Biochar Basics and Current Research
SanjaiJ.ParikhDepartmentofLand,[email protected]@ucdavis.edu
UniversityofCalifornia–Davis
Soil
Biomass(cropresidues,manure,nutshells,woodchips)
300-900°C,no/lowO2
Biogas
Biochar
Biocharischarcoalcreatedfrombiomass,anddiffersfromcharcoalonlyinthesensethatitsprimaryuseisnotforfuel.Typicallyusedasasoilamendment.
WhatisBiochar?
BiocharmaybeproducedintenIonallyasasoilamendmentorasawastebyproductintheproducIonofbioenergy.
BiocharproperIesareafuncIonoffeedstockmaterial
producIonparameters.
ThermalConversion
“TerraPretadeIndio”–AmazonianBlackEarth
• BrazilandotherpartsofSouthAmerica
• 500to2500yrsB.P.• AddiPonofcharcoal(black
carbon/biochar)forsoilmanagement
• Today,highorganicmaRercontentandmoreferPle
hRp://www.biochar-internaPonal.org/files/graphics/terra-preta.jpg
Oxisol TerraPreta
WhyBiochar?
• BiocharproperIes,andperformance,areafuncIonoffeedstockmaterialandproducIonparameters.
• Whenusingbiochar,consideraIonfortheintendedposiIveoutcomemustbecarefullyevaluated.
• Althoughtherearecertainparametersthatdomakeaqualitybiochar,biocharqualityisdeterminedbyitsintendedpurpose.
BiocharTypeMaNers
4
• Benefitsinconsistent
• MulPplevariables
• SomepotenPaldrawbacks
• Biocharisnotaspecificproductàumbrellaterm
PotenPalReasonstoUseBiocharinSoil
• CarbonSequestraPon• DroughtResilience• SoilFerPlity• ReduceNutrientLeakage• CropYieldandQuality• GreenhouseGasEmissions• SoilRemediaPon• SoilMicrobiology• RaisesoilpH
Howdobiocharsdiffer?
– Surfacearea– Ashcontent– CaPonexchangecapacity(CEC)– Waterholdingcapacity
– pH– H/CraPo– C/NraPo– Porosity– ElementalcomposiPon
• funcPonofproducPontemperature,producPonmethod,residencePme,andfeedstock
SomeKeyCharacteris0cs
ManureWalnutshell
PinechipsHogwaste
WoodTurkeyLiRer
Wood
10
100
1000
100-350OC351-600OC601-900OC
S oftwoodS ludgeP omaceNuts hellManureHardwoodG ras s
C:N
C orns tover
FeedstockImpacts
DatafromTheUCDavisBiocharDatabase:biochar.ucdavis.edu
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
100 -350 OC351 -600 OC
601 -900 OC
S oftwoodS ludgePomaceNuts hellManureHardwoodG ras s
pH
C orns tover
0
150
300
450
800
900100-350OC351-600OC601-900OC
S oftwoodS ludgeP omaceNuts hellManureHardwoodG ras s
Surface
area(m
2 /g)
C orns tover
BiocharSurfaceArea
BiocharpH
ProducPonTemperature
Impacts
DatafromTheUCDavisBiocharDatabase:biochar.ucdavis.edu
0
50
100
225
250 100-350OC351-600OC601-900OC
S oftwoodS ludgeNuts hellManureHardwoodG ras s
CEC(cm
olc/k
g)
C orns tover
Someparametersshowlessobvioustrends
DatafromTheUCDavisBiocharDatabase:biochar.ucdavis.edu 9
NutrientContentofBiocharFeedstock Temperature
°CpH FerIlizerequivalentraIo(kg/tonbiocar) Reference
N P K
Hardwood 450-600 5.7 3 0.3 6 Novaketal.2009
Sojwood(pine)
465 6.1 3 0.8 4 Novaketal.2009
Cornstover 500 n/a 16 3 12 Breweretal.2009
Leaves(E.saligna)
550 11.8 17 3 15 Singhetal.2010
Cowmanure
550 8.9 11 5 23 Singhetal.2010
Swinemanure
350 8.2 37 39 18 Cantrell&MarPn2011700 8.2 26 59 26
PoultryliRer
350 8.7 50 30 60 Novaketal.2009
700 10.3 30 40 90
AdaptedfromSpokasetal.2012
ShouldIusebiochar?
