BIOCHSTA

Documentation of long-term carbon stability in biochar

Objective

Biochar is produced from residues and waste products from agriculture and waste sectors. Pyrolysis is used to produce biochar, a process where organic matter is heated to high temperatures in the absence of oxygen. This biological carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technique can potentially store large amounts of carbon. Currently, carbon stability in biochar is determined primarily from the elemental composition and other bulk parameters of the biochar and incubation experiments. However, this project hypothesises that it is more accurate to use well-documented methods from the field of geology. Thus, the aim of the project is to uniquely use geological state-of-the-art analysis techniques as a means of optimising the production of inert, non-degradable carbon for long-term stability in soil.

Approach

The proposed methodology stands on the shoulders of decades of in-depth geological knowledge of organic matter transformation, preservation and characterisation using organic petrographic, geochemical, and thermodynamic modelling techniques. A combination of acquired data and thermodynamic kinetic modelling will make it possible to standardise the optimal characteristics of the permanent biochar from a comparative study of the geologically preserved natural chars in carbonaceous rocks. Additionally, the project will conduct stakeholder meetings with farmers and carry out surveys among a representative sample of 2,000+ farmers. This will contribute to a virtual research gap by monitoring the willingness to apply biochar among farmers, and test how biochar familiarity, characteristics, and information support the readiness and willingness to adopt.

Impact

The result of this research has the potential to optimise biochar production to achieve the most stable carbon for long-term permanence in soil. Know-how of biochar formation technology and biochar permanence properties may have export potential, and provide a low-cost, reliable method to demonstrate long-term stability of biochar which could be a game-changer for the biochar industry. Also, biological carbon storage will likely have larger citizen acceptance if long-term stability can be demonstrated.