to Biochar technologies 'Carbon negative'? Eg. If it produces Biochar, is that 'Carbon negative'?
- Will we ever run out of biomass fuel in Australia? Eg., will we ever run out of wood, rice husk or sorghum pellets etc.?
- What is the current uptake and future predicted uptake of NG, electric and biomass stoves?
- Can TLUDs meet the demand of stoves to replace NG?
- What TLUDs can be safely used indoors, eg.Fabstove and outdoors, eg. Navigator 'Awesome' V2, Navigator 'Versatile' etc.?
- Can NG peakers be replaced with 'Carbon negative' bioelectricity that produces biochar as a by-product?
- Are there affordable electric heat pumps manufactured in Oz? 
    - If not, is this something the Gov could subsidise in their 'Future Made in Australia' policy?
- what is a circular bioeconomy?
- what manufacturing could build a circular bioeconomy?
- could a fossil Carbon export tax subsidise manufacturing of biotechnology for a circular bioeconomy?
- what could be the main biotechnology applications and industry for a circular bioeconomy?

Also, just one more question for now for an AI chatbot eg. Perplexity.ai
"can problem based learning logic be applied to LLMs for research"
- it came up with some great mapping for PBL onto the LLM to 'keep the chatbot honest'!
- but, in saying that, the old medical school PBL algorithm pioneered by Dr Ted Cleary, published in the "Fact check this for a Biochar materials revolution" blog (18/7/25) in the blogs section on my website, can be used very effectively, especially in group learning environments

Maybe the days of top down visionaries providing an ethical compass for Civilisation are nearing an end with bottom up consumerism of just about any new digital technology being the main driving force of human progress. Yes, there were and still are tech visionaries (eg. Ada Lovelace, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Linus Torvalds, Elon Musk, Aravind Srinivas and many more) driving this digital revolution but consumers are now more or less in control with feedback pushing new boundaries of R&D. Digital culture driven by the Internet, software, social media, streaming platforms, smartphones, AI and more is now the main vehicle for change. Grassroots DIY culture is shifting the power balance from Corporate control of consumer 'digital' or 'material' goods production, distribution and marketing back to people. Appropriate survival culture is the future for most people on the Planet whether anyone likes it or not, 'digital' AND 'material'. We cannot escape our 'material' existence that is driving climate change acceleration - not even AGIs that may eventually be built will still rely on vast amounts of compute power and 'material' energy and I believe it's doubtful though not impossible that these AGIs will have an ethical compass for Civilisation. Dogma, fact or truth? What is real and what is illusion? AI is not very good at writing about personal experience. There are still jobs for writers. The word is not dead yet and probably never will be. Which brings me to TLUDs...these guys are 'real' and perfect for a digital detox...

Top-Lit UpDraft (TLUD) technology is cornerstone 'material' and 'Carbon negative' appropriate survival culture, pioneered by Dr TLUD and his predecessors, Dr. Sai Bhaskar Reddy Nakka (who coined 'Biocharculture') and many others in more recent years including me. Consume your own DIY TLUDs for self-empowerment. Biochar, the 'material' 'Carbon negative' byproduct of TLUD stoves, is the future material of dreams with many functions. Air filtration, water filtration, treatment of sewage, growing systems, building materials, EMR shielding and even batteries can be built 'Carbon negative' with Biochar.

The Navigator 'Awesome' V2 TLUD (on the 'Bush Survival System' page) for 'Institutional' cooking and water pasteurization and the smaller Navigator 'Versatile' TLUD (see web page - still under testing) for cooking and water pasteurization with greater mobility than the 'Awesome' are at the cutting edge of my TLUD research, design and development. 5" stainless chimney flue, in my opinion with extensive design and field testing experience, is key with the Navigator mainframe primary and secondary air slot system which can be grinded and customized for the next generation of unpowered and cost effective cooking and WASH biomass fuelled stoves. Both models are still under testing and I will post results when they are informative. Almost every use case scenario has been covered with these two designs, other than medium to large scale biochar production which could be done and to a degree is being done with TLUDs too. 