Whataboutcompost?
TheBiocharFronIer• ResultsfromWebofScienceCoreCollecIon-QueriesonTopicKeyword:
“Biochar”
Occurrencesofsearchtermsinresultsareapproximateanddependentonins0tu0onssubscrip0ons.Theseresultsgatheredonsearchesforeachyear,accessedthroughUCDavis(02/24/2017).
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
0
250
500
750
1000
1250
1500
1256
873
2000to2016= 4 ,0191900to2016= 4 ,135
198
465
3
123
47128
296
13102
725
Occ
uren
cesinW
ebofS
cien
cefo
r"B
ioch
ar"
1
“Compost”
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
0
250
500
750
1000
1250
15002000to2016= 17,8491900to2016= 23,619
1,035
1,557
Occ
uren
cesinW
ebofS
cien
cefo
r"C
ompo
st"
774
2
NumberofresearcharIclesaddressingspecificbiochartopicareas(2013)
GurwickNP,MooreLA,KellyC,EliasP(2013)ASystemaPcReviewofBiocharResearch,withaFocusonItsStabilityinsituandItsPromiseasaClimateMiPgaPonStrategy.PLoSONE8(9):e75932.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0075932
“Biocharisnotasingleen0tybutratherspansawiderangeofblackcarbonforms.”• 50%ofstudiesshowyieldincreaseswithbiochar(orblackcarbon)
à50%reportdecreasesornosignificantdecreases
• Agronomicbenefitsindegradedsoilsareojenemphasized,negligibleandnegaPveresultsnotgivenasmuchaRenPon.
Biochardoesnotalwaysprovidebenefits.Wemustdeterminethecondi0onsforbiochars,soils,andcroppingsystemswheremaximumbenefitscanberealizedforadesiredoutcome.
2012
• Small,butsignificantbenefitforcropproducPvityfrombiocharaddedtosoil• Meanincreaseof+10%àbenefitsobservedmorethen50%ofthe0me• Range:-28%to+39%
• Greatestbenefits:• Acidicsoils:+14%• Neutralsoils:+13%• Coursetexture:+10%• Mediumtexture:+13%
• Greatestimprovementseenatrateof100tons/ha• BestPerformingbiocharsinclude:PoultryliRerandwoodchips• BiocharperformedbeRerinpotvsfieldtrials,and,influencedtotalbiomass
morethanyieldmeasurements
Analysisof16studiesand177treatments
Biocharprovidesbenefitswhenitcanimpact:• pH(“liming”),porosity,nutrientavailability
BiocharuseinCA:SoilTextureandpH• MostpotenPalforbenefitincoarsetexturedsoilsàpotenPal
toincreaseporosity,organicCcontent,andenhanceferPlity• ConsidersoilandbiocharpHàuseinacidicorneutralsoils
likelytobemostbeneficial
MapscreatedwithSoilProperPesAp(casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu)
Governor's Office of Planning & Research (OPR) Biochar Research Advisory Group
Chairs:SanjaiJ.Parikh(UCDavis),AmrithGunasakara(CDFA)
SancIonedbyParPcipaPngstate/federalgovernmentenPPes,academicinsPtuPons,andnon-profitsinclude,butarenotlimitedto:• Governor’sOfficeofPlanningandResearch(OPR)• Governor’sOfficeofBusinessandEconomicDevelopment(Go-Biz)• CaliforniaDepartmentofFoodandAgriculture(CDFA)• StateWaterResourcesControlBoard(SWRCB)• CaliforniaEnergyCommission(CEC)• CaliforniaNaturalResourcesAgency(CNRA)• CaliforniaDepartmentofForestryandFireProtecPon(CALFIRE)• SierraNevadaConservancy(SNC)• CaliforniaAssociaPonofResourceConservaPonDistricts(CARCD)• CaliforniaDepartmentofResourcesRecyclingandRecovery(CalRecycle),• AirResourcesBoard(ARB)• USForestService(USFS)• UniversityofCalifornia(Riverside,Merced,Davis,CooperaPveExtension)
Governor's Office of Planning & Research (OPR) Biochar Research Advisory Group
Chairs:SanjaiJ.Parikh(UCDavis),AmrithGunasakara(CDFA)
IntendedPurpose• AssistthestateofCaliforniawithidenPfyingresearchgapsinthescienPficliterature,astheypertaintoCaliforniaspecificenvironmental,economic,andregulatorycondiPons
IssuestoAddress• Environmentalchallenges:drought,foresttreemortality,climatechange,etc.
