Biochar:

A Carbon-Negative Technology to
Combat Climate Change and Enhance
Global Soil Resources

“Targeting Non-CO2 Climate Forcers for Fast

Mitigation to Complement CO2 Cuts”
Bonn, Germany
Debbie Reed Tuesday, 9 June, 2009
Policy Director, International Biochar Initiative biochar-international.org
 Biochar
Overview

• What is Biochar?
• Ancient Technology, Rediscovered
• Impacts, Utilization of Biochar
 What is Biochar?
• Biochar is a charcoal substance produced from
the controlled, incomplete combustion of
biomass in an oxygen-free or oxygen-limited
environment.
• As a soil amendment, biochar creates virtually
permanent carbon sinks (MRT 1,000-2,000
years); dramatically improves soils; and has
multiple environmental benefits.
• Biochar is a carbon-negative technology, and
can remove CO2 on gigaton scales, to combat
climate change. It is one of the few carbon-
negative technologies at our disposal.
 What is Biochar?
• During biochar production, 10-50% of the
biomass feedstock C is retained in the crystalline
biochar structure (Lehmann, 2007)
• Bio-energy is a co-product (oil, syngas, or heat)
– Thermal energy (cooking, heating)
– Oil or gas for on-farm electricity generation
– Oil or gas for fuel
• Biochar production systems are scalable, and
have appropriate developed and developing
country applications
 What Makes Biochar
Carbon-Negative?
CO2 Cycle (simplified):
• CO2 is captured by photosynthesis, and fixed
into biomass
• Biomass decays into CO2
BIOCHAR changes the chemical and physical C
structure, capturing the CO2 in a virtually
permanent carbon stock, preventing re-release
to the atmosphere.
• IT IS A CARBON-NEGATIVE PROCESS.
• BURY IT!! As a soil amendment, biochar has
beneficial agronomic and water quality impacts.
 Terra Preta Soils:
An Ancient Technology
• Biochar is “newly rediscovered”

• Concept: “Terra Preta de Indio” soils

• Terra Preta soils of Amazon basin contain up to

70x more black carbon than surrounding
soils, and high levels of nitrogen, phosphorus,
potassium, and calcium
 Terra Preta de Indio Soils
Terra Preta de Indio Soil Nearby Oxisol Soil

Photos: Julie Major, Cornell University

 Impacts of Biochar

Crop and Soil Impacts:

• Enhances crop productivity, food security
• Improves soil tilth, fertility, water retention
• Reduces soil erosion, vulnerability to
degradation
• Reduces need for fertilizer inputs
• Enhances agricultural adaptation to climate
change
 Research in Past 5 Years
Shows Biochar…
• …is more stable than any
other soil amendment (MRT
1,000-2,000 yrs)
• …increases nutrient
availability beyond a fertilizer
effect
• …is more efficient at
enhancing soil quality than
any other organic soil
amendment
 What makes
Biochar work?
•During formation, the
porous, crystalline biochar
structure adsorbs bio-oils,
nitrogen, phosphorus, other
nutrients from feedstock
•Very high surface area
•In soil, biochar is extremely
recalcitrant to decomposition
•Soil microorganisms and
H2O inhabit micropores
•Nutrient leaching and
volatilization are inhibited,
but nutrients are bioavailable
to plants

Source: Robert Brown, Iowa State University

 Biochar Utilization
• IBI supports Biochar production and
utilization systems that:
– Utilize sustainably produced residues and
waste biomass
– Provide net GHG emissions reductions (LCA)
– Demonstrate and support ancillary co-benefits
(health, environmental, economic)
– Are supported by and provide benefits to
local/indigenous populations
 Biochar Utilization
• Biochar in a developing country context:

– Household-level biochar systems can

combine cooking function with biochar
production for crops (gardens, farms), with
enhanced biomass production for cooking
fuels (‘feedback loop’)
– Enhance food & energy security, reduce land
degradation, desertification
 IBI & UNCCD: Biochar to help
Avoid, Reverse Land Degradation?

Photos: International Development Research Center

(www.idrc)
 Biochar Utilization
• Biochar in industrialized agriculture:
– Utilization of waste biomass (e.g. peanut or
rice hulls, corn stover, wheat straw, tree
waste, animal manure) to produce biochar
 Biochar Utilization
• Biochar in industrialized agriculture:

– Waste management to produce biochar

– Biochar can reduce the need for fertilizer
inputs, enhance crop productivity, soil quality
– Biochar can improve water quality impacts of
agriculture
C-Removal Potential of Biochar
Figure 1. Four sustainable scenarios using carbon-negative
biochar technology
1.2
Biochar C Alone

C Sequestered or Offset, GtC/yr

1.0 1 Gt C /yr Wedge

0.8

0.6

0.4 Optimistic Plus (3.2% NPP)

Optimistic (3.2% NPP)

0.2 Moderate (2.1% NPP)

Conservative (1.2% NPP)
Wedge
0.0
2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050
Year

Source: Amonette, JE, Lehmann, JC, and Joseph, S ( 2007), “Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration with
Biochar: A Preliminary Assessment of its Global Potential.” Presented at American Geophysical
Union, San Francisco, CA on December 13, 2007. Eos Transactions of the American Geophysical
Union, 88(52), Fall Meeting Supplement, Abstract U42A-06.
The International Biochar Initiative
• A consortium of research, agricultural,
engineering, and policy-oriented institutions and
people devoted to sustainability of world’s soils,
and climate change mitigation
• Formed at 2006 World
Congress on Soil Science
• 1st international conference Spring, 2007 in
Australia (www.iaiconference.org)
• 2nd international conference Sept. 8-10, 2008 in
Newcastle, UK (www.biochar-international.org)
• 3rd international conference 2010 in Brazil
The International Biochar Initiative

www.biochar-international.org