The modularity feature of TLUDs should be considered too as multiple units can be run in parallel which scales nicely to 'fill the gaps' between increasingly larger TLUD designs for most use cases of Biochar volumes required and cogeneration utility. 

Cogeneration is what attracted me to smaller TLUDs, after building many larger flame cap Biochar kilns, for getting the biggest 'bang for buck' from biomass fuel. Biomass pellets from waste I believe are the future for urban environments or more remotely, DIY pelletisation. As the TLUDs get bigger, cogen becomes more impractical and expensive but not out of the question. 

The TLUD revolution is making inroads into permanent global Carbon removal but will only be effective over the long term if fossil fuel alternatives, such as 'natural gas' are completely 'phased out'. There is a long way to go in this space so I hope you enjoy the ride, like I have, if you choose to take it and are committed to achieving a 'Safe climate' once again knowing that you are well prepared for most survival situations. What's your destination if you don't know the journey on the path? Carbon emissions are a scarab on time. Can we change the game?

Good luck!!

IDEA
Steam activator adapter for a Navigator 'Awesome' V2 TLUD (see 'Bush Survival System' page) that can steam activate Biochar pellets for MOFs used in water filtration and batteries.

Steps for Metal Organic Framework (MOF)
1. Grow, harvest, dry, grind and pelletise bamboo
2. TLUD Pyrolysis of bamboo pellets (Navigator 'Awesome' V2) for first batch to be activated in next step
3. TLUD steam activation of Biochar pellets using TLUD steam activator adapter attached to Navigator 'Awesome' V2 (producing more Biochar pellets during pyrolysis for subsequent steam activation)
4. Mill steam activated Biochar pellets into powder 
5. Build a MOF. Soak steam activated Biochar powder in Mn salts and organic linkers at room temperature in 'One pot'. 'Self assemby' of the Mn salts and organic linkers should occur via C-O-M coordination bonds...
6. Wash the MOF

7. Dry the MOF
Finished ☺️ 

Equipment 
- grinder
- Pelletiser
- Navigator 'Awesome' V2 TLUD
- steam activator
    - to be designed and built - any ideas?
- biochar mill

Applications 
- water filtration using the MOF in the Permafilter 20L/other water filtration system
- battery anodes, ?cathodes, ?solid state electrolytes with the MOF - a HOT area of research!

Comments

-Could be a lab-scale system for designing a scaled up industrial system for water filters and batteries

-Could be a cottage industry for small-scale water filter and battery manufacturers - potentially, regionally manufactured modular battery housings could be designed to work with the MOF, or the whole battery could be manufactured at one regional factory. The Mn salts and organic linkers might be tricky to get if making the MOFs in a remote location.

-there's a lot of science around this topic to research but from what I can gather so far, I see this idea as a real possibility for water filter and battery manufacturers

-research needs to be done around Mn toxicity in water filtration media for potable water for human consumption. Potentially, if the Mn-MOF cannot be tested as 'safe', the steam activated biochar (Activated Carbon) should be used for water filtration before proceeding to the MOF stage of material engineering. The Mn-MOF can be still used for contaminated water, such as mine site heavy metal water contamination, for environmental remediation

And just FYI

https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/07/1165475

The fossil industry is on notice.

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DISCLAIMER: this post definitely includes information from perplexity.ai pro search (Grok 4), deep research and labs that has not been 'properly' fact checked. It's a work in progress but I thought I'd give you the heads up and a good excuse why I've paused TLUDing for a while...

