What is Vitachar?
Vitachar is trademarked, only made by AHCP. It is a blackish-brown, high carbon content product that is mildly activated, having a large surface area. It is bio-active in that it will slowly breakdown when added to soil releasing nutrients. Microbial and fungi food It has excellent water holding capacity, 1kg will hold more than 2 Litre of water. With a pH of around 5 when mixed in water.
How is it made?
Vitachar is made in a similar way of making charcoal. It is created by a high temperature decomposition of biomass in the absence of air and at atmospheric pressure by a partial pyrolysis process. It is a continuous process where temperature and dwell time are controlled and can be varied for different raw materials. That raw material can have a very high water content.
“MADE IN MINUTES”
During the process excess heat can be utilised for other purposes. In the process almost all emitted gasses are trapped and condensed resulting in high quality Wood Vinegar. Liquid Biochar is another product unique to AHCP. Syn-gas and tar are generated and accumulated.
The pyrolysis process does not use combustion and emits very little carbon ddioxide gas. All organic matter has some oxygen atoms within their structures which results in the CO, All pyralysiscesses will produce some CO2.
What is the feedstock?
Vitachar is mainly made from shredded hard wood though shredded bamboo, pine cones and needles, coconut husks, seaweed and discarded cotton fabric can be used. The nature of Vitachar created. depends on the initial carbon source, its water content and process conditions. All processing conditions can be controlled by AHCP’s unique equipment. Traditionally much aged agricultural waste such as sugarcane bagasse, sugarcane dunder, sawdust, nutshell and cotton trash was burnt. Now this feed stock can be converted to Vitachar and energy. Adding it to soil will enrich its properties, such as structure, water holding capacity and provide a good environment for soil microbes and fungi to thrive.
What can it be used for?
Vitachar has and is used for a large range of uses
due to the materials physical and chemical properties. It has a large surface area comparable to charcoal which is dependant on the pyrolysis process. Some charcoals have little porosity. Vitachar has good Cation and Anion Exchange Capacity., being able to adsorb positive and negative ions. Using it can minimise leaching of soil nutrients and allows for the slow release of soil added inorganic fertilisers.
These are just some of the uses Vitachar can be put to:
- Rejuvenate “tired” or denatured soils. Soil improvement by allowing soil microbes and lungi to thrive
- Prevent excess water run off
- Retain nutrients that would have been lost through water run
- Treat waters, take up and contain toxic heavy metals, organics in contaminated waters. PFAS…
- Turn huge quantities of discarded waste such as cotton fabric, turning it into a commodity. Remember, almost all organic waste can be converted
- It is being used for landscaping, gardening, potion plants and as an additive to compost manufacture
Benefits of Vitachar
Vitachar can be used to sequester carbon at rates dependant on controllable processing conditions and original carbon source
Vitachar can add value to traditionally discarded waste as mentioned above
Where burning waste was a way of disposal or heat generation. Now waste is minimised and heat better ilised
When buying potting mix it can have as much as 5096 water or more. With Vitachar you are not paying for water, typically it has about 2096 moisture. Able to hold much, much more
AHCP will help you
- AHCP’s pyrolysis unit is unique using special components hence AHCP leases its units providing 100% servicing when required.
- Because pyrolysis operating conditions are fully controllable, AHCP can work with you to manage your waste and reach your desired end product
- The pyrolysis unit is fully contained with an electrical power generator, wood chipper, pyrolyser and emission traps. It can be located at the source of the waste, not needing to move tonnes of waste to the pyrolyser.
- Vitachar uses modular components meaning parts are easily interchangeable to keep your unit operating.
- The pyrolyser is able to reach operating temperature very quickly and can operate 24 hours or more
- continuously