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SeaMaiden
That sounds PERFECT. Being where I am, you'd think rice hulls would be easier to source locally. Gotta hit the Central Valley.
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That sounds PERFECT. Being where I am, you'd think rice hulls would be easier to source locally. Gotta hit the Central Valley.
O
OrganicOzarks
norcal_sourD
Active member
Very informative, hoping to use this in the future. Am a county over from you and TMDave, Maiden. Have plenty of biofuels available here in El Do haha. Now that my kids' guinea pigs are "resting" I'll have plenty of pine and cedar shavings to experiment with as a component of my "char" lol. Goin big or goin home this year!
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OrganicOzarks
I can drive 13 miles and get a 16' trailer load for $200. That is the smallest you can get though.
C
CulturedHeathen
Would you folks soak and "charge" the powdered char before applying, or should it be good to go straight out of the bag? I don't need to soak for pulverization as it is already a fine dust.
OrganicOzarks
Only defined as a 'stand-alone company' but Riceland is one of the world's largest rice milling & packing operations. Because of how research monies are allocated at the national level, the University of Arkansas and Riceland received big dollars in the 1990's for several projects and a big one was 'What can we do with rice hulls?'
If you want to know everything possible about rice hulls, both Riceland and the university is the place to start. At least you'll know which part of the rice plant contains Silica in measurable amounts.
CC
Only defined as a 'stand-alone company' but Riceland is one of the world's largest rice milling & packing operations. Because of how research monies are allocated at the national level, the University of Arkansas and Riceland received big dollars in the 1990's for several projects and a big one was 'What can we do with rice hulls?'
If you want to know everything possible about rice hulls, both Riceland and the university is the place to start. At least you'll know which part of the rice plant contains Silica in measurable amounts.
CC
DuckDuckGoose
Member
check this out off of wiki...
Thermo catalytic depolymerization
Alternatively, thermo-catalytic depolymerization using microwaves has recently been used to efficiently convert organic matter to biochar on an industrial scale, producing ~50% char.
i'm about make some char as we speak...ZIPPITY ZAP FOOLS!!!
Thermo catalytic depolymerization
Alternatively, thermo-catalytic depolymerization using microwaves has recently been used to efficiently convert organic matter to biochar on an industrial scale, producing ~50% char.
i'm about make some char as we speak...ZIPPITY ZAP FOOLS!!!
Well I finally got around to making my biochar this past weekend. I basically followed my earlier link but used a 6">4" reducer which fit the paint can perfectly and a 2' extension for chimney. I had some aluminum tape around it at first but it burned off almost immediately. I used an old church key can opener to punch a bunch of holes around the rim and as you can see in the pix, it got pretty mangled. I just bent it all back as best as I could and it worked fine.
I did 2 runs, back to back. I used rubbing alcohol soaked pellets to start my burns and they took exactly 1 hour to finish. On the first burn the paint can turned from shiny to dull gray as it burned down so it was easy to follow the progress. On the second run I rubbed an old candle on the side of the can and watched it melt and completely burn away as the burn progressed. You can see the wax line on the 3rd pic.
Super simple to make and overall it seemed to go very well. I mixed some hydrolyzed fish, ewc and buffaloam in water and have it soaking now. Looking forward to getting it into my mix.
And the finished product.
That's fantastic!
DuckDuckGoose
Member
i'm using some 100% natural lump charcoal. it's made from oak and hickory wood, and has zero additives, no filler or petroleum products.
the solution that it's soaking in has fish hydrolysate, 2 tbsps of kelp meal, 2 tbsps neem meal, 2 tbsps fish bone meal, 2 tbsps alfalfa meal and a few tbsps of ewc and molasses. i'm gonna add some EM and let this soak for at least 2 weeks. that was Darc's suggestion to let is sit a minimum of 2 weeks before adding to the soil. i have my char sitting in this awesome 8 gallon container with a sealed lid to keep the pungent aroma from stinking out my basement.
DDG
the solution that it's soaking in has fish hydrolysate, 2 tbsps of kelp meal, 2 tbsps neem meal, 2 tbsps fish bone meal, 2 tbsps alfalfa meal and a few tbsps of ewc and molasses. i'm gonna add some EM and let this soak for at least 2 weeks. that was Darc's suggestion to let is sit a minimum of 2 weeks before adding to the soil. i have my char sitting in this awesome 8 gallon container with a sealed lid to keep the pungent aroma from stinking out my basement.
DDG
C
CulturedHeathen
Excellent kiln there JD!
C
CulturedHeathen
That's a pretty potent sounding mix there Goose... Are you not worried about fermentation with the lid closed, or is that the general idea? Anyhow, once dried and pulverized it should make a fantastic nutrient mix for happy plants and their microbe workers.
DuckDuckGoose
Member
good point about the fermentation CH.
i don't really know if that is what is desired. i saw DarcMind put his in a bucket with a plastic garbage bag tied around it to keep out the critters. i assume it won't hurt anything if i have the lid on. i do stir it daily so it gets air. i think it should do the trick when it's dried and crushed up. i forgot to mention that the char is soaking in about 4 gallons of water so 8 tbsps of dry amendments doesn't seem overly strong.
DDG
i don't really know if that is what is desired. i saw DarcMind put his in a bucket with a plastic garbage bag tied around it to keep out the critters. i assume it won't hurt anything if i have the lid on. i do stir it daily so it gets air. i think it should do the trick when it's dried and crushed up. i forgot to mention that the char is soaking in about 4 gallons of water so 8 tbsps of dry amendments doesn't seem overly strong.
DDG
DuckDuckGoose
Member
here is an audio file about bio char....
http://www.cbc.ca/quirks/media/2007-2008/mp3/qq-2008-05-31_04.mp3
i know how difficult it can be reading information while ripped to the gills on some heavy duty diggity dank. so listen up instead for all the red eyes!
DDG
http://www.cbc.ca/quirks/media/2007-2008/mp3/qq-2008-05-31_04.mp3
i know how difficult it can be reading information while ripped to the gills on some heavy duty diggity dank. so listen up instead for all the red eyes!
DDG
S
SeaMaiden
I just made my first batch yesterday, no pyrolizing chamber needed, just a fire and the materials you're going to char. Rice hulls definitely work the easiest/best, but other materials will work, too.
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OrganicOzarks
S
SeaMaiden
I actually took mostly video, which I'm going to have someone edit together with me. Unfortunately, it will only be shared in certain places and this place won't be it.
Oregonism
Active member
very interested in how this works!
I am contemplating building a retort for knotweed and blackberry canes. There is a small univeristy in Wa State, doing the same thing, but collecting the wood gas from the pyrolizing canes and knotweed poles.
Pretty cool stuff! Good luck w/ the results!
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OrganicOzarks
