Technology Repackaging- BIOCHAR

Introduction
Most carbon in the soil is lost as greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide, CO2) into the
atmosphere if natural ecosystems are converted to agricultural land. Soils contain 3.3
times more carbon than the atmosphere and 4.5 times more than plants and animals on
earth. This makes soils an important source of greenhouse gases but also a potential
sink if right management is applied. The use of crop residues for bio-energy production
reduces the carbon stocks in cropland. Further the dedication of cropland to bio-fuel
production increases the area of cultivated land and thus carbon loss from soils and
vegetation.
The carbon-rich byproduct that is produced when biomass (e.g.,agricultural crop
residues, wood, waste, etc.) is heated through the process of pyrolysis in an oxygendepleted environment is commonly referred to as biochar. Biochar is defined simply as
charcoal that is used for agricultural purposes. It is created using a pyrolysis process,
heating biomass in a low oxygen environment. Once the pyrolysis reaction has begun, it
is self-sustaining, requiring no outside energy input. Byproducts of the process include
syngas (H2 + CO), minor quantities of methane (CH4), tars, organic acids and excess
heat.
Biochar, also known as black carbon, is a product derived from organic materials rich in
carbon (C) and is found in soils in very stable solid forms, often as deposits. Biochars
can persist for long periods of time in the soil at various depths, typically thousands of
years. The most common example is charcoal, derived from wood. Similarly, the Terra
Preta soils of the Amazon Basin are one of the more widely known examples of biochar.
Biochar differs from charcoal in regard to its purpose of use, which is not for fuel, but for
atmospheric carbon capture and storage, and application to soil.

Terra Preta Research History

Throughout the world intensive agriculture often has resulted in soil physical and
chemical degradation, to due marked changes erosion and higher output than input
rates of nutrients and OM. In contrast, the intentional and unintentional deposition of
nutrient-rich materials within human habitation sites and field areas has in many cases
produced conditions of heightened fertility status (Woods 2003). Biochar was also used
in agriculture in the past (Allen 1846; Ogawa 1994; Ogawa 2008), but Terra Preta soils
in the Amazon are among the most prominent examples of human enriched soils.
Sustainable soil fertility management is a major constraint in the humid tropics and is
probably one reason for Terra Pretas high degree of public awareness. Further the

difference between Terra Preta and ordinary soils in its vicinity is striking. In contrast to
yellow or reddish Ferralsols the Terra Preta is dark (black). Terra Preta is rich in calcium
and phosphate. These two elements are scarce in the Amazon basin and its presence
alters fertility and ecology of the landscape distinctly. Terra Preta has an elevated pH in
comparison to the surrounding soils (Ferralsols, Acrisols, and Arenosols) which are
acidic with toxic levels of exchangeable aluminum (Glaser and Birk 2012). Current
major environmental threats such as deforestation and global warming contribute to
Terra Pretas wide public perception. Its existence proofs that long-lasting soil fertility
improvements and carbon sequestration is possible, even under the most unfavorable
circumstances (fast mineralization and leaching) and gives rise to hope to overcome
these environmental challenges. Terra Preta may offer an opportunity to learn from the
past and improve our current wasteful material flow management (Steiner and Taylor
2010).
Objective of using biochar
Biochar has many purposes in using it. It is used as the alternative to increase the soil
fertility. It is because biochar contains organic materials that can improve the soil
physically and chemically. By using of organic fertilizer like biochar also can save
source to make fertilizer especially for chemical fertilizer. It is because biochar only use
water and wood chips or other agricultural wastes in order to make it. Furthermore, the
use of biochar will reduce pollution from inorganic fertilizer that contain chemical that is
not environmental friendly. At the same time, biochar can save our environment
because it contains carbon sequestration to reduce greenhouse effect.
Target people
1) Researcher and scientist
Researcher and scientist can use biochar as the experimental materials to test
the treatments that will research on it. Biochar can be applied and will show the
effect on the soil fertility and crops growth. The further research about biochar is
needed to found the new founding about it that can be benefit to others.
2) Agricultural extensionist
The benefit of applying biochar has been proved by many researches, yet there
is still no application on it in a wide range. It is because of many agriculturist and
farmers still do not get information about applying biochar on the agricultural soil.
That is why the extensionist needs to play their role to give the information about
it.

