Transcript Slide 1

Biochar
Terra
Preta
Soil Minerals
nutrient?
is biochar a fertilizer?
Whatbreaks
is Biochar?
In soil, biochar
down very slowly
Biochar is fine-grained
charcoal
in organic
– not in months,
buthigh
decades,
evencarbon,
centuries
largely resistant to decomposition,
(oxidation & digestion)
produced from pyrolysis of plant and waste feedstocks.
Biochar
isn’tcreates
consumed
by soil
As soil amendment,
biochar
a recalcitrant
soil life
carbon pool
Fresh from –a burner, biochar is sterile,
that is carbon-negative
with noofbiological
activity
– no microbes –
– net withdrawal
atmospheric
carbon.
and hydrophobic – repels water
Enhanced nutrient retention capacity of biochar-amended soil
reduces only
total fertilizer
requirements,
Adding
biochar
to soil
also climate
and environmental
impact of croplands.
retards
plant growth
up to 2 years
Fertilizers must be added with biocharScientific Advisory Committee
International Biochar Initiative
Biochar is:
sponge
Acrisol
?
Terra Preta
to absorb & hold water
typical Amazon soil
storehouse
Infertile
clay
to adsorp nutrient ions (C.E.C.)
substrate
click to
habitat & housing for microbes
www.biochar-international.org
Biochar
Charcoal
Soil Minerals
Biochar
Research
Field
Bark3-Year
Biochar
& Trials
Fertilizer
t/ha
Rice & Sorghum
1.6
biochar
biochar
366%
with
charcoal
+
+
1.4
NPK
NPK
NPK
1.2
without charcoal
1 control
267%
0.8
881%
0.6 control
NPK
0.4
0.2
0
Effect of bark biochar and fertilizer
Biomass
Yield
Total
on plant
growth
and
soil
properties
1
2
3;
Christoph Steiner ; W. G. Teixeira ; Johannes Lehmann W. Zech1
click to
continue
in south Sumatra
1 Institute of Soil Science, Univ. of Bayreuth, Germany 2 Embrapa Amazonia Ocidental, Manaus, Brazil
3 Dept ofYamato
Crop and Soil
Sciences,
Cornell Univ., USA
2004
unpublished