WASTE FACILITY •

•B&B

GARDEN••SUGAR MILL

•PROJECT 540

Northern Rivers & Tweed Valley

•RIC

“The Project 540 Kiln has the specific intent to sequester atmospheric CO2, in many small localities, and to make soil good to the seventh generation.”

Geoff Moxham www.bodgershovel.com

Constraints and goals• Accessible sensors • Validate simple visual tests• Cheap low-emission designs• Household uses of process heat Finessing efficient solutions including• Vortex flow induced in chimney stacks• Pre-heated and controlled air to tuyeres• Multiple purpose dampers & ventsBuilding and testing prototype kilns• Catenary and sprung-arch trolley kilns• Side-loading carriages• Quenching and inoculating tanksEducational outreach• Community kiln-building projects• Market and show presentationsPhoenix Kiln series• 20 L • 60L • 3 cu m, small farm

Phoenix Rising

Ben Speirs www.absorberroof.com

Mark Feltrin www.gasificationaustralia.com

• Human scaled for 1 person

• Output must justify the input_________________________________________________

• Compact method producing

usable amount of char.

• Metal shell of washing machine

makes smoke proof shell.

• Lined with fire brick

• Contains and store the heat

• Worked well

no need to top up fuel during burn

Simple parts

Double drum retort

Inside the kiln

Lifting the lid

Future steps - Using the heat

Ben Speirswww.absorberroof.com

Mark Feltrinwww.gasificationaustralia.com

• Heat for clothes drying

• Hot water

• Home heating

• Refrigeration

• Micro-gasification

• Electricity generation Thermoelectric Organic Rankine Cycle

Creating independence

Inoculating Biochar• Charring the weeds

– Lantana vines– Camphor Laurel trees– Bamboo

• Crush finely smaller than ¼ in, while wet– worms can transport the fines– Course meat grinder– Garbage disposal grinder, drip on inoculant – heavy drum roller– lawn mower over wet char in a bay

• Inoculate with:– Urine, worm juice, compost percolation– Sea minerals, brewed crop specific teas– Biodynamic compost & soil

• Application: 4t/ac = 2 lb/sy. Improves to 1lb/sf• Animals

– Chickens, cows, ducks, pigs, pets, humans

Hyphae: Microbial C reef

If composted returns CO2 to

atmosphere in 3-5 yrs. Biochar sequesters 30-40% of C for thousands of years.

Charcoal pores: Tilling it in is

“urban renewal, with quality public housing”

Compost

Recycling

BIOCHAR

Site

Bush regeneration

Events

Fund raising

FoodForAll

Seed savers

Nursery

ChooksSustainabilityAlternate techResearchWorkshopsEducation

Promotions

Children

Mullumbimbi Community Garden“Growing to Share & Sharing to Grow”

Design

Compost loo

Cob oven&

BBQ area

mullumcommunitygarden.wordpress.com

Mulching with green cane tops returns C to soil rather than going up in smoke

Nitrogen added, 2lb/acfacilitates break down of machine harvested trash

Legumes planted directly into trash in fallow periodLegumes add nitrogen

Add lime at 2t/ac then scrapes top 8 inch into moundsgiving equivalent 4t/ac of lime in the mounds

Plant cane into the mounds improves aeration on land subject to flooding

Traffic controlled to inter-rows & reduced cultivationminimizing soil damage, maximize soil life

Lime & cultivate only once every 6 yrs

Sugarcane FarmingTweed Valley - Robert

Quirk

50kg N/ha250kg K/ha

6kg P/ha

Apply char at rate 2-4 ton/ac in 15 plots with some having no char

Test for crop yield, leaching of nutrients, nitrogen cycling, emissions of CH4 & N2O

High sulphate

soils

High N20 with normal cultivation

Preliminary results indicate

reduction in emissions of N2O with

applications of 10t/ha green-waste biochar

No agronomic benefit found

to char

Trails continuing with reduced N

Biochar field site – Tweed Valley NSW Lab tests at DPI show up to 95% reduction in N20 emissions

30 MW cogeneration plant fueled by remnants from sugar productionSaves 400,000 tons of greenhouse gases per year$220 million capital cost

Future potential for biochar production.

On farm collection of cane trash and use for biochar production requires proof of agronomic or climate benefit.There is interest in small scale production for return to fields as trials

Ballina ShirePopulation 40,000

Waste Management Centre

No green waste to landfills + fees: $80 /ton on weigh bridge $40 / ton Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme

Self hauled green waste = 6000 t/yr Bio solids = 2000 ton/yr Pickup green waste & kitchen = 4000t/yr

Total = 12000 ton/yr

Row compost for 6 to 8 weeks Sieve to separate:

Fines for compost = 5000 t/yrChips for mulch = 4000 t/yrPyrolyze - biochar = 3000 t/yr

Send back to communityResidential gardensCommunity gardensBroad acre application on farmsSmall horticultural farms

Macadamia, avocado, bananas

Food Links Project: Build resilienceagainst climate change & peak oil

Thank youFrom the

Project 540Team

www.bodgershovel.com

biochargardener.wordpress.com