‘Biochar’, As a Solution to Climate Change..?
Biochar is charcoal made from wood, grass and other organic matter, and has the potential to help slow climate change. (Credit: iStockphoto/Don Nichols) (Credit: iStockphoto/Don Nichols)
A modern fix to the problem of global climate change has come in the form of biochar – a material that the Amazonian Indians used to enhance soil fertility centuries ago!
Amazonian Indian woman (Image via: National Geographic News)
Black magic?
It’s black and it must be capable of magic if it could make a dent on global climate change!
Biochar is charcoal made from wood, grass and other organic matter and has the potential to capture and sock away carbon that can otherwise end up in the atmosphere…
To be a little more precise…
Biochar is charcoal produced by heating wood, grass, cornstalks or other organic matter in the absence of oxygen. The heat drives off gases that can then be collected and burned to produce energy. It leaves behind charcoal rich in carbon.
Amazonian Indians and even modern day gardeners mix a combination of charcoal and organic matter into the soil to improve soil fertility.
Overall benefits?
Biochar has the potential to,
- Be an economically viable way of sequestering (permanently store) carbon
- Produce renewable energy
- Improve soil fertility
via: ScienceDaily
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