Biochar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Biochar is a type of charcoal produced from biomass. In some cases, the term is used to distinguish biomass charcoal produced via low-temperature burn process.
Biochar is employed most commonly as a soil amendment and is essentially a form of activated carbon. It has several qualities that make it suitable to this task:
- It is largely inert. Microbial composting action leaves charcoal largely unaffected.
- Highly porous. Serves both to retain water in the soil, and provide large surface area for microbes.
There is some empirical evidence that low-temperature biochar produces more robust growth in plants when compared to high-temperature biochar. It is speculated that it retains organic matter that is desirable to beneficial microbes (like mycorrhizal fungi), resulting in higher nutrient availability to the plants.
Biochar is the main (and likely key) ingredient in the formation of terra preta, or Amazonian dark earth. Efforts to recreate these soils are being undertaken by companies such as Eprida and Best Energies. Research efforts are underway at Cornell University, the University of Georgia, and Iowa State University.
[edit] Further reading
- Biochar Research at Cornell University.
- International Agrichar Initiative 2007 Conference.
- Eprida Home Page. Retrieved on 2006-05-08.
- Best Energies. Retrieved on 2007-01-14.
- Terra Preta. Hypography discussion forum. Retrieved on 2006-05-08.
- Putting the carbon back: Black is the new green. Nature. Retrieved on 2006-09-20.
