The machine was invented in the United Kingdom, to turn coppice from hazel, oak and chestnut into high quality charcoal.

The Retort heats an inner chamber full of wood, agricultural waste, bamboo, bones and the like to 440 degrees, and drives off the volatile chemicals. These are burnt in gas jets to power the pyrolysis, leaving the load as pure charcoal.

Charcoal has a huge surface area which can adsorb nutrients and hold them till required by plant roots

Doctor Tim Roberts, of the University of Newcastle’s Tom Farrell Institute, spoke of the precolonial landscape managed by Aborigines. Their sophisticated burning techniques produces biochar, which made soils soft and porous. Their huge farms produced grains for bread, yam daisies and other crops. Hoofed sheep and cattle put an end to thousands of years of this agriculture.

Professor Stephen Joseph, Visiting Professor at the University of NSW, explained that biochar was charcoal made specially to be charged up with nutrients from compost, agricultural wastes, worm juice, and the like. Targeted use improves soils and captures carbon, he explained. Professor Joseph has many years of research and practical application in converting waste into precious soil amendments.

He is off next month to deal with the manure mountains causing trouble in the dairy lands of Denmark and Germany.

Don Graves of Motueka New Zealand spoke of the Para Umu biochar soils made by the Maori, enabling them to grow tropical crops in a cold climate.

Mike Kelly MP and delegates from Soils For Life kindly wielded the scissors to cut ribbons around the first Australian retort.

We hope they go back to Canberra to tell the tale of Biochar in the halls of power.

Robin and Kay Rawle came all the way from UK to train us.

Robin explained that biochar is of great benefit in cold climates, where it can extend growing season by warming soil, and in tropical climates to slow nutrient leaching under the strong sun and heavy rain.

Nicole and Diego, our Italian farm workers kindly made pizza. 

All attendees were encouraged to take home  char to mix with worm juice and experiment in their gardens