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Friday, October 12, 2012

Let them eat LOBSTER

"Organic" Shrimp for Hungry
 1. Put "organic" biomass in a bio-biodigester.
 2. Ferment with LID On. ( = anaerobic bacteria)
 3. Capture the Fuel (CH4 = Natural Gas)
 4.   (when anaerobic fermentation over ... )
    Several Options are available:

     A. Recover bacteria (dead or alive) for use later.
          - process bacteria (dry, cook, mix, bag, store)
             *store Organic protein meal for Shrimp
     B. Feed bacteria directly to Shrimp         
          - simply introduce Shrimp after anaerobic phase 
            by removing the LID (becomes aerobic)
          - Now the shrimp can feast and breathe O2.
(Bucket+LID)Shrimp Farms can be very LOW tech:
- big bucket or hole-in-ground /w plastic liner.
- requires some form of "LID" for "Anaerobic" phase
  Biomass is very plentiful worldwide
  * (algae or sea weed, as starting biomass)

Some Myths of Compost

• CARBON cannot enter through the Roots.

Roots intake water and minerals (such as NPK)
• Carbon (CO2) enters Leaf stomata (under leaf).

Stomata and Guard Cells are the door for CO2 and water (H2O)

Cooking Methane: Soil and Hydrogen

Hydrogen:

Most are familiar with Electrolysis

2( H20 ) + electricity = 2H2 + O2

Hydrogen is also cooked from Methane (Pyrolysis)

CH4 + Heat = C (char) + 2H2

* No electricity required (not electrolysis)
* Heat source can be "Solar" (Reflectors)

Transporting Methane: Pipelines, Ships

Preference for CH4 Pipelines, Ships (fossil or not)

If a Methane pipeline has a leak - its flows "UP" into
the Air - not into the ground. It may even catch on
fire and burn explosively. BUT, when all is over, no
real local environmental damage is done.


Same goes for shipping in sensitive coastal areas
(such as the Georgia Strait, BC)

Once the fire is out, you only repair human construct.

Forest Fires: Natural Biochar

Biochar production can be accidental or intentional


Accidental Biochar: Forest Fire (natural biochar).
Intentional Biochar production is more orderly and preserves wildlife, habitats, infrastructure,
(* the benefits without the chaos)

Land Wanted: Soil for Food


Story:
A few ambitious Israelis "borrowed" some topsoil
from public parks in Lebanon to bring back home ...

I asked my friend Jack, engineer with relations
in the area. Why did they do that?

After a bark of obviousness: "It takes Centuries!"
Acknowledging the historic geo-political importance
of "Dirt" capable of growing food...

Yet better stuff can now be made in hours that
does not rot away like compost, and offers much
superior qualities over average soil.

Lasting Soil: "Nature's Early Biochar"

Nature's Early Biochar
  300M years ago, on the shores of Pangean Sea, 
  the tide was unusually low, weather tumultuous. 
  Just before the storm, a lightning bolt came 
  out of the dark sky and zapped algae emerging 
  from the water on the rocky ledge.

  How do we know? Biochar with its typical internal 
  microscopic structure was produced by lightning 
  at that moment, and is still visible today.
  

Importance of Biodiversity

Biodiversity is a great teacher to many areas of concern:
Agriculture, Health, Economy, Biotechnology, Ecology, Urbanism, ...
- : "Understanding of Evolution of Natural Systems"
- : "Source of new Models, Methods, Materials, ..."
- : "Competition Speeding Ahead"
- : "Relentless War: Flora Vs. Fauna" (and each other)
- : "Cool Academic knowledge" ... (ruptured equilibrium)
Million Year Fire (in Permian):
- Plants Invent Bark (Lignin)
- Pangea Suffers Drought
- Massive Fire in Carboniferous Coal Deposits
- Loss-of-Life: 95% Land Life, 90% Ocean Life

BioGas (Digester) and BioChar (Gasifier) Basics

[+] Biogas (Digester Basics) = "Putting A Lid On Compost"


[+] Biochar (Gasifier Basics) = "SOIL from Thin Air"


Thursday, October 11, 2012

Terraforming:: Burrard Integrated Alternate Energy Research Institute

Template for Smokeless Urban "Closed" Co-Generation

Burrard Integrated Alternate Energy Research Institute

Research Project: Thermal Power (bioMethane)

Solar cooking biomass from Urban, Forest, Farms, collected and processed by farms, enterprise, NGOs.

Solar biochar, bio-digestion are done both ON site and in distributed locations.

Smokeless Electricity produced 24/7

Food chains want DRY ICE (bioCO2 of smoke) to truck around "frigories", deep freeze warehouses without electricity.
(HVAC = High% USA electricity)

Other Interested Consumers:
- Maritime Shipping and Cruiselines are candidates.
- Greenhouses freeze produce, feed plants bioCO2.

