Repurpose Carbon Filter / Reuse as Biochar?

I thought I read somewhere that you can bake your carbon at a certain time/temperature and actually reactivate it to be used again. Haven't done much research on it, just something I saw in passing

 

Pretty sure you can't "turn it into" biochar.  But I'm not sure about putting it in a compost pile or something like that.  Interested to see the responses though.

 

Why wouldn't it work as an aeration amendment to replace perlite , just not sure what its  precharged with 

 

Add it to the mix, it's not going to hurt anything. 
 
I add the 'shake' from the lump charcoal I use in my smoker. Also called Cowboy charcoal. It certainly does not replace perlite though.
 
IDK about the pre-charged bit. IMO that is mostly creative ad copy to justify the insane cost of bio-char. I would think it would get charged quick enough in the mix. I know that the graded charcoal I used to get for orchid media did soon after an orchid was planted in it. Stuff was fairly cheap since no claims were stuck on it other than the size.
 
Wet

 

Bio char will sequester available nutrition due to its high adsorption capacity (negative charge); the degree depends on the stable carbon content, which differs based on the materials and processes used to create said charcoal. 
 
While commercial charcoal will work, you can ensure a higher carbon content and less volatile compounds by doing the process yourself and controlling the variables; since our end goal is to increase soil fertility, not have a BBQ, there will be a difference in quality.
 
I would charge biochar/charcoal before mixing a significant quantity (10% or greater by volume) into soil, if I didn't have time to let it lie. 
 
Take a look at the C:N ratios presented here for biochar made from different waste materials, most notably the one derived from Prosopis wood.
 
http://www.ijpaes.com/admin/php/uploads/145_pdf.pdf

 

GiMiK, don't get me wrong, I wasn't referring to commercial charcoal, especially not briquette. What I'm talking about is pretty much pure carbon, no additives whatsoever. I used lump charcoal as medium for larger Vanda baskets and they would be in those baskets for 3-5 years till the basket rotted away. Aside from lichen growing on the charcoal it never changed in all those years. The graded charcoal was the same, only smaller for seedlings.
 
It's just been my observation that carbon is pretty much carbon AFA charcoal goes.
 
Was also wondering about those natives who first did this. Did they charge or pre-charge, or simply make charcoal and add it to the soil?
 
Not trying to argue or make a point, I just feel a lot of the bio-char biz is trying to make something that is simple, complicated, with a view towards sales and $$$$.
 
I could also be totally full of shit in this regard.  It's been known to happen.
 
Wet

 

i am also wondering the same question. i have a huge bag of new activated charcoal and it would be great if i could use some to benifit my soil.
 
if you look at the wiki page for activated carbon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activated_carbon
it says "Activated carbon is usually derived from charcoal and increasingly, high-porosity biochar."
 
if i crush this stuff and let it sit with some moister + compost and benies would it not get inoculated, and thus turn into biochar?

 

i found this, but i cant make heads or tails of it
 
can anyone make any conclusion from these?
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es2029697
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749114002486

 

While we're on this, would it charge the biochar if it was added to my compost? Or would it just throw my c:n ratio way too high and be a moot point?