Kiln Materials for Distribution

A collection of barrels, kilns and scrap metal is looking for a new home. If anyone wants to pick up any of this stuff, either to use it or to store in for future use in UBET projects, please contact me (Kelpie) and we'll make arrangements for you to go by and place to pick it up. Here is a description, followed by some pictures:

Here's the "stuff"; two plastic chairs are hidden; there are a number of pallets; there are  maybe 3 sheet-metal, but Scott said he will pick those up. There are 19 barrels down  over the hill; I don't know if they have lids or not. There is a large square covered with black plastic which we want to remain. 

Duchess Biochar Field Trial Update

Work on the plots at the Duchess Sanctuary continues. UBET member Mike Burke is monitoring the new biochar applications made in November. There has been a lot of rain, but the top-applied biochar seems to be staying in place on the 10ft x 10ft plots. Here is a report from Mike:

"With a break in the weather we went to the Duchess Horse Sanctuary this morning to check out the plots.  These pictures were taken from plots in row #4, which is the middle row and a good sample of what is happening on all plots. 
First picture (0516) is plot C with heavy application of biochar and grass is spotty.  Due to the heavy application it looks like grass suffocated, might be due to all the rain?  To date approx. 26 inches of rain since 11/18/15 when we did this work. Second picture (0517) is plot B with moderate application of biochar and grass is more uniform.  B plots are the best looking."

Plot C treatment - 2 applications of biochar - total = 15 gal/plot

Plot B treatment - 2 applications of biochar - total = 5 gal/plot

A Great One Passes...

We are sad to announce UBET leader Jim Long died on Thursday, January 7 after battling cancer. Jim Long was a founder of the group and an instigator of many great biochar projects in Douglas County. Through his involvement in a large number of community initiatives promoting sustainability and community cohesion, Jim introduced a wide variety of people to the concept of biochar. He inspired and encouraged many volunteers to engage in biochar projects of all kinds. His family hopes his legacy will continue.

There will be a Celebration of Jim's Long Life, on Saturday, January 23rd, from 1:30-3:30 at the Southern Oregon Wine Institute - www.umpqua.edu/sowi

First Burns Using the UCC Kilns

Thanks to Ian Fisher and Duane Thompson of Umpqua Community College for their work on our newest set of biochar kilns. From our rough sketches, they were able to put together these very functional steel kilns that we used in two biochar sessions on January 8 and 9. 

On January 8, we worked at the Alder Creek Community Forest. The Alder Creek Community Forest is a wonderful educational resource. Local schools use the Pavilion and grounds several days a week to teach children about nature and forestry. Now they can learn about biochar as well. Thanks to Don Morrison, Scott McKain, Jessica Pires, Jackie Parag and her son Rich, Jim Proctor, David Parker and Jerry Sabol for helping with kiln transport, loading, unloading and quenching.

ACCF will use the biochar in several different ecological restoration projects. 

Doranne Long, Kelpie Wilson and Scott McKain admire the new UCC biochar kilns at Alder Creek Community Forest.

Don and Scott add slash to the kiln. We did not cut the slash to fit in the kiln as an experiment in labor saving. As the longer pieces burned through, we chunked the ends into the kiln to finish burning.

On Saturday we met at Troy Michaels' place to process some recently fallen trees into biochar using the UCC kilns and Scott McKain's WigWam Kiln. The wood was very wet - most of it was more than 30% water. Usually we like the wood to be less than 25% moisture for an efficient burn. So, we burned a lot of wood just to make enought heat to evaporate the moisture. We still managed to make almost a cubic yard of biochar! It was a good learning experience. Thanks to Troy, Don, Scott, Stan, Michael and Dan for help.

The two Oregon Kilns, the WigWam Kiln and a heck of a lot of wet wood.

We improvised heat shields and caps to try to hold in more heat and improve the charring efficiency.

More pictures from both days are found here: 

https://goo.gl/photos/5uHqYR9zEpZAaKieA

Biochar is part of the “third way”

Zoologist/author Tim Flannery from Australia sees a “third way” to manage atmospheric CO2: reduce emissions, geoengineering, and “absorb CO2 in a benign manner from the atmosphere and convert it into a mineralized form of carbon that can be taken out of commission for thousands of years.”

Among these benign technologies, he asserts, is biochar. Others include planting trees, growing seaweed, and stimulating the natural weathering of rocks that absorb CO2.

Flannery outlines his ideas in his new book, Atmosphere of Hope: Solutions to the Climate Crisis.

You may recall his 2005 book The Weather Makers, a contribution that was translated into 23 languages and sold millions.

Here's an interview with Flannery you can read now:
http://www.greenbiz.com/article/how-third-way-technologies-can-help-turn-tide-climate

- From Jim Long

Oregon Kiln in the Woods!

On Dec. 4 we got some kilns out in the woods to burn slash piles that are normally incinerated to ash. Thanks to Grayback Forestry and Sean Hendrix for inviting us to bring the kilns to see what they could do. Each kiln consumed about 6-8 burn piles and made close to a cubic yard of char. It rained steadily all morning, but we were still able to make char. We lit up at 9 am and quenched at 12:30. I was pleased to see it took less than 50 gallons of water to completely quench one kiln. Took a lunch break and dumped the kilns and loaded them back on the trailer. Went pretty smooth, really.

Some of the Forest Service fire people were there and they said that 7 piles corresponds to about 40 feet of roadside thinning. So if you could unload 20 kilns along 800 feet of roadside, you could treat all the slash and make 20 cubic yards of biochar in 6 hours of work. If the feedstock is well-staged and you don't have to pull apart piles and move it long distances, one worker (a young, strong one) could feed 4 kilns continuously. So a crew of 6 could do it. You'd need a flatbed to transport the kilns and 1000 gal water truck to quench.


Click here for web album

Willow Witt Ranch Char Day

Here's an album of pictures from the first burn of the Oregon Kiln that took place at Willow Witt Ranch on Nov 27, 2015. Thanks to Suzanne and Lanita of Willow Witt Ranch and helper Micah. Thanks also to Vicklund & Son for fabricating the kilns and mounting the jib crane to the trailer. The Oregon Kiln was designed by Kelpie Wilson, Wilson Biochar Associates (wilsonbiochar.com). The Oregon Kiln is a Flame Cap Biochar Kiln intended for use with forest slash and other kinds of waste wood commonly found in the forested regions of Oregon and elsewhere.


Web Album:  https://goo.gl/photos/H1bBQ1mZQwukipAp9

I was impressed with the efficiency of the kiln. We had some big chunks - 4"x4" and even a little bigger that charred nicely. And it did not take all day. I showed up at 10 am and we lit the rick at about 11 am. Quenched at around 5 pm. So the burn was only 6 hours long. Compare to my 4 foot diameter, 4 foot tall tube kiln that took 11 hours to fill. Total volume is almost the same. The Oregon kiln dimensions are 4' square bottom base, 5' square top base and about 25" elevation (sides are 26" wide).

Here is a simple description of how the kiln works:

You have to think of the Flame Cap Kiln as a retort that is made of steel on the bottom and of a stable gas vortex (actually a collection of vortices) on the top. Both function to exclude air, hold in heat, and char the feedstock.

Next task is to design some better wind screens - I'm thinking of something modular that can be moved around the kiln as needed.