From CNN.
Researchers at the University of Georgia are working on a project that could help absorb and sequester CO2 while simultaneously enhancing crop yields for farmers. The substance is called biochar and to hear research engineer Brian Biben discuss it, it seems this could be the next great discovery in agriculture.
Here’s how it breaks down (pardon the pun): Researchers load organic material (things like wood chips, peanut shells, etc.) into a container and then cook it at temperatures as high as 1,000 degrees fahrenheit. A thermochemical process called pyrolysis transforms the organic matter and after a few hours, what is left is a charcoal-like substance that can be used as renewable fuel or to enrich soil for agriculture.
A lot of researchers are focused on using biomass for renewable fuel, but at the University of Georgia, the renewable fuel generated is secondary to the creation of biochar. For agriculture, biochar could be something of a magic bullet, or as scientists are calling it, “black gold.”
“Its high carbon content and porous nature can help soil retain water, nutrients, protect soil microbes and ultimately increase crop yields…Biochar [also] helps clean the air two ways: by preventing rotting biomass from releasing harmful CO2 into the atmosphere, and by allowing plants to safely store CO2 they pull out of the air during photosynthysis. “
And now for the most interesting part of the story, biochar isn’t exactly “new.” The substance created by scientists at the University of Georgia, closely resembles what is known as terra preta (Portuguese for black earth), an extremely fertile soil found in the Amazon basin created centuries ago by the indigenous tribes of the area. Terra preta consists of half-burned wood and animal waste and is so rich that it has remained fertile for hundreds of years without the addition of any fertilizer.
