Biochar

As part of its commitment to a low carbon future, LCIC investigates emerging technologies. Biochar has the potential to lock up, or sequester, carbon into the ground for centuries or even, it is thought, for millennia as well as having the capacity to enhance the surrounding soil.

What is biochar?

Biochar is the carbon-rich, charcoal-like, product that forms when biomass, such as wood, crop residues or manure, is heated in the absence of air. In more technical terms, biochar is produced by pyrolysis and gasification processes that involve the thermal decomposition of organic material under a limited oxygen supply, and at relatively low temperatures (~700°C).

Why is it useful?

The thermal conversion of biomass results in approximately 50% of carbon in the biomass being converted to biochar, which is highly resistant to biodegradation as the carbon is held in a far more stable form than the biomass it was derived from. Thus, carbon can be actively diverted from the rapid biological cycle into a far slower “biochar cycle”, and thus biochar amendments to soil can be considered a rapid means of sequestering atmospheric carbon, possibly for hundreds or thousands of years. The capture and utilisation of the heat generated during biochar production can be used in local district heating systems, whilst the energy-rich co-products (synthesis gas and bio oil) can be used to generate electricity or refined to make heating and/or transportation fuels.

How can this process help?

In addition to carbon sequestration, biochar provides a unique opportunity to improve soil quality by enhancing properties such as, nutrient retention and recycling, water holding capacity and soil workability. These improvements have been shown to enhance agricultural productivity, which may help reduce demand for fossil fuel-based synthetic fertilisers and thus has the potential to reduce nitrous oxide emissions and nitrate leaching. Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a greenhouse gas that is approximately 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide and represents 9% of all greenhouse gas emissions.

Are there any other uses for biochar?

Biochar has even wider environmental appeal in light of the fact that its production utilises animal and crop residues from agriculture and green urban wastes, as well as other by-products from certain clean industrial wastes, as a feedstock for biochar and bio-energy production, which helps limit the pollution of land and surface waters and makes use of locally available and renewable materials in a sustainable manner. Furthermore, some studies have shown biochar itself can help to improve the condition of contaminated land due to its ability to adsorb organic and inorganic pollutants and heavy metals.

How will LCIC produce biochar?

The University of East Anglia (UEA) is currently constructing a 1.4MWe biomass gasification combined heat and power (CHP) plant, estimated to run at over 80% efficiency. You can see several videos illustrating the construction process here. The CHP plant will use biomass in the form of locally produced forestry woodchip to provide the additional base heat and electricity component required for a growing campus, yet its installation will help UEA reduce its existing carbon footprint by 34%. Although the main product of the CHP plant is synthesis gas, which will be used to generate 1.4MW of electricity and over 2.0 MW of heat, the plant is expected to generate around 3% of its annual yield as a by-product in the form of biochar (equivalent to 300 tonnes per annum). You can read an article entitled 'Biochar - an innovative tool' from page 17.


What work has LCIC undertaken?

LCIC’s Dr. Zoe Wallage is one of the UK’s leading authorities on biochar. To this effect, LCIC (in collaboration with the National Soil Resources Institute at Cranfield University and Collison and Associated Ltd) was commissioned by the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) to undertake a scoping study to assess the economic and environmental potential of biochar for the East of England Region. As well as reviewing the current global state of knowledge, the review provided a regional evaluation of how a biochar-based industry may influence the local economy with regard to sequestering atmospheric carbon, enhancing agricultural productivity and creating new employment opportunities. Contact us for a full copy of the report.

A follow-up stakeholder event held at UEA in May 2009 demonstrated significant interest on three fronts:
 

1. The academic research base - there is great potential to undertake experimental field and laboratory trials to characterise biochar (produced at UEA in the first instance), and investigate a vast array of properties and processes intimately linked to biochar-soil-crop interactions when this material is applied to the land.
2. Land owners/managers - through an external consultation process LCIC has identified many who are: a) keen to partake in experimental field trials, b) interested in potentially generating carbon credits from sequestering carbon via biochar amendments to soils, and c) driven by the potential to improve profit margins by reducing input costs (e.g. reducing irrigation and use of artificial fertilisers).
3. Suppliers/manufacturers of biochar production systems - LCIC has already established a working relationship with one UK gasification manufacturer.

What’s the plan for the future?

LCIC is amassing a team of experts in the field of social sciences, microbiology, biochemistry, soil sciences, environmental sciences and carbon trading specialists, including those within the Norwich Research Park (UEA, John Innes Centre, Institute of Food Research and InCrops), and other national and international research institutions, associates and local stakeholders (including landowners and food producers) to further realise the UK and global commercial application of biochar.

LCIC intends to secure the supply of biochar from UEA’s CHP plant for research purposes, and is rapidly developing commercial links and research-based activities relating to the production, use and validation of biochar systems, and plans to pursue the following:
 

1. Investigate the safety and legal issues concerning the use, application, storage and transport of biochar.
2. Establish a supply chain network to enable the efficient transfer of biochar from production sites and allow its application to land or its incorporation into alternative materials, and develop a separate, yet parallel, chain to supply the academic research community with materials to carryout experimental trials.
3. Investigate the viability of establishing a voluntary offsetting scheme based on the sequestration of carbon in soils via the application of biochar.
4. Examine the carbon sequestration and offsetting potential of biochar through a suite of dedicated experimental field trials.
5. Develop a Life Cycle Analysis framework to evaluate the balance between energy yield, greenhouse gas emissions, and carbon sequestration potential for biochar production systems.
6. Explore methods and technologies for biochar application to land, and for rapid in-field verification of biochar-based carbon amendments.
7. Continue to develop a consultancy service centred around the production of biochar from biomass gasification CHP systems, which will likely help unlock interest in the technology from would-be biomass plant developers and operators.

LCIC would like to continue to develop working relationships with individuals, businesses, organisations and regulators to help expand and promote a network of interested parties regarding the production and application of biochar in the agricultural sector, and to champion suitable commercial ventures and funding streams to conduct the research outlined above. LCIC is also keen to work with forward-thinking landowners and managers interested in taking part in experimental field trials.

If you would like to be included in any of the above categories please contact Laura Chellis at LCIC on 01603 591342 or send us an email at info@lcic.com.