WHAT IS BIOCHAR?• What is it good for?• How can you make money with it?

Kelpie WilsonWilson Biochar Associateskelpiew@gmail.com

Biochar is baked biomass that you can add to soil*

*Biochar: A solid material obtained from thermochemical conversion of biomass in an oxygen-limited environment. (IBI, 2012)

Biochar Definition and Properties• Biochar is biomass that is thermally altered in the

absence of oxygen, ie, it is baked, not burned, and flammable gasses are released (hydrogen, CO)

• Heat transforms plant carbon (found in cellulose and lignin) into fused aromatic carbon rings that are very stable

• Biochars made from different feedstocks at different temperatures can have very different physical and chemical properties

Biomass to Biochar

Heat

LigninCellulose

Molecular scale

Cellularscale

Carbon Atoms(graphene)

Biochar Benefits - Economic and Social

• Climate & pollution• Energy• Soil Improvement• Waste Management

Biochar Markets

•Biochar and Pollution

Biochar retains fertilizer, reducing nutrient pollution

Reclaiming mine tailings

Hope Mountain Mine near Aspen, Colorado.100-year old mine tailings contaminated with heavy metals re-vegetated with biochar in one year.

•Biochar and Climate

Climate Benefits Depend on Biochar Stability

Carbon Cycle and Biochar

Biochar, the Carbon Cycle and Climate Change

"If you could continually turn a lot of organic material into biochar, you could, over time, reverse the history of the last two hundred years… We can run the movie backward. We can un-mine some of the coal, un-drill some of the oil.”

~ Bill McKibben, author, climate activist and founder of 350.org

•Biochar and Energy

Energy-medium scalePhoenix Bioenergy, Merced, California

• 500 kW electricity

• 1 ton of biochar per day

Energy-small scalebiochar-making cook stoves for developing countries

•Biochar and Soil

Soil Benefits - Biochar can replace depleted Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)

Since the industrial revolution, the conversion of natural ecosystems to agricultural use has resulted in the depletion of SOC levels, releasing 50 to 100 GT of carbon from soil into the atmosphere.

Biochar Benefits to Soils

• increase soil carbon levels

• improve fertilizer use efficiency

• decrease toxicity of aluminum and other metals

• increase water holding capacity of the soil

• improve soil conditions for micro and macro soil life forms (bacteria, fungi, earthworms)

• moderate (usually increase) soil pH

• decrease tensile strength and bulk density of soil (easier tillage)

Iowa – natural biochar

• Iowa soils – some of the most fertile in the world

• Why? Natural biochar from prairie fires

• Root zone excludes oxygen, producing char, not ash

Biochar retains soil moisture

Iowa corn did better this drought year because the soils are high in natural biochar. Test plots with added biochar at Iowa State showed about 15% better water retention.

Terra Preta – human-created soils in the Amazon are 500-6,000 years old

Habitat for soil organisms “permanent compost”

A. Fungal hyphae

B. Bacteria

C. 100-year old char from forest fire

D. 350-year old char from forest fire

Refuge for Roots

Tropical soils show the most dramatic results

Worms Love Biochar

Biochar works best when composted with other organic matter before adding to garden soil. This allows life to colonize the biochar.

Plants trials with biochar

Beans, Taro, Pine Seedlings – no biochar on Left, biochar on Right

Biochar as a Peat Substitute

Biochar on left; Peat on right

•Biochar and Waste

Waste that can be turned into biochar• Paper and cardboard • Construction waste• Urban greenwaste (tree trimmings, grass, etc.)• Fuel-load reduction wood (burn piles)• Manure• Human waste

Pile and Burn Cost: $2,000/acreReturn: waste treatment – fuel load reductionByproducts: smoke, ash, sterilized soil

Alternative to Pile and Burn:Carbon Cultures Mobile Biochar Kiln

Biochar Technology Showcase Events November 6-9, 2012 in Kerby, OR

• Mobile Biochar Technology Comes to the Southern Oregon Woods

• Waste-to-wealth technology transforms burn piles from cost center to profit center – public invited to demonstrations and lectures offered multiple times during November 6-9

• Hosted by: Carbon Cultures, the Illinois Valley Forest Practices Committee, the Forestry Action Committee, and Illinois Valley Business Entrepreneurial Center

• More information at: www.carboncultures.com/carbon-cultures-showcase-event/

• Biochar Technology Showcase Event planning, publicity, outreach and logistics by Wilson Biochar Associates

•Biochar Markets

Emerging Biochar Markets – Wholesale:

• Soil remediation and water cleanup – mine tailings, storm water run-off from industrial sites, bio-swales

• Re-vegetation of stream banks and eroded, difficult sites like forest landings and old roads; tree planting

• Nursery and potting media – tree seedlings, bedding plants

• Commercial farming and horticulture, including hydroponics and use in livestock barns for odor control

• Commercial composting – accelerates composting process, controls odor

• Green roofs• Urban tree care

Emerging Biochar Markets – Retail:• Home gardening amendments and fertilizer blends –

branded products sold at garden centers• Artisanal biochar and compost blends sold at local

farmer’s markets• Bedding and container plants in biochar soil blends

sold at garden centers and nurseries• Biochar-compost blends sold by the yard or pickup

load direct from composting facilities• Biochar sold for odor control in horse stalls, chicken

coops, piggeries, etc

Biochar products for sale

Popular biochar blends• Biochar composted with animal manure• Biochar inoculated with compost tea• Biochar composted with food waste and bokashi

(anaerobic lactobacillus fermentation)• Other additives include minerals, NPK, fungi, worm

castings, fish emulsion, urea, etc.

How to make money with biochar – some ideas:

• Sell biochar to wholesale markets• Produce blended biochar products and sell to retail

markets• Contracts (private, public) to produce biochar for

land remediation, re-vegetation and erosion control• Forestry and landscape contractors convert yard

waste and logging waste to biochar for large and small landowners

• Farmers and gardeners can save money by producing soil amendments for use on the farm

Wilson Biochar AssociatesWilson Biochar Associates specializes in biochar technology and market development. We provide strategic advice and services to businesses and organizations:

• Technology Assessment, Research, Analysis and Documentation – reports, white papers, collaborative studies, standards and protocols, technology documentation, product manuals, instructional materials

• Communications – press releases, news articles, feature articles, web content, presentations

• Strategic Planning – campaigns and programs, organizational development, proposals

• Social Networking and Community Development – build support for campaigns, products, projects and ideas in online and local communities

Kelpie WilsonWilson Biochar AssociatesHome office: 541-592-3083Mobile: 541-218-9890kelpiew@gmail.comwww.wilsonbiochar.com