Biochar will save the world – or help anyway
Biochar is an old technology with new implications for environmental benefit. Made from carbon-based materials super-heated to over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit in the absence of oxygen, biochar is a charcoal look-alike. However, it’s not nearly as messy and offers some amazing cleansing and carbon sequestration properties.
Biochar is being researched across the world as a potential (and partial) solution to the climate crisis and environmental protection issues. Although still in it’s infancy in terms of modern-day applications, Biochar is an incredibly promising innovation.
As a filter
We have known for some time that activated carbon is an effective material to clean water and air. Biochar is even more effective and can be made from wood scraps. A project in Vermont is testing the large-scale application of biochar to clean streams draining into Lake Champlain. Biochar is suspected of removing harmful chemicals like phosphorous, Nitrogen and E. coli bacteria.
As a carbon sequesteror
In production, Biochar traps harmful carbon chemicals for thousands of years. It virtually doesn’t decompose. Which is bad for plastic bags, and good for materials trapping carbon.
As an agricultural boost
When combined with regular or even infertile soil, Biochar has been proven to dramatically increase crop yield and nutrient levels such as Nitrogen. One farmer has seen the incorporation of Biochar increase farm profit by $1,000 an acre. That’s a lot of money for a charred piece of wood.
Regardless of the use, Biochar may simply be one piece of the solution puzzle.
Read more about the Vermont Biochar project at one of the best local newspapers in the country. Image Credit: Isiria
