OCTOBER 2009 PRIMEFACT 963
Biochar basics
Abigail Jenkins Biochars produced at high temperatures such as
600°C have greater porosity and higher adsorptive
Soil Advisory Officer
qualities compared to biochar produced at 400°C.
Natural Resource Advisory Services, Wollongbar
However, while most of the carbon from a feedstock
Carolyn Jenkinson pyrolysed at high temperatures is converted to
energy, more carbon is recovered in lower
Project Officer, Sustainable Agriculture
temperature pyrolysis
Conservation Management, Gosford.
As the characteristics of biochar vary widely it is
difficult to state categorically what benefits biochar
What is Biochar? can provide beyond the addition of carbon to the
soil and alternative waste management. The
Biochar is an extremely complex stable form of creation of biochar may generate energy and
carbon produced by the controlled heating of plant mitigate climate change while some biochars may
and/or animal material (biomass feedstock) at high
temperatures (350 – 600oC) in a low oxygen
environment. The technique of heating in a low
oxygen environment is called pyrolysis.
Biochar’s complex chemical structure is defined by
the feedstock it is made from and the temperature
conditions used in its manufacture.
Biochar is a form of charcoal but is different in that
biochar is produced in controlled conditions so that
most of the carbon is converted to usable products.
Charcoal usually has a total carbon content of over
75% whilst biochar often has much less total carbon
(often 40-75%) but it has a higher mineral content,
containing minerals such as Calcium(Ca),
Potassium (K), Phosphorus (P) and Nitrogen (N). Biochar made from papermill residues.
Are all biochars the same?
No two biochars are the same. The characteristic of
any biochar is a function of the material from which
it is made and the temperature conditions used to
make it. The range of biochars available could be
considerable, representing the wide range of
feedstock, temperature, residence times and
heating rates used in their creation.
Biochar made from material such as animal manure
or broiler litter will have a greater nutrient content
than a biochar made from carbon rich materials
such as municipal green waste or tree prunings.
Biochar made from green waste.
be useful as soil nutrient amendments. However it is important to remember that use of this
technology is new to modern agriculture and
Table 1 Basic chemical characteristics of three experts state that there is “no rapid screening
biochars produced at 450oC technique currently available that provides the
means for biochar products to be compared or
matched to a particular use.” (anzbiochar.org/index.html)
Feedstock Poultry Green Papermill
litter waste
Biochar and climate change
N (%) 2.2 0.25 0.44
The benefits of biochar in mitigating climate change
P (%) 2.4 0.049 0.11 may be substantial but more research and
appropriate legislation are needed to accompany its
K (%) 2.1 0.0072 0.047
use.
Lime equivalency 14 0.90 7.50
(CaCO3 (%)) Predicted benefits Implications
Total C (%) 35 66 37
Increased biomass Greater atmospheric C uptake,
production Carbon sequestration through
greater biomass production,
What are the benefits to agriculture? Potentially reduced soil emissions
Many of the benefits attributed to the application of of non- CO2 Green house gases,
biochar to the soil are related directly to the Reduced requirement for N
resulting increase in carbon. fertilisers.
Biochar applications have been shown to increase Increased soil C C sequestration
crop (biomass) production and applications to soil Waste reuse Reduced methane production
have been shown to: from landfill
• improve nutrient storage, CEC
Renewable energy Offset of fossil fuels,
• increase soil carbon content production
• increase Water Holding Capacity The production of biochar can provide a net storage
• increase soil pH of carbon providing the process is well engineered.
In this situation the storage of carbon (or carbon
• decrease Aluminium toxicity
dioxide equivalents (CO2e) is greater than the
• decrease tensile strength production of CO2e for a full life cycle assessment.
• change microbiology of the soil In contrast, carbon from crop and plant residues is
generally released back into the atmosphere within
• decrease greenhouse gases emissions from the
2 to 5 years.
soil (N2O and CH4 )
• improve soil conditions for earthworm During pyrolysis, stable carbon structures are
populations formed, which are extremely resistant to microbial
attack preventing carbon release back into the
• improve fertiliser use efficiency.
atmosphere. The stability of biochar depends on
However in other research it has been found to the type of biomass used, temperature and length
have no influence on the above aspects, the results of heating, surface to volume ratio of the particles,
being highly dependent on the type of biochar as soil and climatic conditions.
well as crop, soil type and climatic conditions. It
Generation of renewable energy by pyrolysis also
appears that where positive effects occur the
requires a well engineered facility. The high energy
biggest impacts are on highly degraded sites that
gases such as hydrogen (H2) methane (CH4) and
are nutrient poor and/or acidic.
carbon monoxide (CO) released can be either
To maximise the benefit of an addition of biochar to converted into thermal energy or electricity. The
the soil it is important to know why it is being added. amount of energy released during the pyrolysis
As seen previously, biochar made from animal process is again highly dependant upon the
wastes can have nutrient values that enable it to be biomass feedstock as well as the pyrolysis
used as a nutrient source for plants as well as a conditions.
carbon source. Biochar made from carbon rich
materials is primarily useful for increasing soil
carbon levels but supplies little in the way of plant
available nutrients.
2 PRIMEFACT 963, BIOCHAR BASICS
Can I make my own biochar? Acknowledgements:
Biochar has been made in the shifting cultivation Thankyou to Dr L.Van Zwieten and Dr. P Slavich for
regions of South American and in Japan for technical input and Phil Bevan for editing
centuries. However, to make a high quality uniform
This publication has been produced with the assistance of
product and prevent the formation of toxic funds from Caring for our Country, Richmond Landcare and
substances some time and investment in the National Landcare Program© State of New South Wales
constructing a pyrolysis kiln/stove is required. The through Department of Industry and Investment (Industry &
kiln must be designed so that the high energy gases Investment NSW) 2009. You may copy, distribute and
otherwise freely deal with this publication for any purpose,
(syngas, pyrolysis gas) and particulates which are
provided that you attribute Industry & Investment NSW as the
produced during pyrolysis are disposed of safely. owner.
This gas may be used as an energy source but
must be managed with care for human health and ISSN 1832-6668
greenhouse gas emission reasons. Check for updates of this Primefact at:
In the simplest kilns high energy gases are captured www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/primefacts
and burned (flared). This converts the methane Disclaimer: The information contained in this publication is
back into CO2 which is a far less damaging based on knowledge and understanding at the time of writing
greenhouse gas. Low-tech “stoves” are used in (October 2009). However, because of advances in
knowledge, users are reminded of the need to ensure that
many developing countries for cooking purposes,
information upon which they rely is up to date and to check
enabling the effective recycling of agricultural currency of the information with the appropriate officer of
wastes such as rice husk into energy and biochar, Industry & Investment NSW or the user’s independent
which is then returned to the paddock. adviser.
Large scale biochar production plant at Somersby. Job number 9696 PUB09/130
Further reading:
anzbiochar.org/index.html
www.biochar-international.org/workgroups
www.bodgershovel.com/index.htm
http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/research/topics/biochar
PRIMEFACT 963, BIOCHAR BASICS 3
