This weekend I have been focused on charcoal. I have always planned to use it for cleaning air and water. It adsorbs most organic molecules, removing most odor, taste and color. It is easy to make and when it is dirty, easy to recharge and re-use .
Lately I have been learning that charcoal is also an incredibly useful soil additive. It lasts many hundreds of years in the soil, hanging on to all kinds of organic molecules; so it captures and holds nutrients. Hairlike fungi in the soil tickle the nutrients out of the charcoal and feed them to the plants. In some tests it improves plant productivity by 880%.
Making charcoal creates additional heat and fuel while it uses up some of the mountains of sawmill waste we have around here. When it ends up in the soil, it acts as a carbon sink, taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and reducing global warming.
For us, making charcoal beats the heck out of a win win situation. If I counted right, this is a win win win win win win win.
more information...
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1 comment:
Thanks for the links! A quick glance thus far but definitely something to investigate further.
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