Agriculture
Agriculture Challenges & Needs
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Lost or depleted topsoil is a growing concern in the agricultural industry.
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North America specifically has lost about one-half of its topsoil over the last 140 years.
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Soil quality is depleted and management practices that rely on massive fertilization are not sustainable. Fertilizers are water soluble and are routinely washed into waterways causing additional environmental problems.
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Current soil conditioners do not meet immediate application needs. A similar material, “untreated” biochar is a poorer performer and also expensive.
Opportunities & Applications
The rise in poor soil quality creates a demand for green soil conditioner products. CoalChar meets those conditions, eliminating the harmful runoff of regular fertilizers.
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Added as a soil-amendment fertilizer, CoalChar conditions the soil and (versus traditional fertilizers) stays active in the soil for longer periods of time.
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Greenhouse laboratory tests show excellent growth results with a very low dosage rate to the soil.
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CoalChar is considered to be a green product because it is not combusted and processing energy is supplied by a solar hybrid kiln. When used for water remediation it can remove heavy metals, organic compounds and inorganic compounds while sequestering carbon.
Greenhouse Study
The engineered CoalChar seems to be significantly better than the commercial fertilizer. Significant increased height, mass and chlorophyll content from the commercial fertilizer.
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KEY
1 Control = Soil plus no amendment
2 Coal lignite = Soil plus coal lignite only
3 CMK = Soil plus coal lignite treated with (magnesium sulphate plus potassium hydroxide)
4 F = Commercial Fertilizer
5 CMK P10 = Soil plus CMK treated with ammonium phosphate (10% P)
6 CMK P20 = Soil plus CMK treated with ammonium phosphate (20% P)