Biochar is a type of charcoal that acts as a soil conditioner, helps plants grow, has agricultural uses and can be used for carbon capture and storage. Biochar is used as a soil amendment for two purposes – to improve plant health and to store carbon. It is predicted that at least 50% of the carbon in any piece of waste turned into biochar becomes stable, locking away that carbon for a period of several to hundreds of years, offsetting its contribution as a greenhouse gas in the form of carbon dioxide.

Raw material of biochar:

Biochar has been made from various feedstocks, including agricultural residues, wood waste, livestock wastes, and sewage sludge .

Features of bio charcoal:

1. Greater porosity & stronger adsorption: Biochar has a rich pore structure that provides it with a large specific surface area and excellent adsorption properties.
2. Alkalinity: Biochar is generally alkaline. This is very important for acidic soil amendment.
3. Good electrical conductivity: Charcoal is a good conductive material. It can transfer electrical energy efficiently in the electrolysis process.
4. Fixed carbon structure: The carbonaceous structure of biochar is so stable that it will not disappear for hundreds to thousands of years if buried in the ground.
5. High calorific value: Charcoal is produced from the biomass pyrolysis process. During this process, moisture and volatile organic matter are removed from the biomass, leaving behind a carbon-rich structure. This high carbon content causes the combustion of charcoal to release greater energy.

The application effect of biochar is similar to that of fertilizers. Both have the function of improving soil and enhancing soil fertilizer efficiency. The growth of crops is inseparable from soil, but due to the characteristics of the soil itself, there are stages in the cultivation of crops, that is, it needs to rest. During the rest period, it is difficult to play a good role in the growth of crops. In the past, there were two main ways to solve the problem, one is no-tillage and the other is composting. Although fertilizers can certainly play a role, they will dissipate over time, which leads to the situation that the soil improvement effect does not meet expectations. But biochar is different. It will not volatilize easily in the soil and can greatly increase the carbon content of the soil.