Char Chit Chat

Char Chit Chat

Char Chit Chat is created by Dylan Graves and explores char in New Zealand and beyond. The podcast aims to interview a range of people involved in biochar, activated charcoal, carbon anodes, and so on. The main subject will tend to be biochar as that is most accessible and scales from individuals making char in their woodstove over the winter to large industrial pyrolysis units outputting several tonnes per day. Biochar is also a great soil conditioner and improver and so is relevant to gardeners and farmers alike. An introduction and overview of Biochar: https://www.sces.org.nz/biochar

  1. CCC S2E3 - Dylan interviewed by Conan Moynihan (Force of Nature podcast)

    JAN 28

    CCC S2E3 - Dylan interviewed by Conan Moynihan (Force of Nature podcast)

    The Force of Nature Podcast is where regenerative thinking meets high-performance farming. Hosted by farm consultant Conan Moynihan, this show dives deep into the future of food, farming, and human health. Tune in for real-world conversations with farmers, thinkers, and disruptors who are transforming agriculture from the soil up; building profitable, resilient, and life-giving systems. If you’re ready to farm with purpose and live with intention, this podcast is for you. I cover a lot and happy to talk about the benefits of biochar to composting and to dairy farms as outlined in the work I have been doing for BNNZ - under the Economic Applications page. Listen on your favourite podcast app or on Conan's podcast. Sharing to a farmer friend or composter appreciated!

    1h 3m
  2. CCC S2E2 with Gerard Anselmi (Kaipara Coast Farm)

    JAN 24

    CCC S2E2 with Gerard Anselmi (Kaipara Coast Farm)

    Gerard turned 65 and then bought a 550ha farm for his retirement! Together with his son Jake, they are exploring more regenerative ways of farming livestock while also looking after the land. Biochar is an emerging part of this journey and I really like the DIY, give-it-a-go approach Kaipara Coast Farm is taking. We chat about diversifying pastures, spraying out biochar with special brews designed to stimulate fungal activity and enhance pasture recovery, grazing mobs with high density and long rotations, and feeding biochar to livestock as well as using biochar in compost! An introduction and overview of Biochar: https://www.sces.org.nz/biochar The national biochar association in NZ: https://biochar.net.nz/ (BNNZ) Intro sound: https://freesound.org/people/joshuaempyre/sounds/250749/

    31 min
  3. CCC S2E1 with Megan and Daniel Schutt (Above & Below Collective)

    JAN 10

    CCC S2E1 with Megan and Daniel Schutt (Above & Below Collective)

    Great to get dairy farmers on the Char Chit Chat who actively use and promote biochar in many aspects of their farming operation. We delve into their farming journey and reveal many very sensible aspects such as once a day milking, cow barns with bunkers to give the cows comfort and to harness their nutrients, as well as their use of biochar as a feed supplement and carbon sponge. In addition to farming, Megan shares her experience and knowledge as a farm coach and Daniel has a transport company and is distributing char based products sourced locally as well as other products that farmers require. This interview is an excellent follow up and practical example happening in New Zealand to the recent release of the 10 Benefits of Biochar for Dairy Farms by BNNZ.

    41 min
  4. CCC S1E20 with Matt Welton (Carbon Options)

    12/21/2025

    CCC S1E20 with Matt Welton (Carbon Options)

    The last podcast for the year for Season 1! Dylan is joined by Matt from Carbon Options at Gallops Ridge Farm in the lower north island. We talk about Matt's journey in life and with biochar as a solution to forestry slash on their property. They are giving parts back to nature and parts are being rehabilitated for farming. Biochar and livestock are being used to build the topsoil again after 3 pine forest rotations and it's working well. Matt uses a batch retort kiln and sells to wholesale customers as well as small scale sales at a local market. He also educates in the local community about biochar making and use. In addition Matt is also using two more waste streams (yeast and hops from a local brewery and cotton textiles) to make (a fertiliser and) biochar. He also has a novel product in development to be used as a spill kit filter. Tune in the hear all the details.

