NW Biochar Working Group Harvesting Clean Energy Conference
LaSells Stewart Center, Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon January 28, 2013
Building NW Biochar Markets An Introduction to Biochar Products, Markets,
and Opportunities
Tom Miles T R Miles Technical Consultants Inc
Portland, OR www.trmiles.com
Copyright 2013, All Rights Reserved
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Agenda
1:30-2:00 Welcome and Introduction: Marcus Kauffman—Oregon Dept. of Forestry Biochar Market Overview: Tom Miles—TR Miles Technical Consultants
2:00-2:30 Biochar in Retail Garden and Nursery Markets: Renel Anderson—Biochar Supreme and Tom Grissom—International Tech Corporation (ITC) 2:30-3:15 Biochar Integrated with Heat and Power—Jerry Whitfield—Whitfield Biochar, John Meidema—BioLogical Carbon and Dean Foor—EC Oregon, and Neil Walgren—Cool Planet Energy Systems 3:14—3:45 Networking and Poster Session Break 3:45-4:30 Biochar Application in Stormwater, Commercial Landscaping and Erosion Control: Robin Cook—Permamatrix, Jeff Hart—Kennedy Jenks, Tom Miles—TR Miles Technical Consultants, Jeff Nason—OSU, and Jim Archuleta—USDA Forest Service • 4:30-5:00 The Pathway Forward—Facilitated Discussion: Marcus Kauffman—ODF •Vision •Market development pathways •Key demonstration projects •Ideas for moving forward
Thank You • Climate Solutions and Harvesting Clean Energy • Oregon State University • NW Biochar Working Group (115 members) • Oregon Department of Forestry • Washington Department of Ecology • PNW Biochar Initiative/Biological Carbon • Whitfield Biochar • Washington State University • US Biochar Initiative • International Biochar Initiative • Speakers
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Objectives • Inform each other • Plan market development –priority opportunities, challenges
Growers, - Garden, Crops, Hort Farmers, Foresters Organics Recycling, Compost Soil scientists, Agronomists Civil and Environmental Engineers Landscape Architects
Biochar producers Brokers Soil Blenders Biochar consumers
Industry – Government – Academia Participants Public Agencies Local, State, Federal Research
Value Stream 70-80% Gas 5 MMBtu $25-$150
20-30% Char
2000 lb at 50% Carbon $20-60
500 lb Carbon $50-$250 NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
NW Biochar Producers or Suppliers
http://goo.gl/maps/kR0La NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Why Produce Biochar in the Pacific Northwest? • Locally produced • Natural product • Sustainable • Creates recycling opportunities and adds value to
abundant local agricultural and forest resources • Adds environmental and economic value • Needed in key local markets for agricultural production,
environmental protection and resource management • Can be integrated into existing energy and agricultural
resource infrastructure for production, marketing and distribution
• Can be produced and sold at a profit to maintain jobs NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
PNW Biochar Products
Ecofeed 5-2-3 Organic Fertilizer ecotracorganics.net
Garden Char/Blue Sky Biochar www.internationaltechcorp.net
Char King www.char-king.com
Whitfield Biochar www.whitfieldbiochar.com
CarbonCultures www.carboncultures.com www.permamatrix.com
Conichar www.conichar.com
www.idachar.com
Biochar Supreme www.biocharsupreme.com
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Produce biochar to rebuild and sustain soil and sequester carbon.
