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Charcoal to help climate change and soil
11/08/2010
The inhabitants of ancient Amazonia had a technique for preserving soil fertility, which may also help us combat our climate change issues in the modern day – putting biochar back in the ground.
Biochar is any animal or plant waste which is turned to charcoal and then returned to the ground.
Studies have indicated that up to 900 million metric tons of carbon could be stored this way annually, which is almost 20 per cent of current CO2 emissions caused by burning fossil fuel. As well as locking up this carbon, biochar can help to improve the fertility of the soil, as was known all that time ago by the inhabitants of ancient Amazonia.
New research has also suggested that biochar could impact other greenhouse gas emissions caused by agriculture: nitrous oxide is also known as laughing gas but is not so funny when its impact on climate change is considered. In a recent study, biochar applied to fields in Australia and left there for a number of months managed to cut nitrous oxide emissions by over 70 per cent.
Biochar may not be the complete answer for climate change and soil issues, however, as some research has indicated that it may accelerate the degradation of organic matter into CO2 in certain areas. However, despite its drawbacks it is showing some considerable promise and has high profile proponents, such as Richard Branson.
Biochar is any animal or plant waste which is turned to charcoal and then returned to the ground.
Studies have indicated that up to 900 million metric tons of carbon could be stored this way annually, which is almost 20 per cent of current CO2 emissions caused by burning fossil fuel. As well as locking up this carbon, biochar can help to improve the fertility of the soil, as was known all that time ago by the inhabitants of ancient Amazonia.
New research has also suggested that biochar could impact other greenhouse gas emissions caused by agriculture: nitrous oxide is also known as laughing gas but is not so funny when its impact on climate change is considered. In a recent study, biochar applied to fields in Australia and left there for a number of months managed to cut nitrous oxide emissions by over 70 per cent.
Biochar may not be the complete answer for climate change and soil issues, however, as some research has indicated that it may accelerate the degradation of organic matter into CO2 in certain areas. However, despite its drawbacks it is showing some considerable promise and has high profile proponents, such as Richard Branson.
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