3) Agriculturist and farmer

The application of biochar will improve the fertility of soil and crop growth on the
agricultural land. Hence, the problematic soil will reduce and increase the
production of food. So, the country will reduce the export of food and increase
food security for the country. The wastes from agricultural industries also can be
recycle for making bichar.
4) Academic institution
Teachers and lecturers can expand the information of biochar as the teaching
materials to get all the students know about applying and benefit of use it to soil.
It is the formal way of to expand the knowledge about biochar.
How Are Biochars Made?
The benefical effects of biochar were discovered more than 2,000 years ago when the
slash-and-burn agricultural method was in practice. Natural forest fires and historical
cultural practices also resulted in the formation of biochars that are stable over
thousands of years as soil deposits. There are numerous types of biochars depending
on the original material from which they are derived. Each specific type of carbon-rich
material results in a very specific and different type of biochar, reflecting the physical
and chemical properties of the parent material. For example, biochars derived from
different types of trees (wood) or plant species result in different types of biochars.
Biochar can also be created artificially. Typically, biochars are formed by heating
biomass or wastes containing carbon through a process called pyrolysis. Pyrolysis
involves thermal and chemical decomposition of biomass, in limited or zero supply of
oxygen. Biochar is typically produced at temperatures between 300C1000C (Glaser
et al. 2001). The absence of oxygen prevents complete combustion of the material and
the amount of biochar and other by-products obtained depends on the temperature.
Lower temperatures (300C600C) yield more solid char material and temperatures
above 700C result in more liquid/gas components. Typical waste-to-energy projects
involve pyrolysis at high temperatures and result in gasification of biomass yielding
approximately 20% Syngas, a combustible gas used in internal combustion engines,
composed of primarily carbon monoxide and hydrogen, along with bio-oil and biochar.
Various types of biomass have been used on a commercial scale for biochar production
successfully, including agricultural and forestry by-products (such as straw, nut shells,
rice hulls, wood chips, wood pellets, tree bark, and switch grass), industrial by-products
(such as bagasse from the sugarcane industry, paper sludge, and pulp), animal wastes
(such as chicken litter, dairy and swine manure), and sewage sludge. Converting
biomass to biochars offers an excellent method for reducing waste and using these byproducts. Biochars can also be engineered to have specific physical and chemical
properties by selecting appropriate feedstock and pyrolyisis conditions. Engineering

biochars to have specific properties can increase the ability of biochars to serve as a
soil amendment and/or as a low-cost sorbent for organic and inorganic pollutants
(Chen, Chen, and Lv 2011; Novak et al. 2009).
Reaction in biochar
Biochar holds carbon and other nutrients because of its unique structure, full of pores
and surface area. It is an excellent habitat for beneficial bacteria and beneficial fungi.
This nutrient holding property of Biochar is particularly useful in areas that flood often or
farm lands that have been over farmed.
Further, because of this unique holding property, Biochar has the ability to attracting and
hold moisture, nutrients, and important chemicals, specifically nitrogen and
phosphorous. As every farmer knows, nitrogen is one of the most important chemicals
but it tends to run-off regular soils thus upsetting ecosystem balance in nearby streams
and ponds. Biochar holds gasses as well; recent research has proven that Biochar
enriched soils reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (NO2) emissions by 5080%. Both nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide are problem greenhouse gasses.
Uses of Biochars
When applied as soil amendments, biochars are known to improve soil physical and
chemical properties, such as increasing soil fertility and productivity. Current research is
focused on understanding the physics and chemistry of soil-applied biochars by
studying the methods and rates of applications and documenting benefits for use as
agricultural amendments. Many recent studies are also focusing on broader impacts of
biochars, such as the potential for climate change mitigation at a global scale. These
studies are evaluating increases in soil carbon storage at regional scales. An estimated
2.2 gigatons of C can be stored in the soil by 2050 using biochar conversion
technologies, according to the International Biochar. Other benefits from amending soils
with biochars include minimizing nitrous oxide and methane emissions, minimizing
leaching of nutrients to groundwater, and reducing contaminant levels in soils, among
others.
Application and benefit of biochar
Once it is produced, biochar is spread on agricultural fields and incorporated into the top
layer of soil. Biochar has many agricultural benefits. It increases crop yields, sometimes
substantially if the soil is in poor condition. It helps to prevent fertilizer runoff and
leeching, allowing the use of less fertilizers and diminishing agricultural pollution to the
surrounding environment. And it retains moisture, helping plants through periods of
drought more easily. Most importantly, it replenishes exhausted or marginal soils with