Retain water (WHC) Increase pH (soil liming) Supply and retain nutrients – ash + cation exchange
(CEC) Improve water quality (filtration, adsorption,
precipitation) Reduce compaction – Improve porosity (soil, compost) – Improve hydraulic conductivity (soil, filter media) – Promote growth of microorganisms – Resist disease (induced disease resistance) – Recalcitrance - cycles slowly through carbon cycle NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Develop biochar products suited to NW markets
Agricu
lture
Biomass/O
rganics
Forestr
y
Storm
water
Remediat
ion
Ecosys
tem Servi
ces
Products ~ ~ ~ ~ ?Product Line/Value
Product Research
Market PerformanceMarket Potential ? ? ? ? ?Market Share
Sales Forecasts
PromotionAdvertising Research
Personal Selling
DistributionDistribution channels
Location Analysis
PricingPrice $0.01-$1.00/lb ? ? ? ? ?Price Policy
Other Industry Analysis/Competition
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Variety of Biochar Products • Biochar (fines, chips, chunks, pellets) • Formulated biochar products for growing
media – Biochar + compost/compost tea + minerals +
nutrients – Inoculated biochar (microorganisms, compost) – Granulated char formulations (manures, meal )
• Activated biochar – – bioactivation (composted char – terra preta) – steam or chemical activation
• Biochar enhanced products (1%-50%) – Specialty mulch – roadside vegetation – Seed coating – Filtration products (stormwater) – Manure conditioning or composting – Odor control for manure or composts
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Agriculture: Opportunities and Challenges
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Agriculture: Biochar Products, Markets and Research
• Products and Markets – Retail Garden Markets – Organic Growers – DIY Biochar – Vermicompost/Vermichar – Specialty crops – primarily organic – Anaerobic Digestion and biochar (Junction City) – Manure management – litter odor and nutrients – Turf management (Ecotrac Organics, Permamatrix)
• Research and Demonstration – Soils (OSU - Pendleton) – Seed coating (USDA FS Pendleton) – Seed screenings char (OSU USDA ARS) – Crops and Soils (OSU/WSU USDA ARS Corp and Soils)
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Biochar Supreme www.biocharsupreme.com
Garden Char/Blue Sky www.internationaltechcorp.net
Opportunity: Provide sustainable carbon to production agriculture.
Challenges: affordable conversion, field application.
Method:
Add 200-lb C/acre/year to grow sustainable COOL FOOD www.dyarrow.org/cool-food (e.g. COOL VEGE carbon minus)
Direct Application
Or
Add 5% - 100lb biochar/ton – to compost
www.yeomansplow.com.au
Keyline Plow
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
McGreevy and Shibata Kyoto University 2010 http://hdl.handle.net/2047/d20000347
Cool Vege Carbon Minus Project Scheme
1000kg/ha/yr 890 lb/acre/yr
10% pay 10% more
1 CY + 5 CY = 3 t/a FOREST RESIDUES PRUNINGS TEAR OUTS URBAN WOOD
SEEDS HUSKS HULLS
BIOMASS ASH HEAT AND POWER
+
ORGANICS
AD SOLIDS FORAGE HOPS MINT GREEN WASTE Row Crops
Orchard Berries Vineyards
COOL FOOD CO-COMPOST
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
“surface oxidation can be accelerated by microbial aging”
Wiedner, Glaser 2012
Field Crops - COOL GRASS SEED: Open burning in the Willamette Valley 1940-1980 sanitized fields, improved
seed quality, sequestered carbon and polluted air. • Open Field Burning 1930s to 1977
– Burned straw and stubble to control blind seed disease – Disease controlled by 1948
• 4 tons/acre, 100 acres/hr • 270,000 acres/year
• Benefits
– Seed quality – Reduced disease w/o chemicals – Returned nutrients and carbon – 1%-2% or 80-160 lb C/acre – Carbon 20,000 t/y C
• Costs (2012)
– $4/a (w/o fee), $50/tC – Air quality, health, safety Respirable particulate (<10µm)
• Consequence
– Black Tuesday (1969) – Regulation (1969ff) – Phase Out and Termination (1980s)
Consulting Engineers’ Reports to the Oregon Field Sanitation Committee for 1974-76. F. Glen Odell and Thomas R. Miles. December 1974, 1976. NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
COOL GRASS SEED: Mobile Field Sanitizers removed straw, burned stubble to sanitize fields, reduced emissions, increased carbon, retained nutrients but were not economically feasible.
• Development /Field Testing 1969- 1977
• 3-6 acres/hr 1.5t/a, 4-8t/h • Benefits
– Efficient – Clean Emissions – Part. 90%>100µm – Nutrients on Field – Good regrowth/yield – ~200-300 lb C/acre
550 acres/machine/year (80 tC/yr) Costs (2012)
– Capital $125,000-$300,000 – Labor – two drivers – Operation – two tractors – Remove and sell 2 t/a straw – 20-30 acres/day – $138/a – $1000-1,400/t C
Thomas R. Miles, Combustion of Straw, Mobile and Stationary. Western States Section Combustion Institute 1977.
