Terra Preta de Indio
Biochar Soil Management
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Conference of the International Agrichar Initiative IAI-2007

The International Agrichar Initiative (IAI) organized its first meeting in Terrigal, Australia, on April 28-May 2, 2007. The IAI was founded as a program under Renew the Earth at the 2006 World Congress of Soil Science (WCSS Special Session on Biochar) in Philadelphia. During the IAI Conference, delegates voted on a mandate for IAI to become its own organization under a new name. In June 2007, the International Biochar Initiative (IBI) was founded (http://www.ibi-international.org).

More than 100 participants discussed for three days the science, technology, economics and policy of biochar.


Group photo of the conference participants during the field trip, Photo: J. Lehmann
 
Conference Agenda

Monday, April 30, 2007

8:00 am - 8:30 am: Welcome to Country, Welcome to Conference, Meeting Overview
Stephen Joseph, BEST Energies, AUS
Debbie Reed, International Agrichar Initiative , USA
Johannes Lehmann,  Cornell University , USA

8:30 am – 9:00 am: Keynote Address
Mike Mason, Biojoule

9:00 am – 9:10 am: Meeting Logistics
Adriana Downie, BEST Energies, AUS

9:10 am - 9:30 am: Break and networking opportunity

9:30 am – 11:30 pm: Agrichar Research and Development—Understanding the Impacts and Benefits of Agrichar, Chair: Janice Thies, Cornell University , USA

•  Blackwell P, Shea S, Storer P, Kerkmans M, Stanley I: Improving wheat production with deep banded Oil Mallee charcoal in WA
•  Chan KY , van Zwieten L, Meszaros I, Downie A, Joseph S: Assessing the agronomic values of contrasting char materials on an Australian hardsetting soil
•  Lehmann J, Cheng CH, Nguyen B, Liang B, Major J, Smernik R: Permanency and long-term changes of bio-char in soil
•  Yoshizawa S, Tanaka S, Ohata M: Proliferation effect of aerobic micro-organisms during composting of rice bran by addition of biomass charcoal
•  O'Neill B, Grossman JM, Tsai SM, Lehmann J, Thies JE: Analysis of bacterial communities in Amazonian Dark Earths through community-level molecular analysis and identifying dominant species in soils from the Eastern and Central Amazon
•  Smernik R: The influence of soil charcoal on the absorption of organic molecules

11:30 am – 12:00 pm: Agrichar Research and Development – Understanding the Impacts and Benefits of Agrichar, Chair: Janice Thies, Cornell University , USA
•  Singh B, Cowie A: Quantifying char-carbon turnover, and implications for greenhouse balance
•  Sohi S, Yates H, Lehmann J: Carbon stabilization in Terra Preta soils
•  Downie A, Van Zwieten L, Doughty W, Joseph S: Nutrient retention characteristics of chars and the agronomic implications
•  Lopez Capel E, Manning DAC: Characterisation of Terra Preta soils and chars by thermal analysis-quadrupole mass spectrometry
•  Major J, Lehmann J, Rondon M: Field maize yield and yield determining factors for four years following biochar application on a Colombian savanna Oxisol
•  Hill RA, Harris A, Stewart A, Bolstridge N, McLean KL, Blakeley R: Charcoal and selected beneficial microorganisms: plant trials and SEM observations
•  de Arruda, Murilo R., and Wenceslau G. Teixeira:  Use of charcoal, chicken manure and bones meal in Guarana (Paullinia cupana var. sorbilis) - preliminary results
•  Hongyan J, Zhong, Z, Thies JE: Soil Microbial Community Response to Amending Rice Soils with Bamboo Charcoal

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm: Lunch

1:30 pm – 2:50 pm: Agrichar Production and Testing, Chair: Robert Brown, Iowa State University
•  Tadeo BD: Carbonized rice husk and the automated carbonization system in the Philippine rice industry
•  Downie A, Joseph S, Crosky A, Munroe P: Assessing the Physical and Chemical Nature of Poultry Manure Chars
•  Hawkins B: Influence of pyrolysis conditions on char properties
•  Glover M: Renewed Fuel: Consideration of Issues to Promote Commercialization of Agrichar Products and Applications