• SoilwaterretenPon,cropproducPvity,carbonsequestraPoninsoils,andbioavailabilityofsoilorwatercontaminants
• BiocharproducPon:feedstocks,thermalconversiontechnologies• Impactsofsoiltypes,crops,climate,biochartype,farmmanagement,etc.
Biochar (0, 5, 10 g kg-1 à 0, 10, 20 t/ha) – Walnut shell biochar (900 °C, high surface area) – Softwood biochar (600-700 °C, low surface
area) Soil
– Yolo silt loam: Russell Ranch, UC Davis – Reiff very fine sandy loam: UC Davis Vineyard
Analysis – Pressure plate – plant available water, field
capacity, permanent wilting point – Neutron tomography – imaging of water
distribution
Russell Ranch Sustainable Agriculture Facility, UC Davis
UC Davis Vineyard
BiocharSourceMaterial
Temp(°C)
Ash(wt%)
Surf.Area(m2/g)
C(wt%)
C:N H(wt%)
O(wt%)
pHw(1:2)
CECa(cmol/kg)
Walnutshell 900 40 227 55 118 0.9 1.6 9.7 33
Sojwood 600-700 6.4 2.00 58 142 4.2 32 6.8 67
UCD Research: Examining Biochar Water Relations
Wangetal.,inprepara0on
Biochar to “Close the Loop”
modifiedfromPereiraetal.,2016
Impact of Biochar on Soil Water
Softwood biochar – no impact in any scenario Walnut shell biochar • Field Capacity: no impact, except for highest application rate in very
fine sandy loam had slight increase
• Permanent Wilting Point: no impact in either soil
• Plant Available Water: slight increase in the fine sandy loam
Soil Water Potential (-bars) 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Per
man
ent
Wilt
ing
Poi
nt
Fiel
d C
apac
ity
Plant Available Water W
ater
Con
tent
Wangetal.,inprepara0on
Moisture Distribution Around Biochar with Drying (7 days)
1 pixel ≈ 0.1 mm
Neutron Tomography Analysis
Can water within biochar become available as the bulk soil dries?
Biochar in wet soil
Drying
Biochar in dry soil
Moisture Released from Biochar
Wangetal.,inprepara0on
ImpactofbiocharandsoiltypeonsoilaggregaIon
BiocharSourceMaterialTemp(°C)
Ash(wt%)
Surf.Area(m2/g)
C(wt%)
C:N H(wt%)
O(wt%)
pHw(1:2)
CECa(cmol/kg)
WS:Walnutshell 900 40 227 55 118 0.9 1.6 9.7 33
EB:Sojwood+algaldigestate 600-700 6.4 2.00 58 142 4.2 32 6.8 67
• Vina:finesandyloam• Yolo:siltloam• 60weekincubaPons:80%waterholdingcapacity,23±1°C
Wangetal.,inprepara0on
MineralFerIlizerCompost Biochar+MineralFerIlizer
Biochar+Compost
Compost(CP)
Biochar+MineralFertilizer(MF+BC)
Biochar+
Compost(CP+BC)
MineralFertilizer
(MF)
+/-Biochar
Fertilize
rTyp
e
MineralferPlizer:UAN-32Compost:Poultrymanurecompost
Compost(CP)
Biochar+MineralFertilizer(MF+BC)
Biochar+
Compost(CP+BC)
MineralFertilizer
(MF)
+/-Biochar
Fertilize
rTyp
e
MineralferPlizer:UAN-32Compost:Poultrymanurecompost
RusselRanch,UCDavis:Walnutshellbiochar(900°C)appliedat10t/hainMay2012
Photo:corn,Summer2013
Griffinetal.,2017..
