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Scotts Valley tribal developers pitch bioenergy pilot for Lake County to provide local power and biochar
Summary
Tribal administrators and energy consultants described a pilot pyrolysis/gasification bioenergy program that would convert forestry and orchard waste into electricity and biochar, citing carbon‑negative benefits, local resilience during power shutoffs, and potential commercial uses for biochar.
Tom Jordan, tribal administrator for the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, laid out a pilot program to convert local biomass into electricity and biochar using pyrolysis/gasification technology, telling the Clear Lake City Council the approach is designed to limit greenhouse‑gas releases while creating a marketable soil amendment.
Jordan said the process heats carbon‑based feedstock in a sealed chamber ("to a very high degree, 600 degrees plus Celsius") to produce syngas for power generation and biochar as a residual product. He said biochar returned to soil can sequester carbon and retain water, and that the project aims to use low‑value material from forest management, orchard shells and yard brush that otherwise…
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