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Biochar, Heat, and Power: Opportunities and Challenges
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Biochar Heat and Power: Products, Markets and Research
• Products and Markets – Combined Heat and Biochar (Whitfield) – Anaerobic Digestion + Biochar (JC Biomethane) – Liquid Fuels + Biochar (Cool Planet)
• Research and Demonstration – Technology and Char characterization (WSU Garcia Perez) – Biomass + Biochar (OSU Smith)
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Whitfield Biochar www.whitfieldbiochar.com
JC Biomethane Biological Carbon www.ecoregon.com
Cool Planet Biofuels www.coolplanetbiofuels.com
Storm water Filtration, Erosion Control, Remediation: Opportunities and Challenges
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Stormwater, Erosion Control: Products, Markets and Research
• Products and Markets – Erosion/revegetation (Permamatrix) – Industrial filtration (Kennedy Jenks) – Roof Drains (Sunmark Environmental) – Filter socks – Bio-bags – Green Roof Media – Mine reclamation
• Research and Demonstration – WSU Puyallup – LID Bioretention (Hinman) – Water Quality Cu– OSU (Jeff Nason) – Green Roofs - PSU (Beck) – Stormwater Media Trials - Stanford (LeFevre)
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
www.permamatrix.com
WSU Low Impact Development www.wastormwatercenter.org/low-impact/
Kennedy Jenks Industrial Filtration www.kennedyjenks.com
Forestry: Opportunities and Challenges • Products and Markets
– Post Fire Seeding (Walking Point Farms/USFS)
– Erosion control (Permamatrix) – Seedling out-planting (Biological Carbon) – Slash Conversion (Carbon Cultures)
• Research and Demonstration – Forest Soils (U Idaho, MT) – Seed coating (USDA FS Umatilla NF) – Stream (U f Idaho Mark Coleman) – Charring slash piles (Carbon
Cultures/UW)
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Post Fire Seeding www.fs.usda.gov/umatilla walkingpointfarms.com
NW Biochar Working Group Recommendations for Short and Long Term Actions
November 19, 2012
• Agriculture • Biomass/Organics Recycling • Forestry • Stormwater • Ecosystems Services
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Agriculture: Short Term Actions • Identify environmental problems in agriculture that
specialized/customized chars may be able to address, e.g. Chesapeake Bay poultry runoff management, odor control in manure, reduce soil N2O emissions
• Develop a list of agricultural feedstocks where producing biochar on site
could solve an environmental problem and also where heat is already needed; e.g. hops, mint oil; the heat utilization could be the critical economic link
• Identify places (geographical proximity) where synergistic opportunities
exist to add biochar production (e.g. link an anaerobic digester, greenhouse, and biochar; pyrolysis heat goes to greenhouse, biochar goes to container mix and nutrient recovery from digester effluent, etc.). Might be an opportunity in the Mt Vernon area – dairies, flower greenhouses – NRCS CIG grant opportunity? Would need to be the national level
funding to be a large enough grant
NW Biochar Working Group Nov 2012
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Agriculture: Long Term Actions • Demonstration of closed-loop system (energy and nutrients)
in dairy or poultry industry (Ohio has project underway) – Idaho, Westpoint Seattle digester, Farm power
• Develop greater understanding of biochar characteristics (effects of biochar aging, feedstock, process, particle size and post-production handling). Be able to generally understand what types of biochar elicit what sorts of responses.
• Develop actual end use specifications for different biochars similar to what the compost industry has done.
NW Biochar Working Group Nov 2012
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Markets and Priority Projects: Agriculture • Displace vermiculite and peat in greenhouses
• Correct soil condition or improve produce
quality in production agriculture
NW Biochar Working Group Nov 2012
15% char + alfalfa
50% compo-char + bark
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Biomass/Organics: Short Term Actions • Inventory biochar industry and markets to identify current efforts
and specific needs • Build public/private partnerships to drive R&D efforts: expand field
trials to prove long-term efficacy, develop regulatory approval, and adopt BMP requirements to support markets
• Informal advisory group to guide business planning (support through
Extension?) • Douglas fir bark char for stormwater, including field trials in Puyallup • Nutrient capture (nitrates, phosphates)
• Activated carbon for filtration, e.g. Biogenic Reagents in Fife
(feedstocks unknown) NW Biochar Working Group Nov 2012
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Biomass/Organics: Long Term Actions • Only other source of predictable feedstock volumes,
pricing and characteristics appears to be various forms of mill waste
• Need to identify process technologies and off-takes for
char from inconsistent woody feedstocks, e.g. bioenergy facilities primarily producing syngas/biocrude
• Priority Projects:
– Recover wood waste to CHP, fuel and char – Use char to treat stormwater
NW Biochar Working Group Nov 2012
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Stormwater: Short Term Actions • Incorporate biochar (organic matter) in existing erosion
control, site restoration and remediation projects.
