Biochar: One of the solutions for climate change, land ... · PDF fileBiochar: One of the...

Biochar: One of the solutions for

climate change, land restoration and

food security

www.earthsystems.com.au

[email protected]

Earth Systems

June 2016

Authors:

Gwendoline Raban

Azain Raban (World Vision)

Nigel Murphy

Adrian Morphett

John Sanderson


[email protected]

What is Biochar?• Biochar is stable form of charcoal, produced from heating natural

organic materials in a high temperature, low oxygen process known as

pyrolysis (CSIRO, 2011).

• Produced at higher temperatures, specifically as a soil amendment

•Up to 600 m2/gram surface

area

•~ 80 to 90% fixed carbon


[email protected]

Based on an Ancient Practice….

• Terra Preta (“Black earth”) – dark,

fertile human-produced soils of

the Amazon region with a high

char content that have remained

fertile for thousands of years.

• Some traditional farming practices

still producing ‘black earth’ soils

today.

• “Biochar” is the modern

equivalent.


[email protected]

Why is Biochar Important?

Fighting climate change, whilst improving soils

• Carbon negative – removes CO2 from

atmosphere. Locks it away for thousands of

years

• Restores soil fertility, reduces fertiliser use,

improves crop productivity

• Help feed a growing population

http://www.biochar-

international.org/sites/default/files/CHARTREE2.jpg


[email protected]

21st Century Challenges – Climate

Change

Climate Change Evidence and CausesRoyal Society and National Academy of Sciences. http://dels.nas.edu/resources/static-assets/exec-office-

other/climate-change-full.pdf


[email protected]

21st Century Challenges…cont’d

40% of soils used

for agriculture are

degraded.

70% of topsoil

lost

24% of global

land degraded.

12million

hectares of

productive land

being lost each

year.

Swept away

10-40 times

faster than it

is being

replenished

1.5 billion people

live on degraded

lands and

population is

growing.

Agriculture

Land

degradation Soil

Social


[email protected]

Melbourne – Dust Storm 1983

http://www.crystalinks.com/duststormcity.jpg


[email protected]

Benefits of Biochar


[email protected]

Why is Biochar important in Fighting

Climate Change

Carbon sequestration in soils

• More carbon in soil than in atmosphere and plant / animal life.

• Most agricultural soils have lost 50 - 70% of their soil organic

carbon, thus have good carbon sequestration potential.

• Biochar stays stable in soils for 100s -1000s of years.

• Potential as a negative emission technology

• GHG emissions avoided from re-use of waste biomass for biochar

production

Paris Agreement (COP21) 2015:

• a long-term goal of keeping the increase in global average

temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels;

• to aim to limit the increase to 1.5°C


[email protected]

Negative Emission Technologies (NETs)

Biochar could provide up to 125 GT of negative CO2

emissions between 2050 and 2100 (New Scientist,

20 Feb, 2016)

Source: http://www.smithschool.ox.ac.uk/research-programmes/stranded-assets/Stranded%20Carbon%20Assets%20and%20NETs%20-%2006.02.15.pdf

Cleaner than Traditional Charcoal

Production• 53 million tonnes of wood charcoal produced globally in

2014.

• 61% of global production in Africa

• Largest driver of forest degradation in Africa


[email protected]

Charcoal Production

A charcoal burner carbonizing charcoal with an earth mound

kiln whose efficiency is as low as 10% in a landscape

consisting of farmland, grazing land and woodland remnants

in Bugesera, Rwanda. Photo credit: Miyuki Iiyama/ICRAF

http://blog.worldagroforestry.org/index.php/2015/07/03/ch

arcoal-production-in-sub-saharan-africa-can-be-

sustainable/

http://www.commonfuture-

paris2015.org/Data/kmewexV7/invitation/F_7f217b99277285d28

d735e590971db07559ccc4a527d7.jpg

Biochar Production• Using 21st century technology to efficiently transform biomass into

char / biochar

Conventional Charcoal Production Production of Biochar

Produces smoke and other air pollutants No smoke or air pollutants (when produced

efficiently)

Usually unsustainably produced,

contributes to forest degradation

Sustainably produced from waste biomass

sources

More than 1/3 energy lost during

production

Approx ¼ of energy lost in production

No capture of energy and other products Can also capture most of energy and as

well as other products


[email protected]

Agricultural Benefits of Biochar

• Increases soil carbon and soil organic

matter

• Improves water and nutrient retention

in the soil

• Reduces soil acidity

• Enhances aeration, structure, porosity

and tilth

• Encourages the growth of beneficial

soil microbes

• Enhances the effectiveness of

fertilizers

• Reduces soil emissions

• Boost food production.


