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Burn & learn workshop
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- 2. Biochar Workshop Agenda • Whatis Biochar? • Markets & Uses • Biochar & Climate Change • Characteristics & Benefits • Comparison with other soil amendments • Triple Bottom Line • Biochar Opportunities in NYS • Feedstock • Producing Biochar • Application Methods
- 3. The Carbon Family CharcoalBiochar Activated Carbon Feedstock Hardwood, sawdust + Binding Agents Ag, forestry & other organic materials/waste Coconut shells, peat, coal, petroleum pitch Common Uses Fuel (Cooking) Soil Amendment Remediation Filtration Binding Agent (livestock) Filtration Odor Control Remediation Binding Agent (humans) Relevant Qualities Burnability Low smoke Adsorption/Porosity CEC Sequestration Adsorption Cost $ - $$ $$ $$$ Production Slow Pyrolysis; Kiln Slow Pyrolysis; Kiln; Gasification Pyrolyzed at 600 – 900C + activated at 250C OR Chemically impregnated & cooked @ 450 – 900C Carbon Footprint Carbon Neutral: May lead to Deforestation Carbon Negative (in many situations) Carbon Positive
- 5. soil functions Biochar’s Soil Function Impacts Adds stablecarbon to soils which stays in soil for hundreds of years. Other OM additions (e.g. manure, compost) bio- degrade in a few years. OM provides energy & nutrients to plants, stabilizes soil structures, improves resistance to erosion. Increased OM Most biochars have a strong surface charge (i.e. CEC) which helps hold nutrients in the soil while still making them available to plants. Soils enriched with biochar will need less fertilizer and will have less nutrient leaching thereby pre- venting eco-system damage. extremely light weight & highly porous giving it very low Bulk Density (BD). Soils with high BD (e.g. highly compacted soils) have poor root growth, low aeration and inefficient water filtration. Biochar added to compacted soils helps improve these soils functions. Biochar is improves bioactivity which improves resistance to disease & pests Due to biochar’s highly porous and stable nature, It provides an ideal environment for microbes. The amount & diversity of microbial activity in soils is a measure of its quality with higher activity indicating better soil. Adding biochar to compost speeds up the decomposition process due to Increased microbial activity. Biochar made from certain types of feedstocks such as poultry litter has material amounts of N-P-K. Biochar made from woody biomass generally does not have any significant N-P-K. When combined with nitrogen fertilizer the efficiency is improved resulting in higher yields and requiring less fertilizer use. Due to the large size of the pores (macro- pores) and its stability within the soil, biochar can provide a long term positive impact on soil water holding capacity. In sandy soils in particular, biochar can increase water holding capacity by as much as 50% at high application rates The sorptive properties (i.e. ability to attract and hold) of biochar help it to render toxins unavailable to plants. Biochar can help filter storm water and is useful in remediation efforts where toxic chemicals are found such as mine land remediation, fracking, chemical spills, etc. Most biochars are alkaline and will therefore help to reduce soil acidity and reduces short term liming needs. For alkaline soils, biochar may have no appreciable impact on yield. Maintaining proper soil ph improves nutrient efficiency and enables strong plant growth.
- 6. Possible Benefits &Uses in Dairy Operations 1. 1% biochar addition into feed as binding agent • Improve feed conversion ratio • Reduce methane emissions • Reduce odors from manure 2. Combine biochar with manure • Retains more nutrients during composting • Stable C and enhanced nitrogen cycling • Reduces nutrient leaching into eco-system 3. Use in anaerobic digestion to boost methane production 4. Filter dairy wastewater 5. Used as bedding material 6. Neutralize toxins from footbaths (e.g. copper) biochar & dairy biochar uses
- 7. biochar & viticulture Possiblebenefits & uses in viticulture 1. Reduced seasonal inputs (e.g. carbon additions) 2. Improve yield consistency within a vineyard or block. 3. Improve hydraulic management of water drainage and water holding capacity of soil. 4. Boost YAN. 5. Enhance cation exchange capacity and nutrient retention. 6. Promote beneficial microbial activity in soils and pathogen suppression 7. Healthier root growth and transplant vigor. 8. Less labor intensive vineyard floor management 9. Better aggregate stability, buffering capacity, bulk density and reduced compaction. 10. Neutralize toxins in soils. biochar uses
- 8. The Built Environment BuildingMaterials Asphalt 3D Printing biochar uses
- 9. Renewable Energy Biomass Energy AnaerobicDigestion, Microbial Fuel Cells biochar uses