Opportunistic Landscapes of Energy (WWT)

Wind, Wave, Tidal are stored as air pressure, gravity, flywheels, Dry Ice (CO2), geothermal, ...

... to run Heat-Pumps, recover extra energy, pack away CO2 as Dry Ice, resulting in near zero emissions in urban areas.

Integrated Energy Storage

to extract, further refine a variety by-product gases (CO2, CH4, H2, N2, O2, ) Useable in later processes, or marketable as is.

Processes: Solar pyrolysis, enhanced combustion, hydraulics, pneumatics, heat pump, refinery, compression, selective condensation (fractioning),


1 Stadium, 2 Stadia, 3 Stadia, 4 ...

...

1 Stadium, 2 Stadia, 3 Stadia, 4 ...

Paris 2015. Canada 100% Neutral by 2025

Canada can have a "Second" Economy , especially in remote areas that pick up its massive natural "CARBON" footprint from bacterial respiration. The molecular structure of any CO2 is identical and just as effective as tailpipe emissions. Many times more than all human CO2 emissions.

OCCS (Organic Carbon Capture and Sequestration
Portion of this natural CO2 can be sequestered as useful agricultural product, while providing "more than green Energy" (cabon negative: Net Removal of Atmospheric CO2)

Full time and part time work (revenue) from biomass collection and various processing can both generate GDP and not add CO2 to the air!

Moreover, Biochar (separating green methane and char) produces GDP, does not add CO2 to Air, and is a Net sequester of carbon for eons (as Soil).

Canada, daily extracts 1 stadium of Tar, refined into exports.

As 2 stadia of biomass are processed across the country each day (remote jobs) producing green fuels, the net sequestration of biochar Carbon Offsets the Fossil Fuels and leaves resilient local economies that can prosper regardless of the currency.

Canadian Prairies need to use huge amounts of biochar from Ephemeral agricultural wastes (Stalks, leaves, husks, grasses, ). Remediation of the drought conditions they are facing (biochar holds water)

Biotechnology: Sleeping Green Giants: Canada and Russia

Canada and Russia Cover 35% of Earth Forest Reserves


Their "natural" Carbon Footprint is proportional to the vegetation growing on their soil, rotting away to produce CO2 and CH4 gases.

Biochar can improve their soil's resistance to Climate Change. Targeting their remotest areas, where local employment is lowest and fuel costs are highest due to supply line distance.

Bonus production of bio-Methane (CNG) gas helps these communities' economy, and sequesters carbon at the same time - Possibly equal amounts to their Fossil Carbon extraction economy - Overall Net Zero Carbon, or better ...

As this economy matures and extends, biotechnology can compete and prosper within their currencies. Knowledge Economies add themselves as better methods are understood and value added exports become reality.

Soil Erosion: Digesting Soil for Fuels

Soil Erosion: Digesting Soil for Fuels

Vancouver, Fall 2011
Conversation with Agriculture Master's Graduate from Germany
"How farmers in Germany grow crops quickly digested, the methane gas runs electric power generation that is sold to the Grid".

The "slurry" left over from fermentation is returned to the Soil, but rain and subsequent runoff leach the minerals away. Soil's historic structure degrades, crops fail, costs of fertilizer increase ...       ... and the profits drop.

BioChar Carbon Offsets Before and After Half-Life

[+] Carbon Offsets at Parity: (First 50%) Methane Capture



[+] Carbon Offset beyond Parity: (Last 50%) Biochar Sequestration



Fuel Co-ops

Fuel Co-ops

"Free Range Horse Power":
Vehicles such as pick-up trucks, lovely creatures but their svelte lines disguise a suprisingly voracious appetite...
Good News from the Past
(an olde source of Feed Stock for pick-up trucks)
"Wood Gas":
Before World War II, Europeans did't use Oil as much as now.
Many vehicles, and generators ran on "Wood Gas" (distilled Wood).
Gases include hydrogen, methane, oils and tars. H2O, CO, CO2, N2.
"Production Gas"is used directly or refined - increasing fuel density, higher performance in combustion engines.
Many vehicles (300,000/USA) today, now operate on CNG, LNG, LP.
Vehicles can easily transition or dual fuel to Bio.CNG.
Co-ops of small vehicles, farms, rural residents financially benefit from harvesting Biomass fuels in their community.
Un-spent Currency appears as "Subsidy" when spent a second time.

Polling Pick Up Trucks on Public Gasifiers



POLL: Pick Up Trucks on Public Gasifiers

When Owners of F-150, RAM, ... were asked:

Would you gather/transport Biomass (1/2ton)
to local Public Gasifier Stations to receive
credit for 1-200 pounds of CNG Fuel Gases?


The majority neither responded: Y or N
Most wanted to know "Where?".
Sadly, we replied: When?

