First of all, I would like to say it was not an easy task taking this photo!
The Preparation
It is cold outside. It is windy. I am just waking up. Worst of all, I need to go pee really badly while running around looking for my camera.It is cold outside. It is windy.
Finally, I get everything ready in the right place for a very important mission - taking a picture for this blog.
I have never done this before. So it is awkward, to say the least.
The Action
I dig the actor out from layers of clothes into the cold air. Oh boy, it is cold! I hear him.
While my left hand is busy holding my precious to aim the stream toward the box in the photo, I only have my right hand free to hold the camera steady in the wind.
I am also very careful to zoom in on the stream but not the actor. This is by no means intended to be NSFW. Sorry my buddy, no matter how much you complain, I just can't show you to the whole world.
Without a free finger to click on the camera to take a picture, I can only say cheese, again and again, until the camera finally hears me in the wind and clicks.
Before the stream eventually runs dry I get a clear picture. YEAH ... I am so relieved and happy :)
Life is Good :)
So what is it in the box?
Answer:
This is charcoal from sawdust. I am charging it with urine to become biochar. By the way, there is no offensive ammonia odor at all thanks to the carbon in the charcoal. There are other things that can be used to charge it, too.
This is charcoal from sawdust. I am charging it with urine to become biochar. By the way, there is no offensive ammonia odor at all thanks to the carbon in the charcoal. There are other things that can be used to charge it, too.
What is Biochar?
Biochar is charcoal used as a soil amendment. Biochar is a stable solid, rich in carbon, and can endure in soil for thousands of years. Like most charcoal, biochar is made from biomass via pyrolysis. Biochar is under investigation as an approach to carbon sequestration. Biochar thus has the potential to help mitigate climate change via carbon sequestration. Independently, biochar can increase soil fertility of acidic soils (low pH soils), increase agricultural productivity, and provide protection against some foliar and soil-borne diseases. Wikipedia
A Precious Gift from My Friend
The city does not allow burning a big fire in my suburban backyard. Therefore, this sawdust charcoal was a precious gift from my dear friend Matt, who lives in a rural area.
He used a closed heavy duty metal barrel to hold the sawdust and cooked it slowly inside a concrete block oven as shown in the photo below to charcoal dust.
I am so looking forward to spreading the biochar in my garden after a month or so of diligently peeing and making it. :)
I'll keep you posted on the result!
