Nederburg's Journey of Sustainability: Biochar Project [FULL VIDEO]

While a long-time advocate of cover cropping, since 2017, Distell's agricultural specialist Henk van Graan has been applying a new level of urgency to promoting soil health.
He wants to accelerate carbon sequestration and advance soil life through microorganisms. One of the ways he is doing this is by generating biochar at Nederburg.
Although not new (it has been used in the Amazon for millennia) biochar is charcoal produced from plant matter (biomass). When used as a soil additive, it not only removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but it creates an environment conducive to boosting microbial populations while building soil structure, reducing soil acidity, and generally decontaminating the soil.
Because it is so porous, it absorbs, retains, and aggregates water and increases organic soil life, ultimately lowering the need for inputs such as additional water and chemical fertilisers.

[@andrejzalec4512]

Excellent! Thank you and greetings from the wine country under the Alps. The beautiful lands of Slovenia. (sLOVEnia)❤

[@bambubatu]

bamboo biochar is my all-time favorite!

[@greenfutureyt]

Thank you for sharing, I like how you have shown a real example of the whole production process. Keep up the good work!

[@bubo1149]

I congratulate you on your project and wish you many success from Slovenia!

[@andrejzalec4512]

V bistvu je sam proces dokaj enostaven in naraven. Delam na njem že nekaj let.

[@georgecarlin2656]

@@andrejzalec4512 I know you've been talking about me, what is it?

[@HawaiiLimey]

I have been experimenting with making biochar for a couple of years now. What I noticed is that it's missing nitrogen and carbohydrates in the charging process. Manure is perfect to mix it with as are weeds, grass clippings and even urine. If there is a ranch or horse stables close by then maybe strike up a trade.

[@joeortiz3455]

Split barrels do great to make it in.

[@mbailey12341]

I admire what you are doing. Some of that compost looks as if it had gone anerobic??? There are ways of analyzing finished product to see how it turned out, like using a microscope for instance.

[@antonhuman8446]

PUIK. Henk van Graan.

[@kiranartham3954]

What's the difference between using coal and biochar

[@goodvietnam]

EASY BUT EFFECTIVE

[@danielheld2885]

That music is extreme, please tone it down, this is just a video about biochar

[@kkskoh]

Hi may I know any difference between the double barrel tlud stove and the single tlud stove?

[@mbailey12341]

Double will go out on its own when it’s done due to lack of oxygen inside the inner barrel. The open burn method has to be extinguished with water or by somehow completely shutting off air to it. (This is usually how charcoal briquettes are made.)

[@hirakjoytidhar7916]

Wow

[@itsaracrypto9165]

look like alkaline soil

[@eromod]

It's also important to lower the pH of biochar with something like humate or calcium sulfate. Down to about 6.4-6.8

[@eromod]

Cody's lab made a video of how to make activated carbon at home and test it's quality. { GNKeps6pIao }

[@eromod]

I rinsed my biochar with water twice, then measure the water ph. It was 11.

[@cuznclive2236]

When inoculated with your desired substrate, the pH balances to your desire; biochar/char is a sponge-ish medium waiting to be inoculated. Additionally, the source plays a role. I did a quick search for a peer-reviewed paper and found this: extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/W829.pdf.

[@cuznclive2236]

@@eromod You likely used highly alkaline material; otherwise, you did not make char. Simply burning wood in a pit does not produce char. My second guess is that you did not have your material hot enough to char.
Moreover, why did you rinse it twice?