Biochar

Biochar is a carbon rich material that is valuable for
improving the stability in soil and for its superior nutrient-
retention properties, thus providing benefits to both the
environment and agriculture. It is produced when biomass,
including crop and animal manures, is heated in the
absence of oxygen through the process known as pyrolysis
or in the oxygen starved process of gasification. Biochar is
used to mitigate climate change through the sequestering
of atmospheric carbon dioxide. It is an ideal amendment to
increase crop yields in most soil types. Biochar is retained
in the soil over many hundreds and even thousands of
years, unlike fertilizers which typically require annual
application. The “dark earth” or Terra Preta of the Amazon
Rain Forest which is noted world-wide as being one of the
most fertile soils is actually a very poor soil enriched with
biochar material.

Biochars can be vastly different depending on the way that they are produced and the
materials from which they were created. As biochar experts often state, at this time there are
more questions about biochar than there are answers, and new research brings about more
opportunities to expand the biochar knowledge base. Coaltec can produce formulated biochar
through technology they have developed beyond simply gasifying given materials. As a pioneer
in the formulation of biochar, Coaltec is working toward providing product, markets and
distribution systems to fill the need for this valuable commodity.

Biochar-Bioenergy production has the potential to significantly contribute to securing a future
of green energy for the United States.

BIOCHAR RESOURCES
An in depth look at Biochar - International Biochar Initiative –
www.biochar-international.org

The Promise of Biochar, a video featuring Dr. Johannes Lehmann which includes the Josh Frye
project
http://www.venearth.com/hqpromise.html

Comprehensive information and analysis on biochar technology and its implications
Biochar for Environmental Management: Science and Technology Edited by Lehmann,
Johannes and Joseph, Stephen
ISBN: 978-1-84407-658-1