[TheForge] OT Charcoal

[David E. Smucker]

No -- and I hope you don't feeling I am attacking here -- there is a 
difference between coal and oil -- which have been in the ground for 1000's 
if not 1,000,000's of years and trees.  Trees will die and decay releasing 
CO2 in a short peroid of time -- in other words they are already part of the 
current carbon balance.  Oil and Coal on the other hand when burn release 
what in effect is "new" carbon adding to the postive side of the CO2 / solid 
carbon balance.

Dave

--------------------------------------------------
From: <wmullett at bright.net>
Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2008 2:05 PM
To: "Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: Re: [TheForge] Charcoal

> I don't believe sustainable is the best rule to measure by.  It only looks 
> at supply.
>
> The problem is that all carbon fuel sources were / are created from living 
> matter.  When you cut down the tree to make charcoal, you remove the 
> ability of converting CO2 to carbon.  Seems like it would be smarter to 
> eat the cake before we burn the paper plate.
> ============================================================
> From: "Andy Gladish" <gladish at cablerocket.com>
> Date: Wed Sep 17, 1:06 PM
> To: "Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
> Subject: Re: [TheForge] Charcoal
>
> On Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:56:24 -0700, Saint Phlip <phlip at 99main.com> wrote:
>
>> Andy, charcoal is actually quite a sustainable resource, unlike coal
>> which will be gone when it's gone.
>
> Yes, you're right- I was responding to his "now talk me out of this"
> comment by saying that there's a downside to anything. Most of the
> charcoal in stores comes from areas of Mexico and the American southwest
> that are more or less strip mined for wood.
> Sure it comes back, theoretically, but the habitat destruction is
> significant, even though most of us don't have to look at it. If you make
> your own, a charcoal burner almost by definition produces a large amount
> of particulate matter and wastes much of the potential heat energy of the
> wood.
>
> There are ways around this, and I personally think that charcoal produced
> with all this in mind is the best possible forge fuel.
> We either pay the price by making it ourselves in a responsible way, or we
> all pay in the long run because we treated our planet unkindly.
> Now to walk my talk and make charcoal in the winter, using the burnoff to
> heat my shop!
>
> Andy G.
> _______________________________________________
> Manage membership or unsubscribe at:
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/theforge
> theforge mail list group photo site is
> http://www.photoaccess.com
> Login:  blacksmithblacksmith at hotmail.com
> password:  anvil
> ___________
>
>
> ============================================================
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Manage membership or unsubscribe at:
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/theforge
> theforge mail list group photo site is
> http://www.photoaccess.com
> Login:  blacksmithblacksmith at hotmail.com
> password:  anvil
> ___________
>
>
>