Improving sustainability through developments in biochar
Carbon, or more speciically carbon dioxide, building up in earth’s atmosphere is considered by many scientists to be one of the planet’s most dificult and pressing problems. Biochar may become a signiicant part of the solution.
Biochar, the solid carbon rich byproduct produced when biomass (organic matter) is converted to energy in a low oxygen environment (pyrolysis) has potential for beneicial use in agriculture and environmental remediation. Biochar carbon compounds are very stable in soil as compared to carbon compounds present in fresh organic matter. Carbon from unprocessed plant material would enter back into the atmosphere in a matter of decades. Biochar, on the other hand, wouldn’t cycle back into the atmosphere for 1,000 years. Biochar has potential economic and environmental beneits because it contributes to long-term carbon sequestration, assists in building soil fertility and in remediation of contaminated soils and watersheds.
The biochar concept has challenged scientists to igure out the best approach to turning waste organic material into stable carbon. This exciting new development has attracted the attention of researchers like John Miedema.
Miedema is collaborating on biochar research with Oregon State University and USDA-ARS and is funded by a Western Oregon timber company. He was an early adopter of the global warming concept, and is concerned with mitigating the amount of excess CO2 being deposited in the Earth’s atmosphere. He’s also concerned about devising new methods to feed the population of the world.
“We burn fossil fuels to produce our nitrogen fertilizers,” Miedema said. “As the supply is reduced the price of production and transportation of those fertilizers will go up. The implications of high prices and food riots is signiicant. This is a problem we have to igure out sooner than later.”
He hopes to address numerous problems facing the population of the world and the pollution we create.
Carbon, or more speciically carbon dioxide, building up in earth’s atmosphere is considered by many scientists to be one of the planet’s most dificult and pressing problems. Biochar may become a signiicant part of the solution.
Biochar, the solid carbon rich byproduct produced when biomass (organic matter) is converted to energy in a low oxygen environment (pyrolysis) has potential for beneicial use in agriculture and environmental remediation. Biochar carbon compounds are very stable in soil as compared to carbon compounds present in fresh organic matter. Carbon from unprocessed plant material would enter back into the atmosphere in a matter of decades. Biochar, on the other hand, wouldn’t cycle back into the atmosphere for 1,000 years. Biochar has potential economic and environmental beneits because it contributes to long-term carbon sequestration, assists in building soil fertility and in remediation of contaminated soils and watersheds.
The biochar concept has challenged scientists to igure out the best approach to turning waste organic material into stable carbon. This exciting new development has attracted the attention of researchers like John Miedema.
Miedema is collaborating on biochar research with Oregon State University and USDA-ARS and is funded by a Western Oregon timber company. He was an early adopter of the global warming concept, and is concerned with mitigating the amount of excess CO2 being deposited in the Earth’s atmosphere. He’s also concerned about devising new methods to feed the population of the world.
“We burn fossil fuels to produce our nitrogen fertilizers,” Miedema said. “As the supply is reduced the price of production and transportation of those fertilizers will go up. The implications of high prices and food riots is signiicant. This is a problem we have to igure out sooner than later.”
He hopes to address numerous problems facing the population of the world and the pollution we create.
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