The Biochar Solutions team includes some of the most progressive leaders in the biochar space. With experience dating back to the inception of the commercial biochar industry, our team has been involved with more premium biochar sales in North America than any of our competitors. The team has also been directly responsible for building early biochar markets across several high-value sectors, including mine reclamation. We are scientists, entrepreneurs, leaders, tinkerers, and pragmatic implementers. In addition to the core team, our growing patent portfolio, licenses, proprietary know-how, on-the-ground experience, and Network of committed producers enable us to bring high-quality biochar solutions to market.
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Morgan Williams - President/CEO (co-founder) - has been active in bioenergy and biochar research, development, and commercialization efforts since 2007. As the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Flux Farm Foundation, Morgan developed, managed, and raised money for interdisciplinary research teams composed of university, government, and private sector scientists. He has presented at numerous conferences around The United States and internationally on low-input bioenergy production for semi-arid environments, biochar for land restoration, and renewable energy for rural agricultural development. Morgan holds a BSc in Biology/Chemistry with Honors from Warren Wilson College, is a published author, and has developed several provisional patents related to biochar for mine reclamation. He serves on various boards and working groups related to his field for the USDA-ARS, Colorado State University, and non-profit consortiums including The Roaring Fork Biomass Consortium and The Western Colorado Carbon Neutral Bioenergy Consortium.
Selected Publications and Presentations MM Williams, JC Arnott (2010). A Comparison of Variable Economic Costs Associated with Two Proposed Biochar Application Methods. In Annals of Environmental Science, Vol 4, 23-30
Biochar as a Nexus Technology for Restoration Williams, Global Clean Energy Congress, Calgary / 2011 The Carbon Negative Reclamation of an Abandoned Silver Mine: Preliminary Results from The Hope Mine Williams and Harley, 4th World Congress of The Society for Ecological Restoration, Merida / 2011 |
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Andrew Harley, PhD - VP of Biochar Reclamation (co-founder) - has 25 years experience in soil science related research and project implementation at agricultural, industrial, landfill and resource facilities. He received his PhD in Soil Geochemistry from the University of Western Australia, and his experience in soil geochemistry and mineralogy has been used to evaluate reactions within soil and groundwater systems that control the movement of nutrients and contaminants allowing for the development of effective solutions. Dr. Harley is currently developing biochar markets based on the nexus between biomass management and land management issues. Projects being developed to adapt biochar derived from the forest management biomass for a range of local soil problems include improved soil moisture regimes and vegetative cover in high-altitude mine reclamation, metal stabilization in abandoned mine land reclamation, general soil improvement in oil and gas reclamation, reduced water needs in agricultural irrigation, water treatment applications and reduction of feedlot odors. Issues related to materials handling and application of biochar to soils are also being addressed through these projects.
Selected Publications and Presentations Biochar for Reclamation: The Role of Biochar in The Carbon Dynamics in Drastically Disturbed Soils Harley, United States Biochar Report, Assessment of Biochar’s Benefits for the United States of America / 2010 A D Harley, R J Gilkes (2000) Factors influencing the release of plant nutrient elements from silicate rock powders : a geochemical overview, 11-36. In Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems. |
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Kenneth Hurst Williams, PhD - Chief Materials Scientist - is a Geological Scientist and the the principal investigator for several Department of Energy projects related to the study of natural and stimulated subsurface biogeochemical processes. He received his BA in Geology (UC Berkeley), MS in Geophysics (UC Berkeley), and PhD in Environmental Science, Policy and Management (UC Berkeley) under the direction of Prof. Jillian F. Banfield. His primary research interests involve the development of biogeophysical characterization and monitoring methods and deployment of such methods at a variety field research sites, in particular the Rifle Integrated Field Research Challenge site near Rifle, Colorado. His current emphasis is on the electrochemical interpretation of geophysical anomalies within the context of static or dynamic biogeochemical conditions. Other areas of interest include the behavior of redox sensitive metals, such as uranium, selenium, vanadium, and arsenic, accompanying stimulated bioremediation, as well as the development of carbon-neutral approaches to contaminated groundwater remediation utilizing microbe-modified electrodes.
Selected Publications and Presentations KH Williams, PE Long, JA Davis et al. (2011) Acetate Availability and its Influence on Sustainable Bioremediation of Uranium-Contaminated Groundwater, 519-539. In Geomicrobiology Journal 28. M Miletto, K H Williams, A L N'guessan et al. (2011) Molecular analysis of the metabolic rates of discrete subsurface populations of sulfate reducers., 6502-6509. In Applied and environmental microbiology 77 (18). L Li, CI Steefel, KH Williams, MJ Wilkins, SS Hubbard (2009) Mineral Transformation and Biomass Accumulation Associated With Uranium Bioremediation at Rifle, Colorado, 5429-5435. In Environmental Science & Technology 43 (14). |
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The Thermal Conversion Systems and Western Biochar crew at Pueblo Wood Products Co.
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