John, the "Agrichar" is a clever idea...

In regard to your blog above (link to article "Birth of a new Wedge"), if one is old enough to remember some of the massive trucks (and smaller ones too) in Europe, during and after WWII, working on gas from wood burning, leaving charcoal behind, one has a grasp of this interesting (old) technology. It was elegant enough, akin in cleverness to absorption fridges. Yes, one did not have to go to the pumps for fuel... A horse cart would deliver a ton of wood at your door step and you could drive a ten ton truck for 1000 kilometre or so, as long as it was flat country... I remember seeing these trucks with the towering gas producing "burner" on the side, chuffing along as if on high grade diesel... Very powerful stuff, and yet so independent of oil companies, just a few forest disapearing... Transport in those days was limited to "essentials". Nowadays, unfortunately, we could be burning a forest the size of tasmania just to keep our cars and trucks on the road for a year. But crops like hemp and straws from wheat can be used as well as coal. The design had filters and purifactors designed to remove noxious gases and other unwanted stuff.

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Translated (automated translation, cleaned up) from the French:

the Imbert (inventor) generator of wood-gas.

A gas generator is an apparatus designed for the gasification of coal or other combustible
materials thus forming a gas made up of carbon monoxide, of methane and hydrogen — a gas likely to
replace gasoline as fuel for the engine internal combustion. In other words, producing an efficient gas that replaces "imported" gasoline by poor but abundant local fuels such as wood, coal, lignite, brown coal, coke, etc

The gas fuel obtained by the combustion of carbon stopped at the first stage (thus
incomplete) is called producer gas. It contains 1100 to 1400 calories per cubic meter. (Coal
gas and methane respectively contain 5000 and 8500 calories). This producer gas can
replace gasoline in spark-ignition engines for all kinds of machinery:
compressors, engines, boats, cars, trucks, etc.

For a truck equipped with a gas generator with wood, the ideal efficiency is obtained with
wood cut down 7 to 8 months before and stored dry. It should not contain more than
25% water and must be cut in small pieces of 8 by 6 cm maximum. In the absence of seasoned wood, the green heart of wood, peat, forest and agricultural waste can be used, but with less output and more frequent provisioning. One needs a hundred kilos of wood to run 100 km [truck].

With a cold engine and cold gas generator, it takes approximately 5 minutes to start. The cleaning of the systems of purification needs to takes place every 3000 km.

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Gus: This technology, abandoned after the war in favour of oil (mostly petrol and diesel) used to make a lot of charcoal (near pure carbon).

Shallow burying this charcoal in cultivated fields obviously could help regenerate plants and reduce carbon emission — carbon being thus sequestered within the plants... Good one folks...

US climate exhibit 'toned down'          

The Smithsonian museum institute toned down a global warming exhibit, fearing it would displease the US government, a former museum director has said.

In the light of the latest weather in NSW, the month of June temperature are still nearly three degrees above average when the maximums and minimums are computed... and as for the rain, looking at the cartoon heading this line of blogs, obviously the little UnAustralian prayed too hard... And god gave him buckets...

Seriously though, in my book, whether you pray or not won't make a hoot of difference. But doing something to arrest global warming has a chance to reduce the happening of weird storms in June. Our thoughts are with the people who have suffered and are suffering.

Thousands of homes destroyed in China floods

Storm floods in southern China have destroyed nearly 50,000 homes, killed at least 66 people and forced over 500,000 others to flee the area.

From Wednesday to Saturday, continuous torrential rains, mudslides and floods hit Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Jiangxi and Fujian provinces and regions, affecting more than 8.97 million people.

"Floods caused by heavy rains have affected about 294,800 hectares of crops, completely destroying 53,000 hectares of them," an official with China's Ministry of Civil Affairs told Xinhua news agency.

The floods have demolished 48,000 homes and damaged 94,000 others in southern China, and forced about 591,000 people to evacuate their homes, the official said.

Twelve people are reported as missing.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs has sent rescue teams to the disaster areas to assist relief work.

The ministry has estimated economic losses of more than 2.9 billion yuan ($448 million) to the region.

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