Sierra Blogging Post Archives

Does the answer to rising carbon emissions lie in our organic waste? University of Georgia research engineer Brian Bibens thinks so.

Bibens, a researcher looking for alternative ways to recycle carbon, has been working on "biochar" - a highly porous charcoal-type matter made from organic waste.

Biochar is no ordinary charcoal. After being heated to over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, biochar becomes the ultimate fertilizer.


So how does a fertilizer save the planet? In two ways, really. By recycling organic waste matter, or biomass, (any forest, agricultural or animal waste) into biochar instead of letting it decompose, harmful CO2 is prevented from entering the atmosphere. And once biochar is introduced into the soil, it amplifies the soil's ability to store CO2. Both of these things mean less carbon in the atmosphere.

From the article on CNN: Its high carbon content and porous nature can help soil retain water, nutrients, protect soil microbes and ultimately increase crop yields while acting as natural carbon sink - sequestering CO2 and locking it into the ground.

"Soil acts as an enormous carbon pool, increasing this carbon pool could significantly contribute to the reduction of CO2 in the atmosphere," said Christoph Steiner, one of the leading research scientist studying biochar. "It gives us a chance to produce carbon negative energy."

The benefits of biochar and biomass recycling don't end there. Gases given off during the biochar cooking process can be converted to electricity and biomass can be turned into gasoline and possibly even pharmaceutical products. In lands like the Amazon basin, where the concept of biochar dates back 500 years at least, biochar can keep precious farmlands fertile for thousands of years, eliminating the need to clear-cut forests for farming.

Sounds like a no-brainer to me.