Tomato Tomato
Corn Corn
:2013 :2015
:2012 :2014
CropYieldaferBiocharApplicaIon
mg/kgdryso
il
Soil:ExtractableK+
• 1yearagingofbiocharprovidednutrientsandincreasedcropyieldinyear2
• Short-termincreasesinK+,Ca2+andPO4-P
RusselRanch,UCDavis:Walnutshellbiochar(900°C)appliedat10t/hainMay2012
Griffinetal.,2017.
BindingofOrganicChemicalsandMetals
• SorpPonoforganicagrochemicals• DifferentaffiniPesofphenylureaherbicidesforbiochars:
walnutshellbiocharbinding>so`wood>turkeyliaer>hogwaste>wood/algaldigest.
Bindingconstant(KF)ofbiocharsandsoilforselected
herbicides
Wangetal.J.Environ.Sci.Health,B,2015
WS
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 2000
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
C dP bN iC u
Wa lnutS he llB iocha r(900oC )
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 2000
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000C dP bN iC u
P ine WoodB iocha r(510oC )
Boun
dMetals(mg/kg)
AqueousMetals(mg/L)
PotenPalimpactsonpesPcideefficacy ReducingHeavyMetalBioavailability
• BiocharshavedifferingreacPvity• Walnutshellbiocharbindsmoremetalsthanpinewoodbiochar
Datafrom
:Baire
talJEQ
,2016
Bind
ingAffi
nityParam
eter
SoilremediaIon
BiocharproducedfromBlackLocust(Robinapseudacacia)
hRp://texastreeid.tamu.edu/content/TreeDetails/?id=112
OpImizingBiochar
Lehmann2007
• BiocharcanbecreatedforanintendeduseànutrientretenPon,limingagent,soilremediaPon,carbonsequestraPon,bioenergy
• FeedstockandproducPonparameterscanbevariedtoforopPmalperformance
Jeffreyetal.2015
• Asinglebiocharisunlikelytobetheidealmaterialformanydifferentintendedoutcomes
Biochar?• variableproduct–notallthesameorequal• benefitscanbereal,butcanalsobehighlyvariable• willnotalwaysprovidebenefits• benefitsmostlikelywhenop0mizedforspecificclimate-soil-
plant-croppingsystems,ANDanintendedoutcome• knowledgebaseisrapidlygrowing• addiPonalinformaPononphysical,chemical,andbiological
mechanismsisneeded
Biocharhaspoten0altobepartof“thesolu0on”;athoughful,prescrip0ve,andprudentapproachis
mostlikelytoyieldconsistentbenefits
AcknowledgementsCollaborators: • Daoyuan Wang, UC Davis • Deirdre Griffin, UC Davis • Kate Scow, UC Davis • Fungai Mukome, William Jessup Univ. • Steve Fonte, Colorado State Univ. • Johan Six, ETH Zurich • Daniel Bair, UC Davis • Sarah Hafner, UC Davis • Ina Popova, Univ. of Idaho • Chongyang Li, UC Davis • Thomas Young, UC Davis • Ronald Walker, UC Davis • Dr. A. Barzin Moradi, FREP CDFA
ParikhGroup,EnvironmentalSoilChemistry,UCDavis
Funding: • USDA-NIFA Grant #2012-67009-20070 • USDA Hatch Formula Funding CA 2122-H & multistate regional project W-3045 • California Energy Commission Grant #500-09-035 • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) grant number 5 P42
ES004699 (NIH and the contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIEHS, NIH)
• UC Davis Agric. Sustainability Inst. & David and Lucille Packard Foundation
Over1,100biocharsindatabase&
growing
biochar.u
cdavis.ed
u
References• Brewer,C.E.,K.Schmidt-Rohr,J.A.SatrioandR.C.Brown(2009)."CharacterizaPonofBiocharfromFastPyrolysisandGasificaPonSystems."