- Feedstock grown with regenerative principles integrating biochar in the soil eg. bamboo (fastest CO2 sequestering plant, high Si). A strong candidate is Moso (Phyllostachys edulis) which is a running bamboo that can be pyrolysed for biochar that exhibits electrical properties that make it suitable for various applications, particularly in energy storage and environmental remediation.
    - according to the American Bamboo Society, the Botanical Classification of Bamboo is:
        - **KINGDOM:** Plantae
        - **PHYLUM (DIVISION):** Magnoliophyta
        - **CLASS:** Liliopsida
        - **SUBCLASS:** Commelinidae
        - **ORDER:** Cyperales
        - **FAMILY:** Gramineae (Poaceae)
        - **SUBFAMILY:** Bambusoideae
        - **TRIBE:** Bambuseae
        - **SUBTRIBE:** bambusinae
- bamboo harvested, dried eg.  <10% moisture content, chips->
- hopper->a- Pyrolysis eg. Joey/Cornell Uni 'Open source trough pyrolyser' (continuous)
- b-steam activation
- c-milled ?optimal particle size for Metal Organic Framework (MOF), OR 'abc' in an integrated industrial system, such as:
    - https://www.bygen.com.au/
        - hopper->a- pyrolysis to biochar->b- low temperature activation (LTA, uses 'gases') (more research eg. surface chemistry functionalisation, such as C-O-M bonding sites)->c- milled (to custom particle size)
- minerals for MOF eg.Manganese Mn (highest redox potential of earth-abundant metals. Oz is world's third largest producer (3 million metric tons) in 2023 behind 1-South Africa (7.2 million metric tons), 2-Gabon (4.6 million metric tons))
- fabrication of MOF for application-specific tunable chemistry
    - **Functionalization of (Steam) Activated Biochar**  (optional)
    Further modify the activated biochar surface, if needed, to optimize functional groups for metal binding. This may involve mild chemical treatments to increase sites for C–O–M coordination bonds.
    - **Mixing with Metal Precursors and Organic Linkers**  
    Combine the **functionalized biochar** with **metal salts** (e.g. Manganese precursors) and **organic linkers** (e.g., dicarboxylates) in a suitable solvent. This prepares the components for **self-assembly**
    NOTE: ethanol or water can be used as a solvent.
    A '**One pot**' process can possibly be used.
    - **Self-Assembly under Controlled Conditions**  
    Allow spontaneous organization through coordination bonds and non-covalent interactions (e.g., hydrogen bonding) at mild temperatures (**room temperature** to 80°C) and controlled pH. This forms the 3D MOF network within the 3D biochar matrix.
    - **Post-Synthesis Treatments**  
    Wash, dry, and possibly further activate the assembled MOF to remove impurities and stabilize the structure. This may include drying at low temperatures or additional thermal processing
- applications
    - catalyst
        - environmental remediation eg. organic pollutants, tetracyclines, dyes, heavy metal removal from water
        - CO₂ Reduction and Gas Conversion eg. CO2 to fuel
        - Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) eg. ?photocatalyst, electrocatalyst, for Green Hydrogen production
   - energy storage
    - supercapacitors
    - batteries eg. anode and possibly cathode for Na ion
    - hybrid eg. redox flow batteries
- desalination
- perovskites

***

A NEW AI SEARCH STRATEGY   
Here's an example of keyword clustering for 'Carbon based materials' I put together after initial keyword searches. I organised the keywords into clusters that can be directly entered into the search query in perplexity.ai

    1. keyword extraction considered 'important' from the initial searches  
    2. clustering of the keywords   
    3. keyword clusters fed back into follow up questions   
    4. Repeat 1, 2 and 3   

Here they are: 

- Carbon biology

  - biochar

  - biochar 3D matrix

  - biochar surface chemistry and functionalised groups

  - DNA self-assembly compared to Metal Organic Framework MOF self-assembly
- Carbon chemistry
    - Carbon
    - crystalline nano structures
    - advanced Carbon materials
    - steam activated activation
        - temperature
    - C-O-M bonds
    - coordination bond mechanism
    - perovskites
    - Metal  Organic Framework MOF
        - template
        - MOF topology
        - earth-abundant metals for biochar MOF
            - Fe-doped 
            - Manganese-doped
            - Nickel-doped

            - Na-doped
    - synthesis parameters
    - long-term stability mechanisms
- Carbon physics
    -  electrical parameters
        - electrically conductive networks/pathways
        - electrical conductivity EC
        - capacitance
        - cycling stability
- biochar
    - pyrolysis
        - temperature
        - panel kilns

