UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE, BALI, DECEMBER 3-14, 2007 Christoph Steiner, Ph.D., member of the Biorefining and Carbon Cycling Program, was invited by the UNCCD to present research and prospects of soil charcoal amendments to sequester CO2 and restore soil fertility. He stressed that use of charcoal as a soil amendment is not new. He highlighted research and development into the production of biochar (non fuel char use) as a by-product of gasification, with simultaneous sustainable land management and carbon sequestration benefits. He noted that a CDM market could make biochar widely available. View presentation >>

PYROLYSIS CHAR—LAND APPLICATION STUDY

Researchers: Julia Gaskin, jgaskin@engr.uga.edu
Larry Morris, lmorris@forestry.uga.edu

UGA researchers are studying the effects in the soil of char produced from two biomass feedstocks. Char produced from the pyrolysis of peanut hulls and pine chips was applied to soil at 5 and 10 ton per acre quantities in order to study the effects on plant growth.

Land application of pyrolysis char in small test plots, March 2006

There is evidence that biochar produced from the pyroloysis of biomass for energy production may function to enhance plant growth and sequester carbon in the soil. The University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department and Crop and Soil Sciences Department, along with the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, are conducting research to evaluate how biochar affects soil processes in the southeastern United States. Research indicates that biochar is a relatively stable form of carbon and that its incorporation into the soil could help provide a needed carbon sink to offset carbon dioxide emissions. A better understanding of how biochar may affect nutrient cycling and crop growth is needed to develop recommended rates for use.

In 2006, the University of Georgia began the first field trial of biochar in the United States at Tifton to evaluate how peanut hull and pinechip biochar would affect corn growth and the potential to sequester carbon. Char is being applied at 5 tons per acre and 10 tons per acre. Researchers will be evaluating differences in the amount of soil nutrients and carbon fractions in the soil along with changes in carbon dioxide efflux, plant growth, yields, and plant nutrient status. Preliminary results from the Tifton field trial indicate peanut hull biochar can supply potassium that is available for crops. Other research includes greenhouse studies with pine seedlings to evaluate the potential for biochar to increase water-holding capacity and its effect on pine growth in three benchmark soils.

View Poster: "Effect of Feedstock and Production Method on Pyrolysis Char Use As an Agricultural Soil Amendment"
Keith Harris, Julia Gaskin, Brian Bibens, Roger Hilten, and K.C. Das