THE COMMERCIALIZATION AND ADVANTAGES OF

BIOCHAR STOVES

AMANDA JOY RAVENHILL BIOCHAR ASSOCIATION

ETHOS JANUARY 28, 2012

WHY I LOVE BIOCHAR Third Culture Kid- Diverse world-views MBA in Sustainability, Bucky Fuller and Systems Thinking IEA- we have 5 years to turn this ship around! RESOURCES: IEA

WHAT IS A BIOCHAR PRODUCING MICROGASIFIER COOKSTOVE?

(aka a Biochar Stove)

THE CHEMISTRY OF PYROLYSIS Combustions of gases, not biomass This all happens in any open re, stoves organize and control the pyrolysis so that is happens uniformly

CHAR PRODUCTION You must quench the char before it gasies to ash. This is Miriam and her Estufa Finca in Costa Rica with one weeks worth of char

WHAT IS BIOCHAR?
a highly porous and stable charcoal that is applied to soil

THE SECRET OF EL DORADO The Amazon was once home to cities of millions The soil that supported these cities is Terra Preta (Dark Earth) and contains charred kitchen waste. RESOURCES: BBC

COMPOSITION Biochar is high in stable amorphous graphite domains, as in it has many tiny pockets. Similar to activated carbon, acts as a soil catalyst.

Decreases nutrient run off High cation exchange capacity Improves soil tilth Carbon capture Remediates soils of heavy metals BIOCHAR BENEFITS

RESOURCES: IBI

NOT ALL BIOCHARS ARE CREATED EQUAL The same feedstocks can create very different chars at different temperatures. 500 C is optimum RESOURCES: MCLAUGHLIN

BIOCHAR STOVE ADVANTAGES:

fuels, emissions, value of char, climate solution

ADVANTAGES: FUELS Corn husks, switchgrass, rice hulls, pigeon peas Abundant renewable dry biomass Agro-waste, tree-waste, environmental excesses.
RESOURCES: UKBRC report Biochar Innovation

ADVANTAGES: EMISSIONS Quantum leap difference from conventional stoves Black Carbon is second major cause of climate change
RESOURCES: GIZ Manual

ADVANTAGES: VALUE OF CHAR Monitoring tool- when the stove functions well, it produces char Cash Value- depending on local prices, $2-$10 dollars a week Soil Value- increases resiliency to extreme weather events

IS IT WORTH IT? In Costa Rica: Each stove produces about 1.5 Kilos per day of char The char is bought back for 30 cents a kilo Resulting in an income of .45 cents a day for the households

ADVANTAGES: CLIMATE SOLUTION Offset up to 12% of GHG Climate Adaptation Carbon-negative energy Reduces Black Carbon
RESOURCES: Nature Communications

BIOCHAR STOVE COMMERCIALIZATION:

How are biochar stoves best introduced into the market? Anila Stove, World Stove, Champion Stove, Estufa Finca

$6 2500 STOVES INDIA

ANILA STOVE APPROPRIATE RURAL TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE RESOURCES: ARTI

$20 16 COUNTRIES WORLD STOVE

LUCIA STOVE

RESOURCES: WORLD STOVE

CHAMPION $30 IN INDIA, $14 PROTOTYPE IN PERU SERVALS

RESOURCES: SERVALS

$40 200 STOVES SEACHAR, APPTA, CATIE

ESTUFA FINCA

RESOURCES: SEACHAR

BIOCHAR MARKET CREATION

80 Companies - a quarter are at a full production scale 40 Academic Institutions

WHO DOES BIOCHAR? 40 Non-prots Projections: 30% growth

RESOURCES: Biochar Network

Ask for more.

PARTNERSHIPS FOR PROPER CHAR USE UNIVERSITIES AGRICULTURE RESEARCH FERTILIZER COMPANIES WATER FILTER COMPANY SANITATION COMPANY

CLIMATE ADAPTATION MAKES SOIL MORE RESILIENT FERTILIZER

THE NEED FOR CHAR MORE ARABLE SOIL FOOD SECURITY

Questions? and Thank You

AMANDA JOY RAVENHILL amanda@biocharassociation.org linkedin.com/in/amandaravenhill BIOCHARASSOCIATION.ORG