2:50 pm – 3:00 pm: Agrichar Production and Testing, Chair: Robert Brown, Iowa State University
•  Novotny EH, Hayes MHB, deAzevedo ER, Bonagamba TJ: NMR characterisation of Biofine's by-products char
•  Zhong Z, Flanagan R: The physical and chemical properties of Bamboo charcoal and its application as a soil conditioner
•  Hossain MK, Strezov V, Nelson P: Evaluation of agricultural char from sewage sludge
•  Joseph S, Downie A, Lehmann J: Classification of chars for agricultural use

3:00 pm – 3:30 pm: Break and networking opportunity

3:30 pm – 4:50 pm: Economics, Environment and Policy, Chair: Mark Glover, Renewed Fuels, Australia
•  Radlein D, Kingston A: The role of Agrichar in the Commercialization of Dynamotive's Fast Pyrolysis Process
•  Bryant D, Downie A: Agrichar: Building a commercial venture
•  Gaunt J, Lehmann J: Prospects for carbon trading based on the reductions of greenhouse gas emissions arising from the use of bio-char
•  Larson RW: RD&D issues for agrichar, emphasis on energy and developing countries

4:50 pm – 5:00 pm: Economics, Environment, and Policy, Chair: Mark Glover, Renewed Fuels, Australia
•  Somerville M, Van Berkel R: The utilisation of waste biomass in SA as a renewable resource for agriculture or metallurgy
•  Bezerra, JC:  How has historical research changed our understanding of the Amazonian environment?

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm: Gala Dinner

8:00 – 10:00 pm: Poster Sessions: All Topics
•  8:00 – 9:00pm: Posters #1 – 12 authors are present at their posters
•  9:00 – 10:00 pm: Posters, #13 – 23 authors are present at their posters

 

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

8:30 am – 8:45 am: Introduction and Overview of Day 2
Johannes Lehmann, Cornell University , USA

8:45 am – 9:15 am: Panel Discussion:  Agrichar Research and Development

Panel Facilitator: Johannes Lehmann, Cornell University , USA
Panel Participants: 
Robert Brown, Professor, Iowa State University , USA
Lukas Van Zwieten, New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Australia
Stephen Joseph, Chief Engineer, BEST Energies and Visiting Professor University of NSW, Australia
Joe Herbertson, Crucible Carbon

9:15 am – 10:00 am: Plenary Discussion, Facilitated by Johannes Lehmann,  Cornell University, USA

10:00 am – 10:30 am: Break and Networking Opportunity

10:30 am – 11:00 am: Panel Discussion: Agrichar Production and Utilization: Markets and Commercialization,
Panel Facilitator, Peter Read, Massey University , New Zealand

Panel Participants:
•  Desmond Radlein, Chair, Research and Development, Dynamotive , Canada
•  Neil Young, Co-founder, President and CEO, BEST Energies, USA
•  David Bryant; Rural Funds Management, Australia
•  Jim Fournier, President, Bioenergy and Charcoal , USA
•  Robert Flanagan SAFFE, China

11:00 am – 11:45 am: Plenary Discussion, Facilitated by Peter Read, Massey University , New Zealand

11:45 am – 12:30 pm: Facilitated Plenary Discussion: Prioritizing Key Management Questions for the International Agrichar Initiative
Panel Facilitator, Hellen Scott-Orr, Director, Health Sciences, Strategic Alliances and Evaluation, Science and Research Division, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Australia

Report by Panel Chairs Johannes Lehmann and Peter Read

12:30 pm –1:30 pm: Lunch

1:30 pm – 2:30 pm: Keynote Reflections: Tim Flannery, Sydney , Australia   http://www.groveatlantic.com/grove/bin/wc.dll?groveproc~genauth~1497

2:30 pm – 3:00 pm: Break and Networking Opportunity

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm: Tying it all Together: The Agrichar Business and Development Plan
Chair: Debbie Reed, International Agrichar Initiative

4:00 pm – 5:30 pm: Wrap-up and Next Steps for the International Agrichar Initiative
Debbie Reed, International Agrichar Initiative , USA
Stephen Joseph, BEST Energies, AUS
Johannes Lehmann, Cornell University , USA

Detailed information about the 2007 IAI Conference can be found on the IBI web page.