        - TLUD

        - rotary kilns

        - trough pyrolyser
        - Microwave Assisted Pyrolysis MAP
            - GaN
    - feedstock
        - bamboo
            - biochar
            - Silicon-rich
        - other feedstocks
        - moisture content MC
        - cellulose nano crystals CNC

Black gold digging section
-  applications
    - battery electrolyte anode cathode
    - supercapacitors
- industry
    - scalable production
    - industrial processes
    - manufacturing

Information about perplexity.ai

Lets pop the hood
- perplexity is a very clever chatbot - or - rather, a clever AI entity that has a long way to go before achieving AGI status
- here's some probing questions to ask it:
    - what LLM does perplexity.ai 'Deep research' use and how does it work?
    - Can perplexity.ai mine research behind paywalls? 
    - Does perplexity.ai store data from the academic research papers it reads?
    - Why doesn't perplexity.ai use in-text page referencing?
    - How is the perplexity.ai chatbot engineered?
    - Is there a chatbot or LLM that provides inline page references of academic research papers?
- perplexity offers Pro, Deep Research or Labs searches. I've started using Labs with some interesting results generated.
- perplexity Labs is a new approach, creating tables, graphs, charts and possibly pictures, as well as deep research in between     
- Web, academic, finance and social search categories are now available

An old research strategy that works extremely well

I go back to 'Problem Based Learning' research strategy that I learnt at University to cut through the smoke and mirrors of AI:
1 - define the problem->

2 - extract the data points (keywords)->

3 - build hypotheses based on the data points->

4 - create learning issues (questions) to test the hypotheses->

5 - compile a list of references to research the learning issues (perplexity.ai provides these plus additional web searches or even text books)->

6 - research the learning issues->

7 - refine existing hypotheses and build new hypotheses->

8 - create new learning issues to test the hypotheses->

9 - research the learning issues->

Repeat steps 7-9 until you are satisfied with the intel and have 'solved' the problem.

Here's some additional context:

-define the problem

- open a new 'thread' then start with open and general questions (LIs), based on testing a hypothesis, then 'zoom in' with every consecutive inquiry - just like a funnel   
- the data points are the keywords. The LLM is finding existing and new relationships between the keywords 
- follow references (in text with full references at the end) and hunt down research papers (if you can access them) and get to the primary source BUT often research paper references are completely out of context, some of them probably just get their abstracts mined and some are behind pay walls. 
- search results not peer reviewed - the user becomes the peer. This means you get to compare your own 'expert knowledge' to the results - what are the consistencies and contradictions? How can they be resolved?  
- use different internet search engines, as an additional layer for papers or ones not mentioned   
- BUT what is the point of using AI if u need to fact check and evaluate it's sources? I suppose it needed to be done anyway for rigorous research but AI takes it to the next level of confusion!!  
- basically, if Intel is used for critical business decision making, check the sources and get to the primary sources, assuming they're not already primary sources. Also, could run some identical Pro searches using different LLMs eg.Grok 4 
- new knowledge, if it can be recognized with prior fact-checked knowledge, is also difficult to fact check because there's no prior history  

That's all for now!

At a high level it's crystal clear that climate change acceleration is caused by humans and humans are adaptable by nature and can adapt to the new climate change paradigm. 
It matters to people that want to stop it, especially those people who have been directly impacted by it.
I want to slow it down and stop it.

I want to see climate change deceleration until we achieve a stable and safe climate system once again.

A fossil Carbon export tax could be collected and invested in many areas of the transitional economy, including moving towards a regenerative circular bioeconomy.

