(Deutsch) Plastikabfall zu Kerosin und emissionsarm damit kochen
by Hans-Peter Schmidt
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(Deutsch) 400’000 Pyrolyseanlagen zur Rettung des Klimas
by Hans-Peter Schmidt und Nikolas Hagemann
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(Deutsch) Kohlenstoff-Senken fürs Klima
by Hans-Peter Schmidt, Claudia Kammann, Nikolas Hagemann
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(Deutsch) Nepal: Direktmarketing für Bergbauern
by Hans-Peter Schmidt und Bishnu Hari Pandit
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Kon-Tiki – the democratization of biochar production
by Hans-Peter Schmidt und Paul Taylor
A simple but ingenious invention finally allows each farmer and gardener, everywhere in the world, to produce for themselves a sufficient quantity of high quality biochar. With reasonable investment and some know-how of the charmaker’s craft, farmers can produce in one afternoon a cubic meter of high quality biochar. This ... ...
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(Deutsch) Pestizidsteuer, Fleischsteuer, Rohstoffsteuern – keine Lohnsteuern
by Hans-Peter Schmidt
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(Deutsch) Mit Milpa und Pflanzenkohle zu Humus
by Haiko Pieplow und Hans-Peter Schmidt
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Building earthquake resistant clay houses
by Gernot Minke and Hans-Peter Schmidt
Many thousands of clay houses crumbled during the recent earthquakes in Nepal. But that did not happen because of insufficient strength of the clay as a building material, but rather because basic construction rules were disregarded. Gernot Minke, an international expert on clay building, explains in this interview how to ... ...
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55 Uses of Biochar
by Hans-Peter Schmidt
Initially only used in agriculture, the range of uses for biochar now covers a wide range of different fields, giving this plant-based raw material the chance to make the most of its positive properties. Wherever biochar is specifically used even for industrial purposes, the carbon taken from the atmosphere in ... ...
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The use of biochar in cattle farming
by Achim Gerlach and Hans-Peter Schmidt
90% of the biochar produced in Europe is used in livestock farming. Whether mixed with feed, added to litter or used in the treatment of slurry, the positive effect of biochar very quickly becomes apparent. The health - and consequently the well-being - of the livestock improve within just a ... ...
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Biochar in poultry farming
by Henning Gerlach und Hans-Peter Schmidt
The poultry industry is struggling more and more with livestock disease. Often this can be traced back to microbial pathogens and ammonia in the litter. The addition of highly porous biochar can serve to reduce toxic ammonia pollution in the coops and regulate the moisture level of the litter. The ... ...
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Terra Preta – Model of a Cultural Technique
by Hans-Peter Schmidt
The secret of Terra Preta lies not solely in its use of biochar, but rather in a societal system that has internalized the importance of closed nutrient cycles in nature. Only by means of conscious recycling of all accumulating waste matter could the otherwise nutrient poor tropical soils allow for ... ...
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Nepal Climate Farming Fund
by Hans-Peter Schmidt und Bishnu Hari Pandit
One week after the earthquake in Nepal and thanks to the generous support of the European Biochar Community, the Nepali Climate Farming Fund was launched and has already brought relief to many Nepali biochar farmers that suffered the collapse or damage to their homes. In exchange for an advance of ... ...
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The use of biochar as building material – cities as carbon sinks
by Hans-Peter Schmidt
Biochar, a highly porous material produced from plant waste, is mostly used in agriculture as a soil conditioner, in livestock farming as a feed supplement, and in metalworking as a reducing agent. It can also be used for cleaning "grey water", as an absorber in sports clothing, in batteries and ... ...
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Biochar Paper – elevating biochar from novelty to ubiquity
by Kathleen Draper and Hans-Peter Schmidt
Pack your fruits and vegetables in a biochar box, double their shelf life then compost the boxes with the leftovers and make Terra Preta in your backyard. Biochar paper and cardboard might become the most influential invention to mitigate climate change while reducing organic residues sent to landfills.
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Vines take up yeasts from soil and transport them through the vine to the stem and skins of grapes
by KARIN MANDL, JULIA SCHIECK, KARIN SILHAVY-RICHTER, VOLKER SCHNEIDER, HANS-PETER SCHMIDT, ALEXANDER PRANGE
In a vineyard field experiment it was demonstrated that Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast can be adsorbed from the soil by the roots of Vitis vinifera subs. vinifera and transported via vine to the stems and surface of the grapes. To exclude any extrinsic yeast contamination, the ripening grapes were sterilized and ... ...
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Justus von Liebig and the Birth of Modern Biochar
by Kelpie Wilson
Biochar is one of the oldest soil amendments in the history of agriculture. However, with the advent of modern agro-chemistry, the agronomic value of biochar got rapidly into oblivion. Only lately, when biochar got into focus as climate mitigation strategy, it’s function as soil amendment and nutrient carrier was rediscovered. ... ...
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Biochar – a key technology for the planet
by Hans-Peter Schmidt
The current imbalance in the world's carbon and nitrogen cycle is not just the main cause of climate change, but also a direct threat to ecosystems through eutrophication, desertification and a decline in biodiversity. Re-balancing through regularly recycling organic material with its carbon, nitrogen and phosphor content is needed. Biochar ... ...
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Treating liquid manure with biochar
by Hans-Peter Schmidt
One of our oldest preconceptions is that a cowshed inevitably stinks. But the pungent odour of liquid manure is first and foremost the sign of a microbial decomposition process that has gone out of control. That which stinks to high heaven is not only an offence to delicate citizens’ noses ... ...
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Switzerland: the first European country to officially approve biochar
by Hans-Peter Schmidt
Switzerland has become the first country in Europe to officially approve the use of certified biochar in agriculture, with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture issuing its approval on 23 April 2013. In it, the Ithaka Institute is given responsibility for controlling biochar quality and the sustainability of its production.
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Ways of Making Terra Preta: Biochar Activation
by Hans-Peter Schmidt
Biochar is not a fertilizer, but rather a nutrient carrier and a habitat for microorganisms. First of all, biochar needs to be charged to become biologically active in order to efficiently utilize its soil-enhancing properties. There are numerous methods of activating and producing substrates similar to terra preta aside from ... ...
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Biochar as Building Material for Optimal Indoor Climate
by Hans-Peter Schmidt
The effect a wine cellar's climate has on the quality and complexity of a wine has up to now been greatly underestimated. Only now are we beginning to realise that decisive factors for a good wine are not just temperature, but also humidity. As a result, the Delinat Institute has ... ...
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