EnvironmentalProgress&SustainableEnergy28(3):386-396.• Cantrell,K.B.andJ.H.MarPn(2012)."StochasPcstate-spacetemperatureregulaPonofbiocharproducPon.PartII:ApplicaPontomanure
processingviapyrolysis."JournaloftheScienceofFoodandAgriculture92(3):490-495.• Jeffery,S.,F.G.A.Verheijen,M.vanderVeldeandA.C.Bastos(2011)."AquanPtaPvereviewoftheeffectsofbiocharapplicaPontosoilsoncrop
producPvityusingmeta-analysis."AgricultureEcosystems&Environment144(1):175-187.• Pereira,E.I.,E.C.Suddick,andJ.Six(2016).CarbonAbatementandEmissionsAssociatedwiththeGasificaPonofWalnutShellsforBioenergyand
BiocharProducPon.PLoSONE11(3)• Novak,J.M.,I.Lima,X.B.,J.W.Gaskin,C.Steiner,K.C.Das,M.Ahmedna,D.Rehrah,D.W.WaRs,W.J.BusscherandH.Schmobert(2009).
"CharacterizaPonofdesignerbiocharsproducedatdifferenttemperaturesandtheireffectsonalomysand."AnnalsofEnvironmentalScience3:195-206.
• Singh,B.,B.P.SinghandA.L.Cowie(2010)."CharacterisaPonandevaluaPonofbiocharsfortheirapplicaPonasasoilamendment."SoilResearch48(7):516-525.
• Spokas,K.A.,K.B.Cantrell,J.M.Novak,D.W.Archer,J.A.Ippolito,H.P.Collins,A.A.Boateng,I.M.Lima,M.C.Lamb,A.J.McAloon,R.D.LentzandK.A.Nichols(2012)."Biochar:ASynthesisofItsAgronomicImpactbeyondCarbonSequestraPon."JournalofEnvironmentalQuality41(4):973-989.
ParikhGroupBiocharPublicaPons• Bair,D.A.,F.N.D.Mukome,I.E.Popova,T.A.Ogunyoku,A.Jefferson,D.Wang,S.C.Hafner,T.M.YoungandS.J.Parikh(2016)."SorpPonof
PharmaceuPcals,HeavyMetals,andHerbicidestoBiocharinthePresenceofBiosolids."JournalofEnvironmentalQuality.• Griffin,D.E.,D.Wang,S.J.Parikh,K.M.Scow.2017.Short-livedeffectsofwalnutshellbiocharonsoilsandcropyieldsinalong-termfield
experiment.Agriculture,EcosystemsandEnvironment.236:21-29.• Mukome,F.N.D.andS.J.Parikh(2015).Chemical,Physical,andSurfaceCharacterizaPonofBiochar.Biochar:ProducPon,CharacterizaPon,
andApplicaPons.Y.-S.Ok,S.M.Uchimiya,S.X.ChangandN.Bolan.BocaRaton,FL,CRCPress.• Mukome,F.N.D.,J.SixandS.J.Parikh(2013)."Theeffectsofwalnutshellandwoodfeedstockbiocharamendmentsongreenhousegas
emissionsfromaferPlesoil."Geoderma200–201(0):90-98.• Mukome,F.N.D.,X.Zhang,L.C.R.Sillva,J.SixandS.J.Parikh(2013)."UseofchemicalandphysicalcharacterisPcstoinvesPgatetrendsin
biocharfeedstocks."JournalofAgriculturalandFoodChemistry61(9):2196-2204.• Mukome,F.N.D.,A.L.D.Kilcoyne,andS.J.Parikh.2014.AlteraPonofbiocharcarbonchemistryduringsoilincubaPons:SR-FTIRandNEXAFS
invesPgaPon.SoilSci.Soc.Amer.J.78:1632-1640.• Pereira,E.I.P,E.Suddick,I.Mansour,F.N.D.Mukome,S.J.Parikh,K.M.Scow,J.W.Six.2015.BiocharaltersnitrogentransformaPonsbuthas
minimaleffectsonnitrousoxideemissionsinanorganicallymanagedleRucemesocosm.2015.Biol.Fert.Soils.51:573-582.• Wang,D.,D.E.Griffin,S.J.ParikhandK.M.Scow(2016)."Impactofbiocharamendmentonsoilwatersolublecarboninthecontextof
extremehydrologicalevents."Chemosphere160:287-292.• Wang,D.,F.N.D.Mukome,D.Yan,H.Wang,K.M.ScowandS.J.Parikh(2015)."PhenylureaherbicidesorpPontobiocharsandagricultural
soil."JournalofEnvironmentalScienceandHealthPartB-PesPcidesFoodContaminantsandAgriculturalWastes50(8):544-551.031
• Withincreasingtemperature…à lowerbiocharyieldsà highersurfaceareaà higherpHà higherashcontentà lowersurfacechargeà increasedaromaPcity.à higherpercentCinthebiochar
TheCcontentofbiocharscanrangewidely(36-94%;dependentonfeedstock),withCcontenttypicallyincreasingwithhigherpyrolysistemperatures
TrendsinBiocharProperPes?
