Biochar has been around for literally thousands of years. Vegetation fires and historic farming practices have left this carbon-rich residue in soils around the world. Only recently has biochar come to be commercially produced as its merits have been recognized. The best commercially made biochar is produced by heating organic materials such as wood or crop waste to very high temperatures in the absence of oxygen (pyrolysis), producing a clean and stable product.
Biosphere-BioChar™ carbon products are made from renewable wood resources that have been harvested in an environmentally responsible manner. They are processed by a state of the art pyrolysis process creating a highly porous surface area. Our carbon products retain water and nutrients and makes them available to a wide range of crops.
In addition to increasing water and nutrient retention, biochar provides protection against a number of soil-borne diseases.
Environmental Remediation
Biochar has much to offer when it comes to environmental remediation. Controlled biochar manufacturing processes mean that the resulting material can be customized for a variety of applications.
From removing heavy metals, excessive pesticides and other contaminants from soil to purifying storm water run-off, biochar has shown to have strong positive effects on the environment.
Agricultural Soil Amendments
When used as a soil amendment, biochar is effective at increasing plant productivity and yield, improving soil water-holding capacity, and reducing nutrient leaching leading to lower fertilizer requirements and associated costs. In the soil, it can remove unwanted pollutants such as VOCs and pesticides from both applied and storm water.
Biochar has been observed to increase soil pH levels in acidic soil. It can also increase plant responses to various diseases while decreasing the occurrence of fungal diseases in plants. When biochar is present in the soil, emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane from the soil are decreased.
Carbon Sequestration
Biochar may be an immediate answer to mitigating the effects of climate change. As a carbon, biochar remains in the soil for a very long time. Due to its chemical structure, it is resistant to breakdown and can function as a sink to prevent the release of carbon into the atmosphere.
While the presence of biochar in the soil is beneficial in terms of slowing the rate of carbon release while increasing crop productivity, how effective biochar is on carbon already present in the atmosphere is still under careful study but shows promise. Biosphere Carbon Group is at the forefront of these environmental cases and studies.
TECHNOLOGY
As a leader in biochar technologies, Biosphere Carbon Group uses proprietary pyrolysis systems to produce its biochar. By processing solid wastes at high temperatures, a sterile, non-leachable, sequestered form of char is created. The market for biochar, especially for soil amendment applications, is rapidly expanding and biochar produced in this manner will allow producers to enter the carbon credit market.
Biosphere-BioChar™ is manufactured through a proprietary process. As part of our research and development program, we are working on new processes to make biochar more effective in a wider variety of applications.
For information about our proprietary pyrolysis systems, Please contact R&R Technologies, Inc.