organic carbon and fosters the growth of soil microbes essential for nutrient absorption,
particularly mycorrhizal fungi.
Studies have indicated that the carbon in biochar remains stable for millenia, providing a
simple, sustainable means to sequester historic carbon emissions that is technologically
feasible in developed or developing countries alike. The syngas and excess heat can be
used directly or employed to produce a variety of biofuels.
Impacts on Agriculture
The characteristics of biochars and its potential benefits when applied to the land are
both influenced by the specific material of the biochar and the processing technique
used. Biochars can retain applied fertilizer and nutrients and release them to agronomic
crops over time. Biochars ability to retain water and nutrients in the surface soil
horizons for long periods benefits agriculture by reducing nutrients leaching from the
crop root zone, potentially improving crop yields, and reducing fertilizer requirements.
Thus, using biochars in production agriculture should improve yields and reduce
negative impacts on the environment. A distinction between biochars and composts
should be made here for clarity. Biochars differ from composts commonly added to soils
for agricultural production in that compost is a direct source of nutrients through further
decomposition of organic materials. However, biochars do not decompose with time and
so additional applications should not be necessary.
A recent review of biochar articles by Spokas et al. (2012) concluded that while
application of biochars can lead to positive results in agricultural production, there have
been some reports of no crop yield benefits (Schnell et al. 2012) or even negative yield
responses (Lentz and Ippolito 2012). Reported low yields could be because of reduced
nutrient release for plant uptake, application of biochar on fertile soils, or a low rate of
biochar application. High yields observed in some cases of biochar application could not
be easily explained, but might depend on biochar properties, the soil fertility status, and
the agronomic crop under consideration. Ippolito, Laird, and Busscher (2012) pointed
out that most recent research on biochar has been conducted on highly weathered and
infertile soils where benefits of biochar application were often noted. UF/IFAS
researchers are working on determining benefits of biochars on sandy soils of Florida
with low fertility and documenting any improvements in crop growth and yield.

Impacts on the Environment

As discussed earlier, biochars can have benefits for waste reduction, energy production,
C-sequestration, and soil fertility. Also, different biochars (derived from a variety of
feedstocks) have been recognized as highly efficient low-cost sorbents for various
pollutants in the environment. Application of biochars to soils has been investigated at
the laboratory and field scale as an in-situ remediation strategy for both organic and
inorganic contaminants to determine their ability to increase the sorption capacity of
varying soils and sediments. For example, Chun et al. (2004) reported biochars
generated by pyrolyzing wheat residues at temperatures ranging from 300oC to 700oC
removed benzene and nitrobenzene (organic contaminants) from wastewater. Similarly,
biochars produced from greenwaste (a mixture of maple, elm, and oak woodchips and
bark) removed atrazine and simazine from aqueous solution (Zheng et al. 2010). Pine
needle-derived biochar removed naphthalene, nitrobenzene, and m-dinitrobenzene from
water (Chen, Zhou, and Zhu 2008). Straw-derived biochar was found to be an excellent,
cost-effective substitute for activated carbon to remove dyes (reactive brilliant blue and
rhodamine B) from wastewater (Qiu et al. 2009). Biochar derived from dairy manures
(pyrolysis from 200C to 300C) also removed substantial amounts of atrazine from
wastewater (Uchimiya et al. 2010).
In addition to removing organic contaminants, biochars have also been shown to
remove metal contaminants and nutrients from wastewater and soil. Cao et al. (2009)
investigated the sorption capacities of biochars produced by the pyrolysis of dairy
manures at low temperatures (200oC and 350oC). They found that the biochar was six
times more effective in removing lead (Pb) from wastewater than a commercial
activated carbon. Broiler litter manure biochar enhanced the immobilization of heavy
metals including cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and Pb in soil and water
(Uchimiya et al. 2011). Yao et al. (2011) reported biochar derived from anaerobically
digested sugar beet tailings (DSTC) removed 73% of phosphate from the tested water.
Also, magnetic biochars were found to be effective at removing hydrophobic organic
contaminants and phosphate from solution simultaneously (Chen, Chen, and Lv 2011).
These results show the potential of biochars to minimize nutrient leaching in agricultural
fields.
References
1) http://www.biochar.info/biochar.biochar-overview.cfml
2) http://living-soils.com/what-is-biochar/
3) http://www.academia.edu/2647673/Biochar_Application_to_Soil_Agronomic_and
_Environmental_Benefits_and_Unintended_Consequences
4) http://www.biochar.org/joomla/
5) http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ss585