Biochar as a microbial carrier
AssigneeCarbon Technology Holdings, LLC
InventorsRichard Wilson Belcher, Han Suk Kim, Brian Buege, Mark L. Jarand, Michael C. Cheiky, Ronald A. Sills
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Abstract
The invention relates to a microbial delivery system where biochar acts as a carrier for microbes.
Claims29
A microbial delivery system comprising:
- biochar having pores;
- and
- microbes retained on the surface or in the pores of the biochar.
A method for delivering microbes into an environment, the method comprising combining biochar and microbes in the environment, where the biochar has been treated to have suitable properties for the microbes in the environment in which the biochar and microbes are combined.
Biochar having pores where pores are filled with a media containing microbes, where the media is infused into the pores of the biochar.
Biochar for use in agricultural, remediation, public health, or animal application, the biochar comprising a porous carbonaceous particle that has been treated and/or mixed with media containing microbes, whereby the porous carbonaceous particle after treatment and/or mixing has retained the media in at least some of the pores of the porous carbonaceous particle.
A method for creating enhanced biochar, the method comprising the steps of infusing media containing microbes into the pores of biochar.
A methods for integrating a microbial community with a biochar particle, the method selected from the group consisting of:
- while under vacuum, pulling the microbial solution through a treated biochar bed that is resting on a membrane filter;
- spraying a microbial solution on top of a treated biochar bed;
- lyophilizing a microbial solution and then blending the freeze dried solution with the treated biochar;
- again infusing, the treated biochar with a microbial solution;
- adding treated biochar to a growth medium, inoculating with the microbe, and incubating to allow the microbe to grow in said biochar containing medium;
- infusing, as defined previously, the biochar with a food source and then introducing the substrate infused biochar to a microbe and incubating to allow the microbes to grow;
- blending commercially available strains in dry form with treated biochar;
- adding the treated biochar to a microbial solution and then centrifuging at a high speed, potentially with a density gradient in order to promote the biochar to spin down with the microbes;
- densely packing a column with treated biochar and then gravity flowing a microbial solution through the column and possibly repeating this multiple times;
- or adding the microbe to a solution based binder that is well known to enter the treated biochar pores and then adding said solution to the treated biochar.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.