RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS Current Research by IBG Members - Illinois Biochar Website

Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, University of Illinois

Scientists at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center ( http://www.istc.illinois.edu) on the campus of the University of Illinois are conducting biochar studies which include: (1) production of biochar from a variety of waste biomass and testing its characteristics; (2) use of biochar as a soil amendment for sustainable agriculture; and (3) potential environmental implications associated with biochar use. For more information on ISTC's biochar research, or if you are interested in exploring biochar production at your facility or establishing collaboration on biochar research, please contact Dr. Wei Zheng (wzheng@istc.illinois.edu) or Dr. Kishore Rajagopalan (kishore@istc.illinois.edu ).

University of Illinois-Chicago

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago are beginning studies on the application of biochar in site remediation projects. For more information, contact Dr. Krishna Reddy.

Chip Energy, Inc.

Paul Wever (pwever@pwce.com) and Dr. Paul Anderson (psanders@ilstu.edu) of Chip Energy, Inc. continue their work on biochar production and pyrolysis furnaces.
Summaries & Reviews on Biochar
International Biochar Initiative Guidelines for Specifications of Biochars document-October 2011 The final draft document is now available on the IBI website and is awaiting final comments through November 15, 2011.

For further information, and to see earlier drafts of the guidelines, and follow the course of development of the guidelines, please go to http://www.biochar-international.org/characterizationstandard.
Technical, Economical and Climate Related Aspects of Biochar Production Technologies: A Literature Review Sebatian Meyer, Bruno Glaser, and Peter Quicker Environ. Sci. Technol. 30 Sept. 2011 (web) http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es201792c
Biochar: A Critical Review of Science and Policy Interim draft report June 10, 2011 Biofuelwatch
Biochar Effects on Soil Biota - A Review 2011 Johannes Lehmann, Matthias C. Rillig, Janice Thies, Caroline A. Masiello, William C. Hockaday, and David Crowley Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Article in Press, Corrected Proof. DOI: doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2011.04.022
Biochar, climate change and soil: A review to guide future research 2009 Saran Sohi, Elisa Lopez-Capel, Evelyn Krull and Roland Bol Corresponding author and editor: Evelyn Krull CSIRO Land and Water Science Report 05/09
U.S.-Focused Biochar Report - Assessment of Biochar's Benefits for the United States of America 2010 Edited by Jonah Levine Contributing Authors: Christoph Steiner, PhD, Hugh McLaughlin, PhD, PE, Andrew Harley, PhD, Gloria Flora, Ronal Larson, PhD, Adam Reed, JD Centennial Publishing, Colorado, USA
Biochar for environmental management: science and technology 2009 Johannes Lehmann and Stephen Joseph Earthscan
Biochar Application to Soils - A Critical Scientific Review of Effects on Soil Properties, Processes, and Functions 2009 F. Verheijen, S. Jeffery, A.C. Bastos, M. van der Velde, and I. Diafas EUR 24099 EN, Office for the Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg, 149pp.
A Guide to Conducting Biochar Trials 2009 Julie Major International Biochar Initiative, 32 pp.
Guidelines on Practical Aspects of Biochar Application 2010 Julie Major International Biochar Initiative, 23 pp.
Potential Mechanisms for Achieving Agricultural benefits from Biochar Application to Temperate Soils: a review 2010 Christopher J. Atkinson, Jean D. Fitzgerald, and Neil A. Hipps Plant Soil (2010) 337:1- 18
The Role of Biochar in Modifying the Environmental Fate, Bioavailability, and Efficacy of Pesticides in Soils: a review. 2010 Rai S.Kookana Australian Journal of Soil Research
Garcia-Perez, M., T. Lewis, and C.E. Kruger. 2010. Methods for Producing Biochar and Advanced Biofuels in Washington State. Part 1: Literature Review of Pyrolysis Reactors. First project Report. Department of Biological Systems Engineering and the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and natural Resources, Washington State University, Pullman, WA. 137 pp. http://www.ecy.wa.gov/pubs/1107017.pdf
Biochar Research Needs and Priorities: International Biochar Initiative - Updated Draft March 2010
Most Recent Publications
Biochar Production for Carbon Sequestration, Report by Allyson Stoyle, Worchester Polytecnic Institute, March 15, 2011 https://www.wpi.edu/Pubs/E-project/Available/E-project-031111-153641/unrestricted/BIOCHAR_CO2SEQ.pdf
Biochar Articles from Google Scholar for 2011
Using Biochar as a Soil Amendment for Sustainable Agriculture June 2011 Wei Zheng, B.K. Sharma, Kishore Rajagopalan USDA Final Project Report http://www.ideals.illinois.edu/handle/2142/25503
Other Research/Publications
Research article on biochar use (has 90 sec. podcast) - http://earthsky.org/food/johannes-lehmann-on-turning-waste-into-a-natural-resource
Research articles on agricultural field trials in Canada - http://www.blue-leaf.ca/main-en/files/BlueLeaf%20Biochar%20Field%20Trial%2008-09%20Report-1.pdf http://www.blue-leaf.ca/main-en/files/BlueLeafBiocharForageFieldTrial-Year3Report.pdf
Biochar RefShare database http://www.refworks.com/refshare2?site=023461151726400000/RWWEB103579840/123851287166064000
Biochar Libguide http://uiuc.libguides.com/biochar
Biofarms research http://biocharfarms.org/research/
Biochar articles in google scholar http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=biochar&hl=en&lr=&btnG=Search
USDA - ARS links: http://pubsearch.arsnet.usda.gov/search?q=biochar&btnG=Go%21&filter=0 &as_sitesearch=ars.usda.gov&ie=&output=xmlno_dtd&client=ars_frontend &lr=&proxystylesheet=ars_frontend&oe=&btnG.x=23&btnG.y=11 http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?seq_no_115=249148
International Biochar Initiative Bibliography http://www.biochar-international.org/biblio