Re: [compost_tea] Re: carbonization

From: Robert Norsen <bnbrew_at_yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 00:15:48 -0800 (PST)

Hi Elaine - you get charcoal in a fireplace when the wood or coal fuel is so covered with hot ash that the volitiles excape thru the ash, burn, leaving the carbon ( charcoal) behind, under the ash, If O2 can get to the hot, 500F+ , charcoal it will be converted to ash. Some charcoal may form when a part of the fire is not hot enough to burn carbon but has caused hydro carbon gasses to escape and burn.
 
Would you agree, Elaine, that compost pile charcoal must develop when the pile is far too hot to grow either aerobic or anaerobic microbes. Perhaps it there was enough O2 the pile would be on fire. Sure there would be lower heat zones where anaerobic would be present and further out aerobic. Charoal in the pile? I would say the pile needed turning and cooling long before it got that hot. Both valuable nutrients and the bio of the compost is being lost at carbonizing temperatures. Bob

soilfoodweb_at_aol.com wrote:

Hi Steve -

Charcoal is only produced when oxygen is low, when in reduced oxygen conditions?

Are you sure that it isn't just certain types of charcoal are produced under low oxygen conditions? I'm asking because I am not clear on this.

If what you are saying is true, then when you find charcoal or carbonized materials in compost, it would require that the pile had suffered reduced oxygen, or anaerobic conditions.

Correct?

Or is it that pyrolized charcoal would be produced in these conditions, while possibly a different kind of charcoal would be produced when oxygen was fully present, as in charcoal in one's fireplace?

Looking forward to having this clarified.
--
Elaine Ingham
President, Soil Foodweb Inc.
SFI Corvallis, OR
SFI Port Jefferson, NY
SFI Lismore, NSW, Australia
SFI Cambridge, New Zealand
SFI Culiacan, Mexico
SFI Jerome, Idaho
SFI South Africa
http://www.soilfoodweb.com





Yahoo! Groups Links














Received on Thu Dec 30 2004 - 10:20:32 EST

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Tue Feb 07 2012 - 14:15:41 EST