U.S.-FocUSed Biochar report - BioEnergy Lists

forwardBiochar is a charcoal carbon product derived from biomass that can enhance soils, sequester or store carbon, and provideuseable energy. 1 Lessons learned from Terra Preta (an ancient human-created soil type in Brazil) suggest that biochar willhave carbon storage permanence in the soil for many hundreds and possibly thousands of years. 2 Biochar is producedby subjecting biomass to elevated temperature, extracting energy in the form of heat, gases, and/or oils while retaininga large portion of the original biomass carbon in a solid form (charcoal or char). The relative percentage of solid carbonretained vs. the amount and form of energy produced is a function of the process conditions. The resultant solid carbonbecomes biochar when it is returned to soils with the potential to enhance mineral and nutrient availability and waterholding capacity, while sequestering carbon for on the order of a thousand years. Economic drivers bringing biochar topractical application include:• Agricultural value from enhanced soils• Renewable energy produced• Permanent carbon sequestration• Waste mitigation• Environmental remediation• Concurrent economic value from reduced nitrous oxide and methane release. 3Well designed renewable energy (RE) technologies such as energy efficiency, solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, andbiomass driven projects are needed to ensure a diverse portfolio of sustainable solutions to meet our energy demands.These RE technologies offer opportunities to produce energy that is carbon neutral, whereas biochar offers the potentialto be carbon negative. 4 Biochar as a method of carbon management is also widely scalable in size and flexible across soiltype and usage making biochar deployable worldwide. While technologically ready, research and development is neededfor consistent production, material improvement and assessment of biochar’s impact on soil ecology and processes. Biochardevelopment is a vibrantly growing field.Biochar presents the ability to produce usable energy during its production while concurrently creating a solid carbonproduct, which has many value-added uses. This carbon product can function to both sequester carbon and enhanceagriculture, forestry, remediation and other processes. The political and business climate that allows renewable energygeneration, agroforestry improvement, waste mitigation and carbon storage mechanisms to accelerate would be wise totake notice of past work, tune in to current work, and position themselves for future work on biochar.The following report addresses six critical topics:1. Agroforestry2. Energy Co-Products3. Reclamation4. Sustainability5. Green House Gas Accounting6. Green House Gas MarketsEach of these areas will continue to develop over time with research and application but the information presented inthis report serves as a resource for those becoming involved or continuing to be involved in the exciting development ofbiochar. USBI encourages readers to consider how they might add to this body of biochar knowledge and contact us forsuggestions and contributionsIt will take a community to raise the biochar baby – biochar needs project champions, YOU are that champion.Jonah G LevineResearch Faculty University of ColoradoCenter for Energy and Environmental Security (http://cees.colorado.edu/)Jonah.Levine@Colorado.Edu1 Lehmann. Johannes., J. Gaunt., M. Marco., (2006), Bio-Char Sequestration in Terrestrial Ecosystems- A Review. Mitigationand Adaptation Strategies of Global Change. 11:402-427. DOI 10.1007/s11027-005-9006-52 Gaunt. John., J. Lehmann., (2008), Energy Balance and Emissions Associated with Biochar Sequestration and Pyrolysis BioenergyProduction. Environmental Science and Technology. Vol 42, 4152-41583 Yanai. Y., K. Toyota., M. Okazaki., 2007. Effects of charcoal addition on N 2 O emissions from soil resulting from rewetting airdriedsoil in short-term incubation experiments. Soil Science Plant Natr, 53, 181-188.4 Hansen, James, Makiko Sato, Pushker Kharecha, David Beerling, Valerie Masson-Delmotte, Mark Pagani, Maureen Raymo,Dana L. Royer, James C. Zachos, (2008),Target Atmospheric CO 2 : Where Should Humanity Aim?, PG 12