Transcript Slide 1

Small scale biochar
- Details we can’t ignore Centre for AlternativeTechnology
8 September 2009
Deepak Rughani
Biofuelwatch
Antagony or Synergy?
Losses on combustion
IEA 12-35%
http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org
Erosion losses (water & wind)
on conventionally tilled field
http://images.google.co.uk
Up to 30% losses
Tillage
Loss to carbon pool
www.sparetheair.org
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Microbial breakdown of SOC
http://images.google.co.uk/
Labile Fraction
http://images.google.co.uk
Combustion GHG emissions
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IEA 12% to 35% conversion rate
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Wood up to 50% carbon
1 tonne biochar requires approx 8 tonnes dry wood
UK study 10 – 20 tonnes charcoal / Ha = 80 – 160 tonnes dry wood
Corn stover 2.83t/Ha : Sugar Cane 20t/Ha wet
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Biochar stoves promoted as only alternative to open fire cooking
Efficient biomass stoves?
Solar stoves?
Slide 3
Transportation, Loading, Application
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Canadian study – 30%
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Black carbon = 25% of radiative forcing by holding heat + loss of albedo
(500-680 x CO2)
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Surface spreading promoted as non-till
Slide 3
CO2 linked to tillage
Integration into soils:
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Japan – surface soil
Deep tillage
CO2 emissions linked to soil disturbance
(Deep tillage damages soil structure)
Tillage also speeds up the breakdown of biochar (confirmed CSIRO)
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Slide 3
SOC losses due to enhanced microbial activity.
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Charcoal addition linked to increased microbial breakdown of SOC
(Boreal study)
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Some microbial breakdown of charcoal also exists
Slide 3
Labile Fraction
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Johannes Lehmann et al: Labile carbon fraction
= 1 to 20%
• Evidence it could be >20%
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Masiello looked at ‘global black carbon budget’
Boreal forest fires study
Nguyen et al: West Kenyan study
Lorenz et al: Unpublished study in Costa Rica
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Some evidence that nitrogen addition (either organic or synthetic) reduces
stability of charcoal
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Glazer 50-100 yrs
Slide 3
Soil erosion
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Loss of agricultural residue exposes soils to more severe dehydration, water
and wind erosion
- SOC losses
- Black carbon losses
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David Pimentel and Rattan Lal: Crop residue removal - 100 fold increase in
erosion
Slide 3
Incorporated biochar may not be ‘additional’
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IPCC - crop residue removal > reduction of SOC
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Derived from previous reductions
in carbon stocks/pool
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Deprived of organic carbon necessary for
metabolism by soil organisms, soils would
deplete very quickly.
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With CC, respiration of organic matter will increase
so more harvest residue required
Slide 3
Synthetic fertiliser requirement
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Biochar does not contain nutrients except fresh biochar in ash
Even if biochar shown to make uptake of nutrients from organic and
synthetic fertilisers more efficient…
In fact need for synthetic fertilisers will now be much greater – the reverse
effect!
10 to 100Kg N fertiliser required / Ha
and reduces stability of biochar (CSIRO)
Ammonium bicarbonate, N2O + reinforces fossil fuel industry
Slide 3
Indirect Impacts
- small farmers carrying the cost Accelerated land use change
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25-30% more residue removal > soil erosion
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Impoverishment of local hydrological cycle
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Extended grazing requirement
Dependence on synthetic fertilisers
Health
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PAHs
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Charcoal dust / particulates: Pneomococoniosis
Subsidies / Financial Viability
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CDMs and ETS exclude small farmers
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Patents favour industry
No real choice
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Biomass stoves or solar cookers
Slide 3
Biochar production in Drylands
Reclaiming dryland or accelerating desertification?
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“Renewable” energy
+ biochar from
biomass > initial
habitat loss
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Ongoing residue removal >
reduced humidity & micro-climate
> further habitat loss
> erosion of (drying and depleting)
topsoil
Reduced soil organic
carbon even with short
term biochar benefit
> soil depletion
Antagony is being mistaken for synergy?
UNFCCC: Emissions or Economics?
Very limited NGO awareness, no conclusive field trials,
unsubstantiated claims to UN bodies…
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Proposal to include biochar in CDM: selling ‘rights to
pollute’, includes bc from destructive ind. tree plant.
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A call for double credits by Carbon Gold not limited to residues. Cf Malaysia
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A call to lift limit on CER on carbon sink projects:
reinforces bau
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A call to reform Additionality: claim that sequestration can be accurately measured (UNCCD),
urgency now an excuse for invalid accounting
Plantar's eucalyptus
plantations for charcoal
as fuel for pig iron in
Minais Gerais, Brazil:
Calls for Caution
• UNEP "Biochar is a new and poorly understood technology… The
impacts of large-scale biochar production on biodiversity and longterm agricultural sustainability (e.g. nutrient depletion) are
unknown".
• Royal Society “Biochar (CDR technique) the report identified
significant doubts relating to the potential scope, effectiveness and
safety of this technique and recommended that substantial research
would be required before it could be considered for eligibility for UN
carbon credits.”
• Biochar Declaration
• Precautionary Principle
Gathering momentum
…in absence of conclusions from field trials
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Lobbyists
Confirmed backing
International Biochar Initiative
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US (Inc Renew the Earth)
Biochar Europe calling for inclusion
of biochar in EU ETS (Inc Shell, JP
Morgan and Centre for Rural
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Innovations)
UK Biochar Research Centre
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Australia: Turnbull’s opposition
Liberal party
NZ: Forestry Ministry
Brazil: Embrapa
Biochar lobby forums in Canada and
Mongolia
Biochar Fund
UNCCD secretariat submission to
UNFCCC. Inclusion of biochar into
draft 2009 agenda for “dialogue for
the post 2012 climate regime”
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Backed by Micronesia
11 calls for "Concrete action for the
inclusion of soil organic carbon
restoration as a significant mitigation
and adaptation tool to climate
change"
By: Gambia, Ghana, Lesotho,
Mozambique, Niger, Senegal,
Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda,
Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Similar submission by Belize