Hello folks,
I have been too busy in the lab (is it really already 3 am ??) to weigh in on recent discussion of charcoal as a soil amendment.
My perspective after looking at quite a few articles about carbon black (aka charcoal) in soil science journals is that:
1) many soils contain significant quantities of carbon black
2) carboxylic acid groups on fine pulverized carbon black are an important source of cation exchange capacity in some soils
3) carbon black is very resistant to biological degradation but promotes plant and microbial productivity by increasing soil retention of both inorganic nutrients and less resistant organic substrates
I think the recent denunciation of charcoal on SANET has been excessively harsh and simplistic... however recent articles in popular literature about Terra Preta and charcoal as a soil amendment have waxed on so romantically that I can't blame anyone for skepticism.
I encourage the charcoal skeptics and enthusiasts to read the review article at the following link:
Ameliorating physical and chemical properties of highly weathered soils in the tropics with charcoal ? a review
 
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