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- 11. mitigation & adaptation CarbonSequestration Renewable Energy Methane Reductions • Livestock • Landfills Reduced Fertilizer Use Waste Upcycling Soil Resilience Green Roofs Sustainable Agriculture Food Security Water Efficiency Disaster Recovery Building/Infrastructure Vegetation Management • Fire Control • Invasive Species how biochar can help climate change
- 12. making biochar Pyrolysis &Gasification
- 13. biochar characteristics &benefits ClimateChange Mitigation Agricultural Benefits Remediation C/NRatio Recalcitrance CarbonContent Nutrients pH AshContentSurfaceArea BulkDensity MetalsContent ParticleSize CEC/ Adsorption ProductionVariables: • Feedstock • EquipmentType • Temperature • Ramp&HoldTime UseVariables: • Purpose(CC,Ag,Rem) • ApplicationRate • SoilType • Climate • CSequestration • GHGReductions • NOX • CH4 • ManureManagement • LivestockNutrition • NutrientRetention • SoilFertility • WHC • Restoration • Filtration
- 14. Impact Biochar Peat Moss Com- post CoirPerlite Vermi- culite Permeability M-H L-M x X H H Water Retention H VH L H Improves Soil Aeration x x x x x x Increase Organic Material x x x x Reduces Nutrient Leaching x x x x x Provides Sterile Growing Medium x x x x pH Alkaline 3.6 – 4.2 varies 5.2 – 6.8 7 neutral Longevity Decades++ 1 yr 1 yr Several years Decades++ Decades++ GHG emissions Decreases Increases Neutral Neutral Neutral – Increases? Neutral – Increases? Nutrient Value varies minimal varies varies None None Eco-system impact from production Neutral - Positive Negative (mined) Neutral - Positive Neutral - Positive Negative (mined) Negative (mined) May contain asbestos Source Waste biomass Peat bogs Waste biomass Waste biomass Volcanic ash Mined silica Comparison of biochar with other amendments
- 15. BIOCHAR’S TRIPLE BOTTOM LINEPLANET PEOPLE PROFIT SUSTAINABLE GROWTH COST SAVINGS GREEN JOBS ECO- EFFICIENCY FOOD SECURITY CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION& ADAPTATION ECO- SYSTEM SERVICES HEALTH Soil resiliency, H2O filtration, etc. Industrial Ecology Waste Optimization Energy, tipping fees RESILIENT REGIONAL ECONOMIES ithaka institute for carbon intelligence Research | Education | Consulting
- 16. biochar opportunities in newyork state • Agriculture • Green Waste • Disaster Recovery • Landfills • Sewage Treatment • Invasive Species
- 17. feedstocks Source: K. Wilsonfor World Bank
- 18. application methods Manure Spreader AroundTrees Deep Banding
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Editor's Notes
- #4 Before I dive into to how I think biochar can help improve sustainability in the food industry it might help to know what exactly biochar is. I’d like to quickly demystify what it is by introducing it in the context of its Carbon Family cousins: charcoal and activated carbon. All of these start with organic material which is heated in an oxygen limited environment – using varying temperatures and equipment – to dewater and carbonize biomass. One of the key differences between them all is the end use, but the carbon footprint is also vastly different. Charcoal is generally made from hardwoods or sawdust and is heated at relatively low temperatures (up to 450C). It is used, as you all know, mainly as a cooking fuel. The carbon footprint for charcoal production in the developing world is not good, and has been a cause of deforestation in some places. AC is heated at very high temperatures to bring about high surface area or porosity which provides it with characteristics that enable it to bind other organic materials or toxins to it. This is why it is used for remediation, filtration and odor reduction purposes. The Carbon Footprint of AC, like the cost is pretty high. Biochar can be produced from a much broader range of organic materials. I’ve brought a few samples with me if anyone would like to check them out later on. It is baked at temperatures ranging from 450 – 700C (generally), and the most common use for it at the moment is as a soil amendment although there are many areas of research going on right now to understand how it can be used as an AC substitute. The most interesting difference is the Carbon Footprint story….biochar can, in many cases, be considered Carbon Negative….talk about how this works
- #7 Moving on to something that is a lot more familiar to this region which is Dairy farms. Dairy farms could benefit from biochar in a number of different ways… A growing area of concern in Western NY and I’m sure in VT has to do with an excess of manure. There are increasing regulatory controls being rolled out which restrict when and how manure can be applied to fields. One possible solution is to convert the manure and other bedding material into biochar. There are several different areas on a dairy farm where biochar could be used some of which have been outlined on this slide. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120605113723.htm http://www.ars.usda.gov/pandp/docs.htm?docid=10590&page=6
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- #19 There are a number of different methods to apply biochar.