This document discusses the use of charcoal as an additive in soil. It describes charcoal as a fine black powder made from burning organic materials without oxygen. Activated charcoal is processed to increase its ability to absorb substances. The document then outlines how charcoal improves soil properties like water retention and pH. It also notes charcoal's ability to absorb chemicals and enhance beneficial fungi. Two procedures for mixing charcoal into potting soil for planting seeds or seedlings are provided.

1. CHARCOAL AS AN
ADDITIVE COMPONENT
IN SOIL
Group 8
Abeleda, Emman
Alvarez, Kennedy
Acabal, Gifted
Alfaras, Aileen
Pedrezuela, Bianca

2. CHARCOAL

Charcoal is a fine black odorless and tasteless powder made
from wood or other materials that have been exposed to very
high temperatures in an airless environment. It is then treated,
or activated, to increase its ability to adsorb various
substances by reheating with oxidizing gas or other chemicals
to break it into a very fine powder. Activated charcoal is pure
carbon specially processed to make it highly adsorbent of
particles and gases in the body's digestive system.
Activated charcoal has often been used since ancient times to
cure a variety of ailments including poisoning. Its healing
effects have been well documented since as early as 1550
B.C. by the Egyptians. However, charcoal was almost
forgotten until 15 years ago when it was rediscovered as a
wonderful oral agent to treat most overdoses and toxins.

3. COMPONENTS OF CHARCOAL
 Activated
Charcoal is a highly adsorbent
material that most people associate with air
and water filters. (Adsorption, as opposed to
absorption, is an electrical, not mechanical,
process by which the organic and inorganic
compounds bind to the surface of the
Activated Charcoal without entering into its
molecule.) It is this amazing adsorbency that
plays a critical role in detoxification.

4.  Charcoal
increases the amount of
water a soil ca hold
 Improves soil PH
 Charcoal is full of tiny pores so it can
absorb pesticides and chemicals
secreted from the roots
 Enhances special fungi that infect a
plant’s roots and help it get more
nutrients from the soil

5.  High
alkalinity
 Neutralization of acidic soil and
improvement of chemical components of
soil and
 selection of microorganisms
 Non organic matter
 Exclusion of saprophytes and
propagation of autotrophic and symbiotic
microorganisms, free living nitrogen fixing
bacteria, root nodule bacteria, Frankia
and some mycorrhizal fungi

6. CHARCOAL USES
Of
the current uses "soil
improvement" is really a byproduct
from charcoal manufacture. The
fine charcoal pieces that are
sieved before the charcoal is
bagged are usable for soil
improvement usually in
horticultural situations.

8. MATERIALS:
 18
pcs. of 1.5 liters charcoal plant
seed soil
 Okra
 Beans
 Potato
 Radish

9. PROCEDURES

10. OPTION # 1
Step
1
Place charcoal in the bottom of a garden pot.
While charcoal is porous, which means water can seep
through it, avoid covering up the pot's drainage hole.
How much charcoal you put in the pot is dependent on
the size of your pot. An average size pot that is 6 to 8
inches in diameter should have a 2-inch layer of
charcoal placed in it.

11. Step
2
Fill the rest of the pot with
potting soil leaving 2 inches of
space free of soil at the top of the
pot.

12. Step
3
Dig a hole for your seeds/
plants. Place them in the hole and
refill the hole with the potting soil.

13. Step
4
Water your seeds/ plants and
plan to water them whenever
the top layer of soil dries out.

14. Step
5
Place the pot in an area
where it can receive the
required amount of sunlight.

15. Step
6
Change out the charcoal whenever
you re-pot your plant.

16. OPTION # 2
Step
1
Mix 1 part horticulture charcoal
and 2 parts of potting soil and mix
together.

17. 
Step 2
Place the mix into your pot
leaving 2 inches of space free
of soil at the top of the pot.

18. Step
3
Dig a hole for your seeds/plants.
Place them in the hole and refill the
hole with the potting soil.

19. Step
4
Water your seeds/plants and plan to water
them whenever the top layer of soil dries
out. Place the pot in an area where it can
receive the required amount of sunlight.

20. Step
5
Make a new potting mix of soil and
charcoal whenever you change out
your pot.

22. RELATED
STUDIES

23. SIGNIFICANCE
 Carbon
Soil organic matter, a.k.a. carbon, is
black gold—it makes the garden grow
and thrive. Soil with a high percentage
of organic matter has a loose, crumbly
texture and a dark brown color. When
your soil has sufficient organic matter,
the plants growing in it:

24. Tolerate
drought better.
Organic matter acts like a
sponge, soaking up extra water
and releasing it when needed.
Grow larger and more
vigorously.
Plants grown in soil with abundant
organic matter receive a slow
release of nutrients all season.

25.  Resist
pests and disease.
Healthy plants are naturally resistant to
pests and disease. Research has shown
that compost has disease-suppressive
qualities. For many areas of the country,
the peak breakdown of carbon is May
through July. Soils are relatively warm
and hold plenty of moisture. This
coincides with the time our garden plants
need lots of nutrients—when they are
growing and setting fruit.

26.  It
helps support the productivity and diversity
of all living organisms in the soil. It influences
water-holding capacity, aeration, soil
aggregation, and other physical aspects. It
affects cation exchange capacity, the supply
and availability of other nutrient elements,
buffering capacity and other chemical
parameters of soil. Soil organic matter, with
soil carbon, holds vast amounts of organic
compounds, nutrients, trace elements, and
cations that are essential to plant growth and
biological activity.

27.  It
serves as a repository for carbon
dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas. The
amount of carbon in the soil has been
estimated to be at least two times
greater than carbon in the atmosphere
and in vegetation. The problems
associated with climate change might
be alleviated if more carbon remains
captured in the soil as organic carbon