    48 min
  5. CCC S1E19 - Biochar benefits to Dairy Farms

    11/30/2025

    CCC S1E19 - Biochar benefits to Dairy Farms

    This is an audio version (with some commentary) of the literature review and creation of 10 Benefits of Biochar to Dairy Farms completed in late November 2025: https://biochar.net.nz/about-biochar/economic-applications/dairy-cows-and-biochar

    30 min
  6. CCC S1E18 with Raymond Dobbe (BiocharTP)

    11/29/2025

    CCC S1E18 with Raymond Dobbe (BiocharTP)

    Raymond is the founder, driving force, and funder behind BiocharTP. His company is developing two main products - an air curtain biochar producing machine and a livestock feed supplement called Carbon-kai. We chat about Raymond's working life journey, his entrepreneurial success, and current huge biochar project and the problems it can potentially solve: grape marc, king salmon mortalities, wilding pines, livestock culling, green waste at councils, chicken mortalities, forestry residues, and so on. Cool quote by Raymond: "....creating solutions for environmental issues with a carrot rather than a stick..."

    44 min
  7. CCC S1E17 with Trevor Richards

    11/02/2025

    CCC S1E17 with Trevor Richards

    Trevor is one of the founding members of Biochar Network New Zealand (BNNZ) and the secretary since its inception in 2019. He joined me for a chat and talked about his journey with biochar and many insights into its prevalence in SouthEast Asia and New Zealand. Another flame cap method using Warm Heart kilns, that I hadn't heard of before, was described in detail and the Warm Heart organisation is doing superb work in promoting biochar in Thailand and in some countries in Africa. Their resource bank is superb. They have provided a way for small holders to earn carbon credits as well through their http://biochar.life/ program which offers a way for individuals or businesses anywhere in the world to offset their carbon emissions by supporting these people on the land to make biochar from ag wastes instead of open burning it. Trevor also talked about the history of research into biochar in New Zealand and how the The New Zealand Biochar Research Centre came about - it lasted around 10 years. He reflected on 'kicking the tyres' of the pyrolysis machine built at Massey Uni: Here is the thesis about the machine above: https://mro.massey.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10179/5864/02_whole.pdf and more biochar related dissertations from Massey: https://mro.massey.ac.nz/browse/subject?value=Biochar&bbm.return=1 - there is not much left online about the The New Zealand Biochar Research Centre. Auckland and Lincoln universities also do biochar research, but it is difficult to find info on their websites. Trevor outlines many areas of society where biochar could complement - a long list - and where BNNZ could engage if it had more resources (both people and funds). I enjoyed Trevor's obvious passion, dedication, and simple tips such as matching the char method to the biomass resource at hand...

    49 min
  8. CCC S1E16 - Biochar benefits Composting - audio version of article

    10/16/2025

    CCC S1E16 - Biochar benefits Composting - audio version of article

    In this episode Dylan reads the article now on the BNNZ website that outlines the benefits of adding biochar into any composting system. Dylan was paid by BNNZ to create the article and a couple of versions of it to help promote biochar being used in composting. It outlines 10+ ways that biochar benefits composting. Aeration, nutrient adsorption, biology habitat promotion, pH improvement, carbon sequestration, less smells, quicker completion, and so on. Every benefit is backed up with links to academic research! 2-10% by weight and high temperature (above 600° C) best so that the biochar has high surface area. Here are some great supporting resources: USBI brochure on composting with biochar (pdf) Video featuring biochar made at a composting facility in Spain: https://youtu.be/oHbdtJxb6ZE?si=ckop5L8FBJg0OURr (4.5 mins) Thorough and referenced blog post: https://www.compostmagazine.com/biochar-in-compost Extremely well referenced white paper by Pacific Biochar: https://pacificbiochar.com/wp-content/uploads/Pacific-Biochar_Biochar-Compost_white-paper.pdf

    19 min
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About

Char Chit Chat is created by Dylan Graves and explores char in New Zealand and beyond. The podcast aims to interview a range of people involved in biochar, activated charcoal, carbon anodes, and so on. The main subject will tend to be biochar as that is most accessible and scales from individuals making char in their woodstove over the winter to large industrial pyrolysis units outputting several tonnes per day. Biochar is also a great soil conditioner and improver and so is relevant to gardeners and farmers alike. An introduction and overview of Biochar: https://www.sces.org.nz/biochar

Information

  • Creator
    Char Chit Chat
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    23
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Char Chit Chat
  • Show Website
    Char Chit Chat