A Sustainable Approach: Biochar and its Potential Use in Agriculture

There are about 15 billion tons of carbonaceous waste produced worldwide each year. If this waste could be used efficiently to generate energy and provide long-lasting environmental benefits, it could make a major contribution to global development. Biomass pyrolysis is an emerging renewable energy and material conversion technology that can produce carbon-based biochar and syngas (a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen) for fuel and environmental benefits. Since biochar can be stored in the ground, this renewable energy and material conversion technology is sustainable and it also has the potential to increase crop production by enhancing the ability of plants to extract nutrients from the soil. Biochar produced from waste biomass may also decrease the negative effects of agricultural land use on the water cycle. This document reports on the status of biochar research with details of the environmental and economic benefits associated with biochar production and also summarizes the potential and opportunities for biochar use in agriculture.