e.g.,Mukomeetal.2013,MukomeandParikh2015,Novaketal.2009,Keiluweitetal.2010
AB2511:clarifiesthat“biochar”isasoilamendmentthatisincludedinthedefini0onof“auxiliarysoilandplantsubstance”and,therefore,subjecttolicensingandlabelinglaws,anddefines“biochar”tomeanmaterialsderivedfromthermochemicalconversionofbiomassinanoxygen-limitedenvironmentcontainingatleast60percentcarbon.
biocoal.org/earth-mound-kiln/ biochar-internaPonal.org/projects/BiGchar
BiocharProducIonTradiIonal Portable
biochar-internaPonal.org/technology/producPon
Industrial Process Bio-oil Biochar Syngas
FastPyrolysisModerateT(~500°C)ShortresidencePme
75%(25%H2O)
12% 13%
MediumPyrolysisLow-moderateTModerateresidencePme
50%(25%H2O)
25% 25%
SlowPyrolysisLow-moderateTLongresidencePme
30%(25%H2O)
35% 35%
GasificaPonHighT(>800°C)LongresidencePme
5%(5%H2O)
10% 85%TableadaptedfromhRp://www.feasta.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/csiro-biochar-climate-change-and-soil-report-feb-20091.pdf
Impact of Biochar on Field Capacity
• Silt Loam: Neither biochar impacted field capacity
• Very Fine Sandy Loam: High surface area biochar (walnut shell) slightly raised field capacity for the high application rate
a a a a a a
0
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
0.25
0.3
EB WS
Fiel
d ca
paci
ty (g
wat
er/g
dr
y so
il)
Yolo Silt Loam 0 g/kg
Softwood biochar (low surface area)
Walnut shell biochar (high surface area)
a a a a a b
0
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
0.25
0.3
EB WS Fi
eld
capa
city
(g w
ater
/g
dry
soil)
Reiff Very Fine Sandy Loam
Softwood biochar (low surface area)
Walnut shell biochar (high surface area)
FC
a a a
a a
a
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08
0.1 0.12 0.14
Reiff Yolo
Perm
anen
t wilt
ing
poin
t (g
wat
er/g
dry
soi
l)
0g/kg 5g/kg 10g/kg
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08
0.1 0.12 0.14 0.16
Reiff Yolo
Plan
t ava
ilabl
e w
ater
(g
wat
er/g
dry
soi
l)
Impact of Walnut Shell Biochar on Soil Water
Walnut Shell Biochar
• Field Capacity (data not shown): no impact except for highest application rate in very fine sandy loam had slight increase
• Wilting Point: no impact in either soil
• Plant Available Water: slight increase in the fine sandy loam
PW
P
PAW
FC
Neutron Imaging of Biochar in Sand Columns
168 h air dried 48 h oven dry
These two images shows that the black points are mainly not
caused by the hydrogenous functional group on biochar, but
the water in biochar
• Silica sand columns, avoid interference from soil organic matter
• Walnut shell biochar (1-2 mm)
• Biochar amended samples were saturated for 48 h and imaged over a 168 h (7 d) drying period
• Neutron imaging radiographs analyzed on a pixel-by-pixel basis
• Moisture distributions calculated according to
transmission of neutrons through column the over drying period
Closing the Circle
Energizing the “Missing Link” toIntegrate Disparate Responses to California’s
Critical Environmental Challenges
David Morell, PhD.
Fire, Water, & Carbon
Sequestration
Excess biomass; water shortages; climate. How can we address this set of interrelated problems together rather than separately? How can we do this efficiently and effectively?
