Biochar stoves are an exciting new technology that reduce poverty, improve health, curb climate change, increase food security and decreas desertification. How? Biochar stoves gasify waste biomass such as grass, husks or dried manure to produce heat for cooking. The charcoal byproduct, biochar, is a carbon-negative soil amendment that increases water and nutrient retention thus increasing soil’s adaptability to the extreme floods and droughts of climate change.

1. THE COMMERCIALIZATION AND ADVANTAGES OF
BIOCHAR STOVES
AMANDA JOY RAVENHILL ETHOS
BIOCHAR ASSOCIATION JANUARY 28, 2012

2. WHY I LOVE BIOCHAR
Third Culture Kid- Diverse world-views
MBA in Sustainability, Bucky Fuller and Systems Thinking
IEA- we have 5 years to turn this ship around! RESOURCES: IEA

3. WHAT IS A BIOCHAR PRODUCING MICRO-
GASIFIER COOKSTOVE?
(aka a Biochar Stove)

4. =
THE CHEMISTRY OF PYROLYSIS
Combustions of gases, not biomass
This all happens in any open fire, stoves organize and control
the pyrolysis so that is happens uniformly

5. CHAR PRODUCTION
You must quench the char before it gasifies to ash.
This is Miriam and her Estufa Finca in Costa Rica with one
week’s worth of char

6. WHAT IS BIOCHAR?
a highly porous and stable charcoal that is applied to soil

7. THE SECRET OF EL DORADO
The Amazon was once home to cities of millions
The soil that supported these cities is Terra Preta (Dark
Earth) and contains charred kitchen waste. RESOURCES: BBC

8. COMPOSITION
Biochar is high in stable amorphous graphite domains, as in it
has many tiny pockets.
Similar to activated carbon, acts as a soil catalyst.

9. Decreases nutrient
run off
High cation exchange
capacity
Improves soil tilth
Carbon capture
Remediates soils of
heavy metals
BIOCHAR BENEFITS
RESOURCES: IBI

10. NOT ALL BIOCHARS ARE CREATED EQUAL
The same feedstocks can create very different chars at
different temperatures.
500 C is optimum RESOURCES: MCLAUGHLIN

11. BIOCHAR STOVE ADVANTAGES:
fuels, emissions, value of char, climate solution

12. ADVANTAGES: FUELS
Corn husks, switchgrass, rice hulls, pigeon peas
Abundant renewable dry biomass
Agro-waste, tree-waste, environmental excesses.
RESOURCES: UKBRC report Biochar Innovation

13. ADVANTAGES: EMISSIONS
“Quantum leap” difference from conventional stoves
Black Carbon is second major cause of climate change
RESOURCES: GIZ Manual

14. ADVANTAGES: VALUE OF CHAR
Monitoring tool- when the stove functions well, it produces char
Cash Value- depending on local prices, $2-$10 dollars a week
Soil Value- increases resiliency to extreme weather events

15. In Costa Rica: IS IT WORTH IT?
Each stove produces about 1.5 Kilos per day of char
The char is bought back for 30 cents a kilo
Resulting in an income of .45 cents a day for the households

16. ADVANTAGES: CLIMATE SOLUTION
Offset up to 12% of GHG Reduces Black Carbon
Climate Adaptation
Carbon-negative energy RESOURCES: Nature Communications

17. BIOCHAR STOVE
COMMERCIALIZATION:
How are biochar stoves best introduced into the market?
Anila Stove, World Stove, Champion Stove, Estufa Finca

18. ANILA STOVE
$6 APPROPRIATE RURAL
2500 STOVES TECHNOLOGY
INDIA INSTITUTE RESOURCES: ARTI

19. LUCIA STOVE
$20
16 COUNTRIES
WORLD STOVE
RESOURCES: WORLD STOVE

20. CHAMPION
$30 IN INDIA, $14
PROTOTYPE IN PERU
SERVALS RESOURCES: SERVALS

21. ESTUFA FINCA
$40
200 STOVES
SEACHAR, APPTA, CATIE
RESOURCES: SEACHAR

22. BIOCHAR MARKET CREATION

23. WHO DOES BIOCHAR?
80 Companies - a quarter 40 Non-profits
are at a full production scale Projections: 30% growth
40 Academic Institutions
RESOURCES: Biochar Network

24. Ask for more.
PARTNERSHIPS FOR PROPER CHAR USE
UNIVERSITIES WATER FILTER COMPANY
AGRICULTURE RESEARCH SANITATION COMPANY
FERTILIZER COMPANIES

25. THE NEED FOR CHAR
CLIMATE ADAPTATION MORE ARABLE SOIL
MAKES SOIL MORE RESILIENT
FERTILIZER FOOD SECURITY

26. Questions?
and
Thank You
AMANDA JOY RAVENHILL
amanda@biocharassociation.org
linkedin.com/in/amandaravenhill
BIOCHARASSOCIATION.ORG