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Biochar Appropriate Technology - by James Jenkinson, Permachar, 9th draft
An overview of biochar appropriate technologies within different contexts
Biochar apptech – by James Jenkinson, pe
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BENEFITS

Float more boats while saving the climate?

TEK

*Energy

Solar-powered power bank for TLUD fan, smartphones, LED lighting or other USB-powered devices

Improved lighting->reduction in blindness and increased educational opportunities

Smartphone->communications, mapping , micro-finance and millions of other benefits from apps

*TLUD stove

Cooking food - nutrition

Boiling water - kills most pathogens in water

Almost zero Carbon emissions from cooking using micro-gasification->reduction of climate change

Fuel pellets made from sustainable biomass waste eg. rice husk, saw dust etc.

Biochar from TLUD pellets->Long-term Carbon sequestration in the kitchen garden->reduction of climate change

Reduction in smoke with TLUD compared to a dirty stove or open fire ->reduction in smoke-related eye disease eg.blindness and respiratory illness

WASH

*Water filtration with biochar

Potable water (after initial boiling)

Decreased saline water and persistant organic pesticides (POP) and unhealthy bacteria or viruses that aren't killed from boiling water->decreased salt intake, toxins, water-borne disease eg. diarrhea

*Water conservation

Wastewater on kitchen garden increases water conservation for household->decreased cost of water bill and addresses potential water shortages due to population increase, climate change caused droughts, broken or inaccessible water infrastructure

*Sanitation

Potable water->drinking, personal hygiene

Treatment of sewage/sewerage with biochar (biochar 'humanure')->organic fertiliser for the kitchen garden

*Food

Food hygiene

Biochar treated sewage/sewerage fertiliser->increased kitchen garden productivity/yield and nutrition (with many other benefits to the soil and climate)

The Permachar Kit (TPK) for offgrid semi-permanent/permanent settlements

 

Feedstock

 

  • Stihl/Ozito 18V electric Chainsaw (helmet/ear muffs)

  • protective glasses

  • bar oil

  • funnel

  • kickback-proof pants (Stihl)

  • Ozito 18V electric circular saw

  • unpowered tree saw

  • wide heavy duty wheelbarrow

  • leather gloves

  • steel capped boots

  • biomass→Flat-Tiki ‘Carbon’/Kon-Tiki 1.2/1.65m biochar kiln→biochar

  • Shredder/hammer mill (BBT (petrol) or AC/DC electric hammer mill + solar generator eg. Goal Zero/Suaoki with Goal Zero ‘Nomad’ 100W panel)

Biochar Kiln

  • A Kon-Tiki 1.2m/1.65m:

    • 1*IBC

    • 12V SHURFLO water pump (for kiln quenching and kiln draining for the Kon-Tiki)

    • Goal Zero ‘Guardian’

    • 12V AGM battery eg.Fusion 40Ah

    • Nomad 14/20W PV solar panel (with 8mm output port to interface with the ‘Guardian’)

    • Approximately 15m 1” rural line

    • 4* 1” end connectors (BSP)

    • 2*1/2”F to 1”F socket (BSP)

  • 5 large heavy duty tarps for feedstock and biochar drying

  •  20 litre 85% phosphoric acid Food Grade (envirochemonline.com.au)

  • laser thermometer dodocool GM900 (ebay)

  • Digitech pH meter QM-1670 (Jaycar)

 

The Permafert Swale (TPS)

 

  • Mattock/shovel

  • Irrigation for the TPS - 19mm poly, Netafim miniscape, fittings (threaded tap plug, takeoffs, plugs, elbows), Ozito 18V jigsaw, UMIC, MI water bladder/dam

 

Permafert middens with central drilled PVC 40mm water pipes (1m long)

 

1*IBC – cut in 2/3 – 1/3 for Permafert midden/loam + Permafert slurry/ ‘activated biochar’ mixing, 2/3 for Permafert slurry/’activated biochar’ mixing

 

Terra preta vermicompost (TPV) (used as a Compost Tea inoculum)

 

  • 4*50 litre opaque plastic containers (Bunnings/Cheap as Chips) OR

  • wheelie bin with wormsdownunder.com.au kit OR
  • bath tub OR
  • worm farm stack system PLUS
  • hessian sack (cover)

  • Tiger, red or blue 'composting' earthworms

  • coir (worm bedding)

  • milled biochar ('activated' for the Kon-Tiki) - added with food scraps

  • fungus eg. Mycorrhizal

  • food scraps

 

Compost tea (added to Permafert slurry for Flat-tiki ‘Carbon’/added to milled (dried) ‘activated biochar’ for the Kon-Tiki 1.2m/1.65m)

 

  • 2*20l plastic buckets

  • aquarium pump (AC/DC eg. mains/run off solar generator)

  • PVC tea bag stand

  • 4*tea bag/laundry bag

  • Microscope (Soil Food Web Institute + online microscope course) eg. mains/run off solar generator

 

Additional ingredients for Permafert slurry (for Flat-Tiki ‘Carbon’/'The Permastove V3')

 

  • sea minerals eg. liquid kelp, SEA-90

  • carbohydrates eg.molasses

  • nutrients eg.blood and bone, NPKS

 

The Permachar Nursery (TPN)

 

  • 100mm pots, potting mix (with 5% milled biochar)

  • Seeds eg. Eden Seeds – nut trees, fruit trees, acacias, vegetables, herbs

  • Mist bottle (for seeds before sprouting)

  • 10 litre Portable weed sprayer (for watering seedlings after sprouting)

  • Brix refractometer/spectrometer (beta) (bionutrient.org)

 

Greenhouse

 

  1. 5*37 litre clear/transparent plastic containers (Bunnings) OR

  2. CarboPIU A shaped tunnel with triangles cut at the end, A shaped PVC frame OR

  3. CarboPIU boxes

 

Water filtration (Aqueous Solutions handbook)

 

  • HDPE #2 plastic barrels

  • biochar

  • gravel

  • sand

  • PVC fittings

  • pipes

 

Household

 

  • tent(s) (thelevelmarket.com), stretches/sheets,blankets, pillows

  • solar showers

  • biochar toilets (Bill and Melissa Gates Foundation)/self-composting toilets (Humanure handbook)

  • 5*10 litre heavy duty plastic buckets with steel handles/crockery/eating implements/plates, bowls/steel saucepans/wok,steel wool,biodegradeable detergent

 

The Energy Kit (TEK)

 

‘The Permastove V3’ (beta) TLUD/centrifugal USB fan/26,000mAh USB A/USB C graphene power bank, 2*LED lights, 2*USB extension leads/PV solar panel eg Nomad 14/20W/6.3” smartphone (min specs 4/64 with microSD up to 1Tb)

 

+

 

pelletiser OR pellets – rice husk/sawdust/many other feedstocks