I've talked before of using ash from our local co-gen plant as soil amendment for our foothill soils. Its very high PH (about 12) can do some of what we often use lime for and it has useful minerals too. I plan to use many truckloads for that gravel pit renovation project mentioned in an earlier post. But I leaned something new today.

There are two types of wood ash generated at the wood fired cogeneration power plant. Bottom or boiler ash is the ash produced by furnaces after combustion; it is coarse and has very high carbon content. The fly ash is captured in the plants multi clones and stacks and is finer in texture with finer carbon particles.

I suspect that bottom ash would be most useful as soil amendment.

The fly ash and the bottom ash are mixed via screw conveyers at the plant and quenched with water before it is delivered to WAI's disposal site where the mixed wood ash is stockpiled, uncontaminated with any other materials ready for recycling.

Perhaps three grades of ash could find markets. Bottom ash, fly ash, and mixed ash may have different properties desired by different users.

The wood ash that WAI receives on site is a type of Biochar that is high in carbon, produced by the combustion of wood and bark from naturally harvested trees. It is suitable as a natural supplement to condition soils. It contains micronutrients, minerals and organic potash that supplements lawn, vegetable and plant growing needs. It has a high pH suitable for acidic conditions and also works well for odour control, slug and other pest controls. Once burned Biochar is resistant to decomposition that will improve crop yield and sequester carbon in soils that will last for ages. Biochar when used in conjunction with nitrogen fertilizers mitigates the release of nitrous oxide and methane, two potent greenhouse gases, thus reducing the greenhouse effect The addition of Biochar prevents fertilizer runoff and leeching, allowing the use of less fertilizers, retains moisture, replenishes exhausted soils and fosters growth of soil microbes essential for plant absorption, particularly mycorrhizal fungi.

Slug control! I have a snail problem on some irrigated pastures. It isn't really the snails that I mind so much as a parasite that they host for part of their life cycle - liver fluke. The flukes leave the snails, get on grass, and so find their way into the livers of grazing animals. I can't get herd immunity by treating my animals since there are so many wild animals who keep the chain intact. If I could make my pastures unpleasant for snails while also amending the pastures in useful ways - with no objectionable substances - that would be really quite superb.

High carbon wood ash is available in its present raw state, screened as per specifications and or powdered (crushed) as per end user need and specifications. WAI is strategically located close to highway and rail access and can ship in bulk within Canada and the United States. The high carbon wood ash is sold as a raw material under the classification of a soil amendment from the disposal site.

WAI is presently seeking end users and strategic partnerships with a view to distribute high carbon wood ash in bulk and smaller bagged quantities as a value added product. WAI encourages potential investors to contact us for future product development.

That's tempting. As long as I'm going to shill for ash and char I may as well have sources. I wonder if I could get it all together in time for the international ag show in Tulare in February?