Fires, illegal or not in these circumstances?

[GarethM]

14 minutes ago, Muddy42 said:

 

Yes its just that burning organic matter feels fairly natural to me. Its just accelerated composting (but I suppose it can create smoke which is probably where the issue lies).  Isn't the only way a licenced waste disposal company can get rid of organic matter to burn it or compost it?  Shouldn't there be a difference between dumping organic waste and dumping rubbish (man made stuff)?

Burning isn't accelerated composting tho is it, with the heat just being "Waste"d.

 

If you incinerated it, you gain usable heat for say heating the local swimming pool, house etc or co-fire for electrical generation.

 

Using your logic, if I take my uPVC window and wood frame it would be organic because it's natural, sand and a bit of wood.

[Muddy42]

2 minutes ago, GarethM said:

Burning isn't accelerated composting tho is it, with the heat just being "Waste"d.

 

If you incinerated it, you gain usable heat for say heating the local swimming pool, house etc or co-fire for electrical generation.

 

Using your logic, if I take my uPVC window and wood frame it would be organic because it's natural, sand and a bit of wood.

 

What I mean is both burning and composting mainly produces carbon dioxide, water vapor, heat.  Chemically all carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Don't they?  One fast, one slow process.

 

Yes difficult to define manmade and the heat is wasted in a bonfire. Unless you toast marshmallows or use one of these on it, which makes seriously good toasted sandwiches .

 

 

[openspaceman]

21 minutes ago, peds said:

Burn small enough bits and then put it out before completion, and you are creating biochar. Absolutely essential in the most fashionable compost blends these days.

About time too

[GarethM]

I understand what you're saying, but legally them's the rules.

 

You could plant some grape vines and argue you're creating a temperate microclimate to prevent frost damage ?.

 

That's what they do in France if there's a frost at certain times of the year 

[peds]

3 minutes ago, openspaceman said:

About time too

 

Useful stuff all right, especially for abused soil, but it's not the magical cure-all that a lot of people tout it to be, and if you've already got decent soil then you don't really need it. But it is lovely stuff.

 

A lot of faffy procedures around to produce it too...

 

I just make a good fire in an old metal bin incinerator and burn it to embers, dump a load of woodchip on it, let it burn for a bit then hose it down. 

[openspaceman]

32 minutes ago, peds said:

 

Useful stuff all right, especially for abused soil, but it's not the magical cure-all that a lot of people tout it to be, and if you've already got decent soil then you don't really need it. But it is lovely stuff.

 

A lot of faffy procedures around to produce it too...

 

I just make a good fire in an old metal bin incinerator and burn it to embers, dump a load of woodchip on it, let it burn for a bit then hose it down. 

Sort of right but but the fact it makes the carbon recalcitrant  is the same whatever soil.

 

Yes there's a lot of hype, especially about proprietary methods of making it. The much vaunted "flame cap" was in use to make half 45 gallon barbecues was known in my youth and John Evelyn even mentions making it on the flat as a method in his treatise sylva.

 

Last I was professionally involved it was the EA that objected to its use on agricultural land, I don't know how their position has changed in the 8 years since.

Edited September 20 by openspaceman
clarification as no 45 gallon drums in the 17th century

[GarethM]

I always thought proper biochar was effectively charcoal, burnt to remove the nasty stuff and leave almost pure carbon with the cell structure popped or opened up like activated charcoal.

 

Half burnt woodchip never seems to rot particularly well, same with bonfire ash in my designated burn spot.

Edited September 20 by GarethM

[peds]

What nasty stuff? It's woodchip... 

[GarethM]

When you burn anything incompletely it leaves accumulated trace elements, metals etc.

 

Charcoal on the other hand cooks them out of the wood, so you're left with almost pure carbon.

 

A woodchip boiler effectively does the charcoal step at 1200c and spits out the trash and ash, something ridiculous like 1kg a ton.

[peds]

I see. But if you are using woodchip as a soil amendment anyway, those trace elements will be going into the ground all the same. 

It's definitely not something I'd be losing any sleep over, unless the organic material to char came from around somewhere suspect. But then I wouldn't be using that as either char or chip...

 

I know some people like to biochar pallet wood as a way of getting rid of it... but who knows where those pallets have been before? I'd not be growing my lettuces in it!