Consider the following riddle:

I am renewable;
I am a chemical element;
as a fuel I am often less expensive ($/GJ) than natural gas;
my energy density (GJ/m3) can exceed that of ethanol or LPG;
and my combustion does not add to the CO2 in the atmosphere;
I am easily stored and safe to transport;
I clean the water you drink and the air you breathe;
Plants grow best in soils that are enriched with me;
I am a key ingredient in the production of semiconductors;
When eaten I settle an upset stomach and clean the intestines; and
No one is afraid of me!
What am I?

(if you don't know, please find the answer at the bottom of this page).

The Table below lists the current prices of conventional fossil fuels and their renewable alternatives. Observe that at its current price, without any tax incentives or other government subsidies, charcoal is cost-competitive with alternative fossil fuels. In fact, charcoal is the only renewable fuel that is now cost competitive with fossil fuels. Remarkably, at its current price (equal to oil at about $7/GJ) the production of charcoal is very profitable. This fact is well-known to charcoal producers, but not to the general public.

Note 1: because of its high content of mercury, sulfur, and other noxious elements and compounds, the price of coal is not comparable to the other (relatively clean) fuels listed. To be comparable, the price of coal should include the necessary cleanup of these noxious materials (especially mercury) at the outlet of the powerplant. Unfortunately, reliable data on the cleanup costs are not easily available.

In addition to the fact that charcoal is cost-competitive with fossil fuels, the markets for charcoal are more diverse (and potentially larger) than those open to any other fuel. What other fuel enjoys markets as a potting soil, health food, water purifier, soil amendment, air purifier, metallurgical reductant, and cooking fuel?

Furthermore, landfills in the State of Hawaii are overburdened. The Table below illustrates the amount of charcoal ("black gold") that can be manufactured annually by the Flash Carbonization™ process from each county's waste stream. Note that the current wholesale price of charcoal ($246 per ton) imported to the USA is equivalent to oil at $46/bbl on an energy basis. The production of "black gold" from Hawaii's green wastes could become a $50 million per year (or more) business for a visionary entrepreneur.

For these reasons, biocarbons (i.e., charcoals) are an important element of HNEI's overall R&D programs. The ancient technology of charcoal manufacture has seen dramatic recent improvements in HNEI's Renewable Resources Research Laboratory (R3Lab). Work continues on optimizing reaction conditions for using the Flash Carbonization™ process with biomass. UH Flash Carbonization™ process patents are being actively licensed. Research efforts are also continuing on biocarbon fuel cell concepts.

(Answer to riddle: charcoal!)