Ames Tribune > Experts pioneer new technology at Biochar Conference

Weihua Deng, assistant scientist with the Center for Sustainable Environmental Technology, guides attendees of the U.S. Biochar Initiative Conference on a tour of Iowa State’s new Biorenewables Research Laboratory Wednesday in Ames."

By James Pusey
Staff Writer

Though biochar is a promising agricultural technology, few people know what it actually is.

A conference held in Ames this week aimed to help spread the word about biochar’s potential included invitations to some 270 scientists, industry representatives and entrepreneurs from around the world.

The 2010 U.S. Biochar Initiative Conference was from June 27 to 30 at the Scheman Building and focused on presenting the latest biochar research, deciding next actions and connecting researchers with industry representatives and entrepreneurs.

Biochar is one of the by-products of fast pyrolysis, the process used at Iowa State University’s BioCentury Research Farm to create bio-oil from organic material. Researchers have found that the dark, charcoal-like powder left over from pyrolization can be returned to the soil and vastly improve the quality of low-grade soils.

Harry Stine, president and founder of the Stine Seed Company in Adel, said he was first introduced to biochar when he stumbled across a highly productive farm in Germany where farmers were adding char from a kiln to its soil. Curiosity drove him to start his own biochar experiments.

“Adding the charcoal initially doubled our yield,” Stine said. “Now we’ve tripled our yields from what we had.”

Research being conducted at ISU has found that biochar is most effective on low-quality soils, but has little effect on good soils. However, Stine said scientists have yet to find an instance where putting biochar on soil has had harmful effects, and he doubts one could apply too much biochar to the soil.

“At first, we started adding biochar at low rates because we thought you could hurt stuff by adding too much,” he said. “Today, I find that hard to believe.”

Most conference attendees were from around the United States, but some traveled from as far away as Asia, Africa and South America.

Gerard Cornelissen, a researcher with the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, said he was impressed by the potential benefits of biochar.

“It’s almost too good to be true, the win-win’s to be had,” Cornelissen said, “especially if we can help the poorest farmers on the worst soils. Then it’s a fantastic concept.”

Among the sponsors of the conference was the International Biochar Initiative, which has been in existence since 2007 and aims to further biochar’s cause by making changes in public policy. Executive Director Debbie Reed said the next step is for scientists to define exactly what biochar is, classify it and create standards for its production.

Thayer Tomlinson, the organization’s communication director, said the conference was the second held in the United States. The first took place in Boulder, Colo., last year.

“This is a great opportunity for everyone to come together, share research, but also share their experiences and talk about what they want to see out of this emerging industry,” Tomlinson said. “It’s the top of the field here.”

James Pusey can be reached

at (515) 663-6922

or jpusey@amestrib.com.