Nature's Super Soil Conditioner
From analysis of supremely fertile ancient Amazonian soils, scientists have discovered the reason for their enduring fertility to be very high organic carbon content from leaving smoldered crop residues in place and tilling it back into the soil. Since the discovery of this ancient practice,
What is known as “Biochar”, is a specific state of charcoal which results from heating at a specific temperature (somewhere between 250 F°
and 1,000 F°) for the bio mass (wood chips, leaves, crop left-overs) used. This state is achieved in a closed
oven in which air (oxygen) is restricted , causing pyrolysis to occur. Pyrolysis is chemical decomposition due to heating in the absence of oxygen so that the biomass doesn't undergo complete combustion. (If allowed to cook longer than required to achieve the 'biochar'
state of charcoal, the material
will continue to undergo further decomposition until it has turned to ash.) The "bio-char" produced by this method retains it's original cell structure, and vaporized organic compounds are deposited as a bonding agent on the now empty cells. This gives biochar a vast increase in surface volume, rendering it ideal for water and plant nutrient storage. In this capacity it has been called, "A nutrient supermarket in the soil".
It provides a stable platform for beneficial spores(see photo below,) and microbes that attract earth worms and the full spectrum of beneficial soil insects. It is now fully documented that biochar remains stable (resists decomposition,) and 'active' for many centuries.
Biochar in the soil...
(Photo credit: Makoto Ogawa, Kansai Environmental
Institute)
Microscopic fungi spore (top) attached to biochar, the plant cellular structure clearly visible.
Biochar in the soil acts as an efficient platform for the natural conditions necessary for in-soil micro and macro-biological processes required for optimum plant germination, growth and yield. Water and nutrient requirements are reduced dramatically. The need for pesticides is reduced;
in many cases eliminated altogether. It is the re-discovery of these unique properties of
biochar, which have elevated it to near-mythical status.
Carefully prepared biochar has the mysterious characteristic of promoting the attraction of nutrients at the root hairs of plants where metabolic processes begin. Here, in the soil, Nature's miracle of biological life is present in it's most basic sense. Spores attracted to the carbon (biochar) grow into fungi forming a protective sheath around the plant root hairs. The "wastes" (beneficial bacteria) of the fungi are further broken down into organic nitrogen (nitrogen needs to be water-soluble,) and drawn into the roots with water. When organic mulch is present in the soil, all nutrients the plant will require are continuously being made available by way of the natural decomposition cycle. Greatly reduced amounts of organic potassium and phosphorus can be added per crop requirement until soil is fully 'seasoned' and alive with micro-biotic life. Scientists have observed these phenomenon in many investigative projects here in the United States and in countries around the world. Revisiting these fundamental principles is fueling excitement and promise in agricultural and environmental interests alike. Carbon belongs in
the soil. Carbon (biochar is 97%
organic carbon,) is the
fundamental building-block of all Life.
Biochar and Atmospheric Restoration
Carbon in the soil 'draws down', (actually by attraction,) greenhouse gases from our air into our agricultural earths where they are "sequestered" (stored). The CO2 (carbon dioxide)
that we, our cars, factories and pets exhale, is inhaled by plants where it is converted to "O1", or oxygen, for plants, animals and humans to breathe. Biochar has the potential to store vast amounts of Co2 and other harmful gases, and function as the stable, platform for the natural conversion of excess greenhouse gases into biological healthful assets for all living things.
The pyrolysis process is being further perfected, and more broadly known. It is quite simple. You can make you own biochar any number of ways, with equipment you can devise to restrict air from entering the cooking oven, and controlling temperature. Pyrolysis cooking creates gasses and oily vapors which can be recovered for bio fuel, and the released energy harnessed to power the equipment or exported back into "the grid".
Environmentally sound, integrated closed systems are available for just about any scale operation. Small portable systems and industrial scale units are appearing in many farming communities the world over. The environmental, energy, and health implications will continue to excite the present drive to bio-Energy, bio-Fuel and bio-Food, well into the next decades. On-going research and success-driven technological developments in these vital areas today, has brought new meaning to the expression, "It's a Win-Win-Win!"
Paul Fahey, Director Fish Lake Valley Biochar Initiative
“Biochar can be used to
address some of the most urgent environmental problems of our time—soil
degradation, food insecurity, water pollution from agrichemicals, and
climate change.”
Dr. Johannes Lehmann, Cornell University,
Chairman of The
International Biochar Initiative Board of Directors |
|