BIOCHAR
Sonoma Biochar Initiative
Forest to Farm
Sonoma Biochar Initiative
100 Million Dead Trees – Plus Ag Wastes
Sonoma Biochar Initiative
Agricultural Water Crisis
Sonoma Biochar Initiative
Agricultural Water Crisis
Sonoma Biochar Initiative
Climate Change/Carbon Sequestration
Sonoma Biochar Initiative
Carbon-Neutral to Carbon-Negative
Sonoma Biochar Initiative
Moving from Concept to Implementation
OK, this seems �like a great idea:
Integrate �the silosBut how do we �
make this a reality?
Sonoma Biochar Initiative
Forest Fire Risk/�Dead Trees/Ag
Biomass
Water Supply Climate Change/�Carbon
Action: Strategies and Next Steps
• Support efforts at state level to keep most existing biomass to energy plants operational.
• Fast track funding and permitting to demonstrate promising technologies to process dead trees without trucking them out of the forest
• Secure funding from state agencies or private foundations for large-scale field trials to demonstrate biochar applications throughout California agriculture.
Sonoma Biochar Initiative
Save & Convert Existing Biomass Plants
Sonoma Biochar Initiative
Accelerate Use of Small Technologies
Mobile Air Curtain Burners
“Movable” thermal conversion systems
Sonoma Biochar Initiative
Fast Track Use of Even Smaller Technologies
Moxham Kiln Flame-Cap Kiln
Sonoma Biochar Initiative
“As I was driving over the hill from the fire station to watch the demonstration in person all I could see was the heat column—there was no smoke at all. I couldn’t believe it!”
Schell-Vista Fire Chief Ray Mulas
Use Conservation Burn Technique
Sonoma Biochar Initiative
Actions in More Detail
Most importantly, look at tree mortality, forest fire risk, agricultural biomass, water shortages, and climate change as interrelated problems (and opportunities).
See biochar production and use as a way to address them all, helping to close a circle of sustainable actions affecting our communities, our economy, and our environment. Execute “proof of concept” actions.
Sonoma Biochar Initiative
Dead Trees to Biochar
• Cal/Fire and others identify appropriate “log deck” locations
• CCC teams and others cut dead trees, move biomass to “log decks”
• Extensive added �employment available
• Carry out smaller demonstrations first, then scale up as biochar production capacity increases
Sonoma Biochar Initiative
Dead Trees to Biochar (cont.)
• Funding Potentially Available From:
• Cal/FIRE Risk Reduction Monies
• AB32 GHG Auction Monies
• Fire Insurance Premium Rebates/Reductions
• Sales of Biochar to CA Farmers
Sonoma Biochar Initiative
Dead Trees to Biochar (cont.)
• Produce Biochar from Available Biomass
• Deploy Transportable Units at Log Decks and with Ag Biomass
• Transport Some Biomass�to Sawmills
• Use Conservation Burns
• Attack ag wastes similarly
• Demonstrations First, Then Scale Up
Sonoma Biochar Initiative
Apply Biochar as Soil Amendment on California Farms
• Focus First on High-Water-Usage Farms
• Transport Available Biochar in Truckloads
• Blend with Compost, Apply as �Soil Amendment
• Initial and Ongoing Funding:
• Crop Insurance Rebates and Bank/Ag �credit Agency Loans
• Front-end Loans (interest bearing) Repaid from Savings on Water Use costs
Sonoma Biochar Initiative
CAFieldTrialsAlreadyCompleted
¡ SonomaCountyCIGFieldTrialsCompleted¡ UpcomingDWR-FundedDemonstrations
-WithUC-RiversideScientists¡ ExperienceinOver20Vineyards¡ WesternSAREFieldTrials(pending)
National and Global Climate Leadership
• Outreach and Education to California Farms
• Document On-farm Results (water savings, soil health improvement)
• Track and Publicize Carbon �Negative Actions
• Compare to # of gasoline �cars removed from roads
• Compare to # of solar �electric arrays equivalent
Sonoma Biochar Initiative
David Morell, PhDSonoma Ecology Center510-551-4067 [email protected]
Thank you!