• Sell biochar to industrial stormwater sites, – Demonstrate uses – Monitor results
• Laboratory studies of removal – column tests for Total Cu, Zn • Fund collaborative monitoring and research (e.g. WSU
Puyallup, TAPE)
• Identify collaborators - companies, City, State, Fed, ports • Develop temporary special provision (WASHDOT), and
general specifications to include biochar. NW Biochar Working Group Nov 2012
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Stormwater: Long Term Actions • Low Impact Development (LID) facilities or structures which requires
approval through demonstration and testing projects (TAPE, BMP). • Compare compost with biochar in column studies. These activities
are begun at WSU, Puyallup’s Bioretention stormwater testing facility. Multiyear testing is needed. Funding ($200K-$250K) is needed to fully build out the testing of biochar in these stormwater applications.
• Identify remediation demonstration projects with municipal, county
and port district staff. Funding by collaboration with state and federal sources.
• Networking with groups like Washington Organics Recycling Council,
US Compost Council or other compost organizations, and organics support organizations to build collaboration and field use opportunities.
NW Biochar Working Group Nov 2012
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Stormwater: Markets and Priority Projects • Use char for industrial roof drains (Port of Vancouver, Tacoma)
• Use char as organics (<35%) of media for bioswales(WA DOT) • Work with agencies to adopt standard methods • WSU Puyallup Bioretention Trials (3 year) • Elwha River Valley Restoration Project
NW Biochar Working Group Nov 2012
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Forestry: Short Term Actions • In forest opportunities:
– water filtration on road systems, – biochar in wattles, – seed coating to improve post fire re-establishment, – wildlife food plots for improving soils and food productivity, – restoring skid trails – re-establishing forest on road surfaces.
• Biochar with chitosan is already used in Baker tank filters. • Hydraulically applied for burned area recovery. But re-
seeding products need to be certified by USDA which is in testing.
• Review and improve performance of biochar in these
settings. NW Biochar Working Group Nov 2012
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Forestry: Long Term Actions • Make char for fuel reduction • Mobile pyrolysis units for in-the-woods
processing. Transportable units add complexity, but a scale unit should be built and tested.
• Couple pyrolysis with timber harvest. WA DNR
noted that they will provide lead actions in the group.
NW Biochar Working Group Nov 2012
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Forestry: Markets and Priority Projects
• Integrate char into logging practices
• Apply char to field sites with debris piles for soils reforestation and/or stream side
NW Biochar Working Group Nov 2012
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Ecosystem Services – Opportunties and Challenges for carbon, sustainability, wildlife, climate. Ecosystem services “benefits that human communities enjoy as a result of natural processes and biological diversity.” Ecological values are defined as “clean air, clean and abundant water, fish and wildlife habitat and other values that are generally considered public goods.” (OR) Ecosystem services market is “a system in which providers of ecosystem services can access financing to protect, restore and maintain ecological values, including the full spectrum of regulatory, quasi-regulatory, and voluntary markets.” (OR) Biochar Products: carbon offsets; monetized carbon benefits, carbon sequestration, sustainability, impact investing, potential brokers, buyers, policy support.
Hurricane Sandy Approach - NOAA
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
Ecosystem Services: Markets and Priority Projects
• Develop a carbon market and trading value mechanism
• Develop a broadly accepted LCA for business case
• Integrate biochar into existing compost industry
NW Biochar Working Group Nov 2012
NW Biochar Working Group Jan 28 2013
www.biochar.bioenergylists.org TR Miles Technical Consultants, Inc. 1470 SW Woodward Way Portland, OR 97225 [email protected] www.trmiles.com 503-292-0107 503-780-8185 mobile
Design and development of energy and environmental processes Industries
Biomass energy Pollution control Materials handling Feed, Food and Fuels