Charcoal as Soil Amendment - Biochar Carbon Sequestration€¦ · Charcoal as Soil Amendment Research and Prospects. Embrapa, Manaus, Brazil. Cash crop farming ... negative bioenergy

Carbon Negative Energy & Soil RestorationChristoph Steiner

Austrian Academy of ScienceUniversity of Bayreuth

Charcoal as Soil AmendmentResearch and Prospects

Embrapa, Manaus, Brazil

Cash crop farming

Irrigated horticulture lawn production

Terra Preta fertility

C. Steiner, UN climate change conference 2007; Bali – Indonesia, www.biochar.org

Terra Preta fertility

~50% of C remains as charcoal

Amazonia Slash and Char as Alternative to Slash and Burn

~2% of C remains as charcoalPhoto: Steve Welch


Biochar Research Terra Preta Nova


Biochar Research Terra Preta Nova


NPK fertilizer & charcoal NPK fertilizer without charcoal

Plants after 55 days

Research results, second harvest sorghum


Research results, cumulative yield

Steiner et al. (2008), Plant and Soil, n=5, means and SE

Research results, increased N recovery

Steiner et al. (2008), J Plant Nutr Soil Sci, n=5, means and SE

Black carbon additions [Mg C ha-1]0 50 100 150 200P

lant

bio

mas

s pr

oduc

tion

[% o

f con

trol]

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100

200

300

400

500

J. Lehmann and M Rondon (2006) Bio-Char Soil Management on Highly Weathered Soils in the Humid Tropics, In: Biological Approaches to Sustainable Soil Systems.

24 studies on Oxisol, Andosol, humid Tropics

Open symbols = unfertilizedfilled symbols = fertilized

Research results, increased productivity

Sieving

Charcoal Use in Agriculture (Biochar)


Terra Preta emerging products


Historic Biorefining pyrolysis


Fotos: Anita Buchart

Actor: Friedrich Frühwirth

Historic Biorefining

Carbon negative EnergyBio-energy with charcoal carbon capture and storage (BECCCS)

www.biopact.com

• No competition with food production

• Biomass burning is releasing 4-7 Pg of carbon per year(Goudriaan, 1995).

• Tropical forest conversion ~ 25 % of the net CO2 emissions (Palm, et al., 2004).

•These numbers emphasize the potential for C management if only biomass is utilized being ablaze each year.

www.biopact.com

Nature (2007), Vol 447

Biochar Projects (not complete)

BestEnergies

• Electrical and thermal energy

• Biochar

BestEnergies


• Feedlot Manure• Poultry Litter• Paper Sludge• Green Waste• Corn Trash

• Wood Waste• Rice Hulls• Distillers Grain • Switch Grass• Bagasse

• Straw• Pig Manure• Cotton Trash • Nut Shells• Woody weeds

BestEnergies feedstock variety


Agronomic Trials have been undertaken in collaboration with the NSW DPI and funding support from the NSW DECC.

BestEnergies agricultural trials


3a: Soil + Char70 cm

2a: Soil + NPK55 cm

4a: Soil + NPK Char

105 cm

1a: Soil only30 cm

BestEnergies agricultural trials


IRRI

IRRI field trials

Rice-based systems produce about 112 Mt husks and 560 Mt straw annually

Bio-char trial in rainfed upland Bio-char trial in irrigated lowlands

Stephan Haefele, International rice research institute (IRRI)

Bamboo Research and Development Center & SAFFE

Clean and efficient cooking biomass

Robert Flanagan, SAFFE


Corn cobs biomass/biochar



Bamboo biomass/biochar



+ BiocharNo Biochar

Field trials



KANSO Technos

Implementation KANSO Technos

Pulp mill (Tanjung Enim Company) , 450,000 tons annual pulp production, Indonesia

Okimori, et al. (2003) Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change

Implementation KANSO Technos , Proposed CDM project


Concession 290,000 haAcacia mangium 190,000 ha233,000 t/yr waste biomass for charcoal production

66, 000 t/yr charcoal

Okimori, et al. 2003


Control Fertilizer

Fertilizer + Charcoal

Okimori, et al. (2003) Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change


Dynamotive

200 Mg per day

60-75% BioOil

15 – 20% Charcoal

10-20% Non-condensable gases

Dynamotive fast pyrolysis

Dynamotive 100 Mg waste sawdust


UGA

Bio-Oil

Hydrogen andFischer-Tropsch Diesel

Ammonia+ CO2 + Charcoal

Slow release N fertilizer

Biorefinery

Biomass

Stack emissions are convertedto carbon based fertilizer

Carbon and fertilizer back into fields

Vanillic AcidFurfuralAcetic AcidGuaiacolKetonesEthylcarbinolPhenol

University of Georgia – EPRIDABiorefinery / Carbon Cycling Initiative

University of Georgia – EPRIDABiorefinery / Carbon Cycling Initiative

UGA field trials

C. Steiner, UN climate change conference 2007; Bali –Indonesia, www.biochar.org

DesarrollosAgricolas

Pre trials with 150 Mg (tons) of ambient pressure produced charcoal

Nikolaus Foidl

Desarrollos Agricolas Pre trials



20 tons a day. ( pressure kiln at 10 to 35 bar working pressure).

TSBF Institute, CIAT

Integrated Methane fluxes under field conditions in oxisols from South American Savannas

-100

0

100

200

Pasture Corn Native savanna

CH

4 (m

g m

-2 c

rop

cycl

e-1)

- Charcoal + Charcoal

Reduced GHG emissions from soil

Marco A. Rondón, Juan A. Ramirez, Johannes Lehmann, USDA Symposium on C sequestration. Baltimore, March 24, 2005

Integrated nitrous oxide emissions in high fertility trenches

0

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Carrots Beans

N 2O

(mg

m-2

cro

p cy

cle-1

)

- Charcoal

+ Charcoal

Marco A. Rondón, Juan A. Ramirez, Johannes Lehmann, USDA Symposium on C sequestration. Baltimore, March 24, 2005

Reduced GHG emissions from soil

International Biochar Initiative highlights 2007

International Agrichar Initiative Conference, April 29 – Mai 2, Australia

New Zealand Government Investment Initiative –Climate Change Mitigation – Biochar

U.S. Senator Ken Salazar introduced “The Salazar Harvesting Energy Act of 2007”, focused on carbon-negative bioenergy production – “Biochar Legislation”

Carbon negative biofuels and biochar win UN World Environment Day Award, United Nations Association of Australia

International Biochar Initiative highlights 2007

http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/

2012


Charcoal as Soil Amendment - Biochar Carbon Sequestration€¦ · Charcoal as Soil Amendment Research and Prospects. Embrapa, Manaus, Brazil. Cash crop farming ... negative bioenergy

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