A financial commitment to Carbon negative technology with a 'National Pyrolysis Strategy' should be one such area, with applications throughout the economy. 
Carbon negative technology producing biochar is linked to Carbon chemistry. Carbon chemistry from the lab to the factory has been a major problem for many Carbon chemists, and chemists in general. A lot more Carbon chemistry funding at the University level could be part of the pyrolysis strategy which could position the developing manufacturing industry very nicely for the future.
I've designed an open source Top-Lit Updraft (TLUD) below that can be used for lab scale biochar/Carbon experiments. For eg., pyrolysis in the TLUD kiln of Silicon-rich bamboo, with high cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), low Moisture Content (MC), at high temperature for high surface area biochar can be used either unmodified or as a feedstock precursor for 'Flash Joule Heating' (FJH, improved with high electrically conductive networks/pathways in the bamboo biochar) for Carbon chemistry (eg.graphene) used to produce Carbon-based (doped?) battery anodes, solid state battery electrolytes, supercapacitors, solar perovskites, electronics and more. Crystalline nano structures are the key to this research! These products could be manufactured in Australia with 'enough' financial support linking in to the private sector. Carbon chemistry is a highly competitive field, as is the future of the Planet, with great rewards for first movers.

Anyone interested in building a research TLUD please contact me and we can talk shop.

At the heart of anthropogenic climate change is the Carbon Cycle out of balance. After almost 300 years of Industrialisation, so much Carbon has been released into the atmosphere that the Carbon Cycle is now at breaking point with atmospheric Carbon emissions dominating the greenhouse gases that are heating up the climate. Many INGOs, Nations, NGOs, businesses and individuals are moving fast to permanently remove these Carbon emissions already up there and avoid creating new Carbon emissions.

A whole new industry has sprung up known as the 'Carbon Removal Marketplace' or CRM. There are a number of Carbon removal technologies being used with variable complexity of the methodologies used to Measure, Report and Verify them for awarding Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) or Biochar Carbon Removal (BCR) credits. The majority of credits issued and purchased (~90%) have been for biochar, a form of biological charcoal that is produced from biomass (waste) with fire in a limited Oxygen environment in a process known as pyrolysis. Research in 2023 suggests that biochar, if meeting the 'Interinite Benchmark', can have a half life of 100 million years!

Biochar is not new. Around 2500 BP (Before Present) biochar was produced by Pre-Columbian Indians in the Amazon rainforest in the form of Terra Preta de Indio, or Amazon Dark Earth (ADE). I suggest reading this fascinating overview found here:
https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/73242
In the 1980s aerial studies were performed over the ADE region and mapped an area the size of France.  ADE was, and still is, incredibly fertile with robust water adsorption and slow release capability, habitat for soil microbes, increased soil porosity and structure, enhanced Cation Exchange Capacity and reduction in Nitrous Oxide (NOx) and methane (CH4) emissions from the soil. In 2004-2005, 'biochar' was coined by Peter Read, a Kiwi climate scientist and research fellow at Massey University, New Zealand, to describe charcoal made from biomass intended for agricultural use. The term was adopted by The International Biochar Initiative, formed following the First International Agrichar Conference held in 2007, and, in my opinion, the 'Biochar Revolution' had begun. Dr Paul Taylor later wrote a book called 'The Biochar Revolution' with early case studies and tips and tricks - I'm selling them cheap if you want a copy...

In 2009, while studying a Diploma of Permaculture, I met the late Geoff Moxham living in Northern New South Wales in Australia who was researching biochar to raise awareness and demonstrated a small biochar-producing Top-Lit UpDraft stove (TLUD, pyroneered by Paul B. Wendelbo, Dr Thomas B. Reed and Dr Paul S. Anderson (Dr TLUD)). I was fascinated by the technology and began building them, eventually upcycling a water heater into a TLUD for my main project. I finished my Diploma in 2010, went to Nepal and promoted biochar through SADP, an agricultural NGO. Hans-Peter Schmidt later built a Citizen Science program in Nepal and popularised the Kon-Tiki biochar kilns. I returned to Australia then started designing and building more TLUDs and biochar kilns, including the Pyramid (designed by Kelpie Wilson which I modded - she also pioneered the 'Ring of Fire' flame cap biochar kiln), Kon-Tiki cone kiln (pioneered by Hans-Peter Schmidt and Dr Paul Taylor - which I also modded), and many flatpacked variations of 'Flame cap' biochar kilns, including the 'Flat Modular Biochar Kiln' that has been improved upon with my latest kiln design, the Flame Cap 'Algorithm' Panel Kiln (co-designed with Dr TLUD), which can be used at the small to medium scale, in field with expandable volume and flatpacked logistics with the potential for Biochar Carbon Credits using a yet to be built thermal imagery based dMRV. My latest TLUDs are the DIY Navigator series - simple to grind off stainless steel tube eg. Chimney flue, exhaust, tube. My latest design is on the 'Bush Survival System' page, called the Navigator 'Awesome' V2 which is still under testing. So, the technologies are continually improving, becoming more appropriate on the small to medium scale and bigger at the large scale eg. ECHO2, Charcell(TM) and adoption is now widespread around the world and increasing exponentially. What's probably more important than biochar production technology is biochar application.
What can it be used for?

