With the help of a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Western Excelsior Corp. is busy developing a prototype to turn by-product from its erosion-control products into biochar, a wood-based charcoal that has the ability to strengthen local agriculture by improving soil quality.<\/p>\n
Biochar production could also aid in reducing airborne particulates, one of the biggest headaches for neighbors of the Mancos mill.<\/p>\n
Biochar is a charcoal produced by heating organic materials like wood and fiber by-product, to extreme temperatures in the absence of oxygen.<\/p>\n
At its Mancos mill, the company produces erosion and sediment control products ranging from mulch to straw wattles. The production of biochar will allow Western Excelsior to put that waste to use while reducing the dust and particulate problem, management says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a great thing for us, the by-product has historically been a cost, so if we can do something more productive with it and not have to haul it, we\u2019re always ahead,\u201d said Kyle Hanson, business unit manager for Western Excelsior in Mancos. \u201cThe production (of biochar) should also contain the movement of all of this material to right where it\u2019s collected. We\u2019ve had issues with particulates, and this is going to be a huge change to that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Uses for biochar could be huge locally. The product\u2019s roots as a soil amendment date to pre-Columbian Amazonians, who scholars say used it to improve soil quality in the rainforest. It\u2019s essentially a tool to increase agricultural productivity in areas with severely depleted soils, scarce organic resources, and inadequate water supply.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt does neat things in terms of creating micro-climates and acidic soils, and buffering of soil pH,\u201d said Hanson. \u201cIf you have alkaline soils like around here, you can make the biochar slightly acidic before you put it down. \u2026 It makes plants respond to more neutral conditions and helps increase moisture.<\/p>\n
Because of its ability to fortify depleted soil, biochar also has the ability to be used as a mine reclamation tool, he said.<\/p>\n
The company is working with a Silverton soil scientist on conducting field testing using Western Excelsior\u2019s biochar.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe grant really is paying for us to develop current technology and develop prototypes with the idea of having full scale production by 2016-2017,\u201d said Hanson.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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