A high level look at biochar: what it is, what it does, how its made and how it can be applied.

1. BIOCHAR:
Burying Carbon
For Good

2. what is biochar?
Highly porous, very stable carbon
made from organic waste
Improves SOIL Resiliency
Reduces WATER Pollution
Reduces CO2 levels in AIR

3. carbon negative
Biomass Biochar
40 – 55%
carbon
75 – 90%%
carbon
75% mass loss
50% carbon loss
pyrolysis
Source: J Lehmann “Terra Preta Nova”

4. soil functions
Biochar’s
Soil
Function
Impacts
Adds stable carbon to soils which stays in
soil for hundreds of years. Other OM
additions (e.g. manure, compost) bio-
degrade in a few years. OM provides
energy & nutrients to plants, stabilizes
soil structures, improves resistance
to erosion. Increased OM
Most
biochars have a strong
surface charge (i.e. CEC) which
helps hold nutrients in the soil
while still making them available
to plants. Soils enriched with
biochar will need less fertilizer
and will have less nutrient
leaching thereby pre-
venting eco-system
damage.
extremely light
weight & highly
porous giving it very low
Bulk Density (BD). Soils with
high BD (e.g. highly compacted
soils) have poor root growth, low
aeration and inefficient water filtration.
Biochar added to compacted soils helps
improve these soils functions.
Biochar is
improves bioactivity
which improves
resistance to
disease &
pests
Due to
biochar’s highly
porous and stable
nature, It provides an
ideal environment for
microbes. The amount &
diversity of microbial activity in
soils is a measure of its quality with
higher activity indicating better soil.
Adding biochar to compost speeds
up the decomposition process
due to Increased microbial
activity.
Biochar
made from
certain types of
feedstocks such as
poultry litter has material
amounts of N-P-K. Biochar
made from woody biomass generally
does not have any significant N-P-K.
When combined with nitrogen fertilizer the
efficiency is improved resulting in higher
yields and requiring less fertilizer use.
Due to the large
size of the pores (macro-
pores) and its stability within
the soil, biochar can provide a long
term positive impact on soil water
holding capacity. In sandy soils in
particular, biochar can
increase water holding
capacity by as much as
50% at high
application
rates
The sorptive properties (i.e. ability to
attract and hold) of biochar help it to
render toxins unavailable to plants.
Biochar can help filter storm water and is
useful in remediation efforts where
toxic chemicals are found such as
mine land remediation,
fracking, chemical spills,
etc.
Most
biochars are
alkaline and will
therefore help to
reduce soil acidity and
reduces short term liming
needs. For alkaline soils,
biochar may have no appreciable
impact on yield. Maintaining proper
soil ph improves nutrient efficiency
and enables strong plant
growth.

5. uses

6. feedstocks
Source: K. Wilson for World Bank

7. production
Pyrolysis & Gasification

8. biochar characteristics & benefits
ClimateChange
Mitigation
Agricultural
Benefits
Remediation
C/NRatio
Recalcitrance
CarbonContent
Nutrients
pH
AshContentSurfaceArea
BulkDensity
MetalsContent
ParticleSize
CEC/
Adsorption
ProductionVariables:
• Feedstock
• EquipmentType
• Temperature
• Ramp&HoldTime
UseVariables:
• Purpose(CC,Ag,Rem)
• ApplicationRate
• SoilType
• Climate
• CSequestration
• GHGReductions
• NOX
• CH4
• ManureManagement
• LivestockNutrition
• NutrientRetention
• SoilFertility
• WHC
• Restoration
• Filtration

9. PEOPLE PLANET PROFIT
Human Rights & Health
• Food Security
• Improved Fruit Quality
Affordability/Social Equity
• Reduced Reliance on
Fertilizers & Fossil Fuels
for Farmers
Natural Systems
• Eco-system Restoration
• Storm Water Treatment
• Remediation
• Waste Optimization
Climate Change
• Carbon Sequestration
• NOX Reduction
• Renewable Energy
• Waste to Energy
Economic Development
• Green Jobs
• Clean Technology
• Sustainable Growth
Industry
biochar’s triple bottom line

10. application methods
Manure Spreader
Around Trees
Deep Banding

11. any questions?
Contact: kathleen@fingerlakesbiochar.com