*** Special Note ***
The vehicle fleet owned by small enterprises in alliance
with NGOs to gather Biomass as fund raising, can together
kick start their local economy (even more in remote areas).

Picking Economies Up Off the Ground

Re-Fuelling Economies = "Picking Economies up off the ground"
We can start immediately using FREE fuel that litters the ground in many countries that currently cannot afford the capital to buy Oil to power their Economy.

No need for special expensive alternate energy devices, simply "integrate" to most of our existing thermal power infrastructure and vehicular technology including SUVs emitting "greened smoke" TODAY.

Soil and Gas Economy

Soil and Gas Economy
"GDP instead of Carbon Footprint"



Bio-Decay INDEX = Fast Emitters dataBases (Augmented Reality)

~ Global Bio-Decay Databases ~

Knowledge database to identify, inventory and monitor
emissions located by micro-ecosystems (GPS and Landmarks)

Why "Bio-Decay" Databases:

  - Ecosystems have different Half-Life index
      - (by location, biomass, biodiversity, )

  - Expect the emission rates for any given
      area to vary for many reasons: seasons,
      temperature, humidity, composition, ...



Target: Fastest Emitters:

  - by speed of emissions
  - by type of emissions (CO2,CH4)
  - with related diversity factors



Tools: Starting Up the databases

- merge existing biometrics (hist.: private, gov, nasa)
- update with on-going and new data types
- retrieve info from Biomass Markets



Biomass Markets:   Augmented Reality Portals:

Supply and Demand :
Providers/Brokers/Consumers
  - Suppliers: (gov, NGOs, biz, coops, ...)
  - Consumers: (vehicles, HVAC, BBQ, ...)

* Collection, transportation, triage, storage,
transformation, industrial and personal usage.



LOCATING Biomass:

- (sites) NGO Container
- (sites) Drop.Off Centers (distance?) (schedule?)
- (sites) private Biomass (+Rates)
- (sites) Processing Centers (distance?) (schedule?)

*using Smartphone, PC, Tablet, DashVisor,



LOCATING Fuels:   (sites) Fuel Storage

~ BIOMASS QUEST ~
  - Location (GPS, Landmarks, distance, detour, return)
  - Quantity, Format, Packaging,
  - Certif, references, organic?,
  - Prices, Agreements, Coops,
  - Hold/Schedule Pick up


Half Life of Biomass = Identifying CO2 Emitters (Bio-Decay)

[+] Half Life of Biomass = "Bio-Decay" (First 50% of biomass)
~ Half Life of Biomass ~

"Time for bio-Decay to remove 50% of Biomass"



A micro-ecosystem loses 50% of biomass
to bio-decay over a period of two years,
while producing GW gases CO2 and CH4.



[+] Why 50%? = "Parity at Half Life of Compost"




[+] Beyond Parity = Dark Soil for Eons"s






SOIL 2.0 = BIOCHAR = Instant Rich Fertile Dark Soil

SOIL 2.0 = BIOCHAR = "Instant Rich Fertile Dark Soil"

[+] Instant Rich Fertile Dark Soil
Instant Rich Fertile Dark Soil

  Black
is
the
new (and old)
Green


Since the Dawn of Time

  Mother Nature's Formula
    * Compost is the JUICE
    * Biochar is the MATRIX





[+] Biochar (basics) = "SOIL from Thin Air"




[+] Properties of Biochar
Properties of Biochar


Wikimedia: File:Kinesin_walking.gif

Wikimedia: File:Kinesin_walking.gif

Wikimedia: File:Kinesin_walking.gif


Importance of Soil Structure

Due to the porous structure of biochar it aids the construction of root systems by giving smaller roots systems better access to nutrition and support creating a larger and more stable rooting of the plants grown with biochar.

"Biochar may have the ability to mitigate drought by increasing soil moisture, while decreasing soil erosion and nutrient leaching." - biocharfarms.org


[+] Performance of Biochar (1) = BioChar vs Soil




[+] Performance of Biochar (2) = BioChar/NPK vs NPK




[+] Performance of Biochar (3) = BioChar vs NPK




[+] Performance of Biochar (4) = BioChar/NPK vs Soil




[+] Biochar Multiplies Expensive Farm (P)hosphates
Florida Drinking Water ~ Vs ~ Mississippi Corn Fields
Florida Drinking Water

Biochar Removes Phosphates

Florida cities use biochar to filter out
extra (P)hosphates from drinking Water.
Mississippi Holds Expensive Phosphates

Corn Biochar Holds Phosphates

- Keeps expensive (P)hosphates
- Improves crop yields
- Higher drought resistance
Avoid Blooms in the Gulf ...Dead Zones

- Avoids leaching into Mississippi
- Avoids Blooms in Gulf ...Dead Zones.