The main applications, in my opinion, are growing systems eg.agriculture, forestry, agroforestry (trees, swales and Zai pits), horticulture (greenhouse growing media) etc., cooking and WASH (water pasteurization on a TLUD produces Biochar that can then be used in water filtration (if needed), sanitation (Biochar and bokashi) and hygiene (clean water)). Hard infrastructure eg. charcrete, asphalt, hempcharcrete etc is also a major application now, which can use biochar after it has been applied to water filtration adsorbing dyes, heavy metals, industrial chemicals, agricultural chemicals, antibiotics and more that renders biochar unsuitable for growing systems. Biochar can also be used as a filler eg. resins, Carbon fibre and more. It can be used for electromagnetic radiation shielding, doped/undoped for battery anodes and also supercapacitors. The list keeps growing. Biochar materials science, mainly carried out in China, is on the cutting edge of biochar R&D.

With all these existing and new applications, it's possible and plausible that by 2030 biochar Carbon removal could be on the Gigaton scale at the global level, accelerated by Government policies eg. Denmark has a 'National Pyrolysis Strategy', and CDR/BCR credits, mentioned earlier, purchased from the people that make the biochar aka the 'Charistas' with a CRM platform eg.carbonfuture.earth, puro.earth, HCS etc. operating between the credit purchaser and the Charista. With all this excitement around biochar, it's important to remember that permanent Carbon removal is half of the equation - the other half is reducing Carbon emissions. Fossil fuel combustion is roughly responsible for 90% of global Carbon emissions (according to the UN but there's also a load of statistics out there if you are interested?). Can biochar replace fossil fuel? Kind of. Transport, for example, is moving towards electrification and biochar anodes can be used in batteries. Potentially too, biomass to biochar bioelectricity technology, on or off grid, could be charging car batteries when stationary. There are also many chemicals and plastics produced from fossil fuels. Biochar should be able to make some inroads here such as reducing/displacing the number of fossil-based chemicals and fertilisers in agriculture. Also, work is being done in the plastic space, where pyrolysed plastic eg. using Gallium Nitride (GaN) based Microwave Assisted Pyrolysis (MAP), can be used as a precursor for advanced Carbon materials. MAP can also produce bio-oil, as a by-product of pyrolysis, for monomers to produce new plastic or production of Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel.

I'm predicting that in the future, biochar and biochar-based materials will be ubiquitous, pioneered by many new production technologies, materials and projects, which gives me some hope. I believe 'Biochar Civilisation' can take humanity far further than the Amazonian Indians could have ever dreamed of but will the Carbon Cycle be rebalanced in time before Climate Change runs away? More science still needs to be done in the biochar field, which is now trans-disciplinary, but I guess researching biochar (try the 'Farmers Guide' at ANZBIG, by Professor Stephen Joseph and Dr Paul Taylor), making biochar or investing in 'Charistas' is a great starting point if you're not doing it already. Many online (and offline eg. 'Burn: Using Fire to Cool the Earth', by Albert Bates and Kathleen Draper) resources are now availabe. Something to think about and get involved in. Thanks for your time!

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?