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Written By Karl VonBerg.

Posted on March 28th, 2023.

Tagged with Wood Products.

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Would you ever think that something that leaves a sooty mess on your hands could have so many benefits?  Biochar is a form of charcoal that increases crop production, filters water, reduces smells, insulates homes, improves health and much more.

What is it? 

Biochar comes from plant material: trees, manure, compost, grasses, corn etc.  It is a form of charcoal.  Archeologists have discovered biochar in the Amazon region where indigenous people created very fertile soils, called terra preta (black earth), that still exist 1000 - 2000 years after they were created.

How is it made? 

Plant material is heated to high temperatures in the absence of oxygen (pyrolysis).  This separates out biochar and bio-fuels.  Biochar is mostly carbon. 

Biochar Production

Uses of biochar and its co-products

  • Soil Conditioner.  As an aid to fertilizing plants, storing water, aerating the soil, raising the pH (less acidic), less leaching of nutrients, supplying trace elements, increasing a plant’s immune system.

Biochar Soil Additive

  • Animal farming.  Reducing smell in feed or litter, decreasing diarrhea, greater feed intake, less allergies, calmer animals.
  • In buildings.  Insulation, building blocks, air decontamination, humidity regulation, acoustic insulator, protection against electromagnetic radiation.

Biochar Wall Insulation

Biochar Construction Blocks

  • Biogas.  Better nutrient storage and less emissions.
  • Bio-fuels such as oil or hydrogen. Can be used for energy to heat biomass, or for transportation or industry.
  • Waste water treatment.  As a carbon filter, a soil substrate, use with composting toilets.
  • Drinking Water.  Micro and macro filters.

Biochar Water Filter

  • Textiles. Thermal insulation, deodorant for shoes and underwear, filling for mattresses and pillows to improve health.
  • Other uses.  Exhaust and room filters, carbon fibers and plastics, semiconductors and batteries, metal reduction, soaps, skin-cream and therapeutic bath additives, food coloring, industrial paints, energy pellets, detoxification, shield against electromagnetic radiation in electronic devices.
  • Every month/year there are new uses for Biochar.  Can you think of one?

There are startup businesses getting into biochar production and the future looks bright for biochar and the co-products from its production.  So are you ready to use biochar or its co-products?  There is most likely something on the above list that you could benefit from.

Here is information about biochar research from Cornell University:

https://css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann/research/biochar/biocharmain.html

And more insight into the different uses: https://www.ithaka-journal.net/55-anwendungen-von-pflanzenkohle?lang=en