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Biochar Opportunities in the Southwest: Extension Workshop - Keynote Presentation
Biochar Opportunities in the Southwest: Extension Workshop "Pre-Note" Keynote Speaker; April 7, 2021 4pm-5:30pm MDT*
Join us as we kick off our Extension biochar workshop on Wednesday afternoon, April 7, 2021: Our "pre-note" speaker is Tom Miles, Executive Director of the United States Biochar Initiative!
Presentation Title: Biochar in United States and Southwest - Overview
Keynote Speaker: Thomas R. Miles, United States Biochar Initiative, Executive Director
Presentation Description: Biochar markets continue to grow in North America creating new opportunities to convert wood and agricultural residues to sustainable carbon while restoring soil health and improving water quality. More than 135 US companies supply an estimated 50,000 tons of biochar per year. Suppliers source biochars from the wood industry, bioenergy plants, and biochar producers. New product development is supported by increased research. New uses such as wallboard, cement, packaging, and electronics have increased the potential to sequester carbon by converting residues to biochar and renewable energy. The Southwest offers unique opportunities to produce biochars from hazardous forest fuels, urban and agricultural residues. This presentation will describe new efforts to use biochar to improve soil health; restore degraded urban soils and abandoned mine lands; reduce water pollution from pharmaceuticals and fertilizers; remove nutrients, metals and bacteria from stormwater; and develop market platforms which value biochar for sequestering carbon.
Biography: Thomas R. Miles is the president of T.R. Miles, Technical Consultants, Portland, Oregon, a biomass energy consulting firm, which designs, develops, installs, and commissions systems for processing wood, agricultural, and urban residues. Innovative biomass systems include pyrolysis, gasification, and combustion, sizing, drying, densification, handling, modification of boilers and gasifiers to improve efficiency and emissions, and systems to recycle nutrients. He has developed heat and power systems in developing countries. His knowledge of ash transformations in biomass led to recycling nutrients using pyrolysis of residues to biochar which can improve soil health and sequester carbon. He has sponsored and hosted online discussions of biomass energy and biochar since 1994. He is past chairman of the International Biochar Initiative and Executive Director of the US Biochar Initiative.
