Tech | April 04, 2009 | 12 comments

Can 'biochar' save the planet?

source: http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/03/30/biochar.warming.energy/index.html

Image
ClipsFC
ATHENS, Georgia (CNN) -- Over the railroad tracks, near Agriculture Drive on the University of Georgia campus, sits a unique machine that may hold one of the solutions to big environmental problems like energy, food production and even global climate change.

"This machine right here is our baby," said UGA research engineer Brian Bibens, who is one of a handful of researchers around the world working on alternative ways to recycle carbon.

Bibens' specialty is "biochar," a highly porous charcoal made from organic waste. The raw material can be any forest, agricultural or animal waste. Some examples are woodchips, corn husks, peanut shells, even chicken manure.

Bibens feeds the waste -- called "biomass" -- into an octagonally shaped metal barrel where it is cooked under intense heat, sometimes above 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, the organic matter is cooked through a thermochemical process called "pyrolysis".

In a few hours, organic trash is transformed into charcoal-like pellets farmers can turn into fertilizer. Gasses given off during the process can be harnesed to fuel vehicles of power electric generators

Biochar is considered by many scientists to be the "black gold" for agriculture.

Its high carbon content and porous nature can help soil retain water, nutrients, protect soil microbes and ultimately increase crop yields while acting as natural carbon sink - sequestering CO2 and locking it into the ground.

Biochar helps clean the air two ways: by preventing rotting biomass from releasing harmful CO2 into the atmosphere, and by allowing plants to safely store CO2 they pull out of the air during photosynthesis.
  1. groups:
    Community,   Tech,   Green,   US News
  2. tags:
    News,  Green,  Tech,  US News,  2 more
  3.     
    |

12 comments // Can 'biochar' save the planet?

  • testafi
  • GDannsk
  • Wetdog
    • 0
      Wetdog  

    • Carbon is not a fertilizer and does not enrich the soil. Plants make no use of carbon in the soil. The only way that plants can make use of carbon is as CO2 taken in from the atmosphere.

      If plants made use of carbon in the soil, ground up anthracite coal would be nearly a perfect fertilizer, which it is not. Put ground up coal on your garden and you won't have a garden very long. You'll end up with a sterile toxic slag heap.

    • 4 years ago
  • Greenpointer
    • 0
      Greenpointer  

    • I'm weary of whiz-bang sensationalism reporting on how the world "could be saved" by "this next great innovation." Keep it quiet until it's researched, developed, tested, tested, tested and implemented before alerting me. Otherwise, keep it to the investor publications so traders can throw money at it first. I'm interested in who and what's working NOW.

    • 4 years ago
  • ClipsFC
    • 0
      ClipsFC  
    • Greenpointer:

      I do agree, the last thing we need is Corporate America all over any new explorations. However, that is really the researchers fault (if you can call it that) they need money for research so they put these articles out.

    • 4 years ago
  • asherp
  • FirstClassOnly
  • NJ2D
    • 0
      NJ2D  

    • It's hardly a planet saving breakthrough when you have to cook it at a thousand degrees for how long? And this takes how much energy to do?, which you get from where? oh burning fossil fuels?

    • 4 years ago
  • ClipsFC
  • asherp
    • 0
      asherp  
    • NJ2D:

      There is only so much energy coming into the planet at any one time.

      We need to learn to live on our solar income, and furthermore, if we want to start living carbon negative lives, we need to stop using so much energy.

      Using MORE energy is not going to fix the problem.

    • 4 years ago
  • ClipsFC
  • spoonieday
    • 0
      spoonieday  

    • This is only feasible in areas where people can afford the fuel resources to burn the materials, and why not just compost in the first place? Our planet has always done a really good job of recycling and upcycling its own "waste", why the need to burn things? Composting doesn't require the use of electricity or other forms of fuel inputs, nor does it cost much money. If you don't believe that composting can make a real difference in agricultural production, check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NutSMk2mpdM This video is about an urban food growing operation in Milwaukee that removes tons of compostable material that would otherwise be thrown away in order to use in their farming operations.
      What they are doing is not difficult, not any more so than operating the equipment and managing 21st century farms, yet it could provide a substantial source of plant nutrients that are better than those made from chemicals and it doesn't require any energy other than human and worm labor.

    • 4 years ago
more from Tech:
from the community

top videos