[email protected]

Example - Crop Productivity

Source: Earth Systems

Source: Earth Systems


[email protected]

Example - Soil Water Retention

Source: Cool planet, Kameyama et al, 2010

Distribution of drylands in the worldhttp://www.fao.org/docrep/007/y5738e/y5738e06.htm

• 4% biochar can

double the

moisture-holding

capacity of sandy

soils


[email protected]

Turning Waste into a Valuable Resource

• Avoid

emissions from

decomposition

or burning


[email protected]

In-field conversion of unchipped wood residues to char

for use in soil amendment

Woody waste

(Stable long term

carbon sink which

improves soils)

(Residues which

would either be

burned or rot down)

MPP20

Biochar

Earth Systems CharMaker Mobile Pyrolysis

Plant

Turning Waste to Carbon and Energy using the

Charmaker Technology

Agricultural

Waste

Municipal

Green Waste,

Forest Product

Waste, C&D

Waste

Charmaker

6 t / cycle

~4 hr / cycle

BioChar

Plus /cycle

Activated

Carbon

or

“Carbon

Negative”

Biofuel

plus

Saves Waste Disposal

Fee

Mobile

Process Is Controlled


[email protected]

CharMaker Mobile Pyrolysis Plant• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am_8iduIr2c

• Processing temperature 300-550 oC

• Low emissions

• 4 – 5 hours process time

• 5 – 9 tonnes of biomass per batch

• Produces 1 – 2 tonnes of biochar per batch

• Transportable

• Can produce heat and electricity

• Turns biomass (wood waste) into biochar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am_8iduIr2c

MPP20 Benefits• Woody waste disposal

- Cost-effective and environmentally beneficial disposal of waste

biomass.

- Turns a waste management problem into a high value resource

• Beneficial product

• Energy output

• Clean biochar product suitable for soil amendment, stock feed or

filtration applications

• A source of high-grade heat for various applications

• Carbon sequestration

• Provides a means for an entity to directly sequester atmospheric

CO2 to offset organisational emissions. 1 tonne of biochar avoids

approx. 3 tCOe by re-using waste biomass


[email protected]

CharMaker >10,00km around Australia


[email protected]

Sustainable Agriculture / Biochar Program (Northern

Australia)

Source: Territory NRM


[email protected]

Reforestation with Biochar, Hong Kong

Mountain side with biochar trials – larger

scale trials are now underway in this area

Majority of mountains in

Hong Kong are barren of

trees from thousands of

year of deforestation.

Tree planting trials with

biochar on mountain tops

CharMaker installed at

KFGB


[email protected]

Current Applications• Soil amendment

• Biochar should be applied where it can

address a known soil constraint

• Compost and biochar combined together work

far better than either compost or biochar alone

• Water treatment / water filtration

• Wood based biochars tend to be good at

removing organic contaminants from water

• Not so good with soluble inorganics

• Remediation of contaminated soils

• Bio-sequestration of atmospheric CO2 is a

side-benefit of biochar production


[email protected]

Other Applications

• Food storage

• Biochars absorb ethylene fruit

stored with biochar stays fresh longer

• Odour control

• Products incorporating biochar for

applications in toilets, bedding,

footwear etc are all in development /

early commercial use.


[email protected]

Economic Considerations

• Price of biochar depends on:

• Feedstock – use low cost feedstock /

feedstock that costs money to dispose of

(e.g avoid landfill costs)

• Feedstock transport to pyrolysis unit

• Establishment and running of pyrolysis unit

• Potential financial benefits from:

• Increased crop yield

• Improved water efficiency

• Decreased inputs and costs of fertiliser

• Value of GHG emission reductions / carbon

offsets


[email protected]

Barriers to Use

Economic barriers:

• Cost of biochar and current size of market

• Reliable efficient and economical technology

• Capital for technology investment

Socio-cultural barriers – location-specific!

• Lack of awareness of biochar / need for

education and demonstration projects to show

benefits of biochar

• Address competition between different uses of

residues

• Can be perceived as additional workload

Overcoming Barriers

• Cost effectiveness – develop markets and value for carbon offsets

• Develop business cases for biochar

• More demonstration projects for potential users and buyers

• Develop technology that is reliable, produces consistent product

• Minimise ‘capital cost component’ of biochar production

• Promote the biochar industry

• Support systems for decisions on biochar (not all biochars are the

same!)

• Continue long term field trials

• Alternative financing mechanisms to bring down upfront costs of

production equipment

• Collaboration, education and outreach


[email protected]

Some Examples of Partnerships!

Biochar for Sustainable Soils (B4SS) project – promotes

use of biochar in Sustainable Land Management

• Funded by Global Environment Facility (GEF)

• Implementing agency – UNEP

• Executing Agency - Starfish Initiatives

• Works with local partners in various countries

• Currently has biochar projects in 6 countries

Africa Biochar Partnership - open continental platform for

advancing the cause of Biochar Systems in Africa

• Includes regional and international institutions inside

and outside Africa. E.g:

• African Union Commission, Biochar Plus Project and its

project partners, Biochar for Sustainable Soils,

International Biochar Initiative, SIANI, ECREEE, Kenyan

government agencies, private sector and civil society.

http://biochar.international/governance/

Questions for Discussion


[email protected]

Thank you for your attention!

Biochar: One of the solutions for climate change, land ... · PDF fileBiochar: One of the...

Documents

Transcript of Biochar: One of the solutions for climate change, land ... · PDF fileBiochar: One of the...