Biochar
OVERVIEW COPY TEXT
Definition
Technical
Crystal
Biochar is considered to be the most stable form of organic carbon existing in the terrestrial environment[1].
Cavity
Historical
Archaic
Revival
Production
Feedstocks
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How To
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Application
Carbon Sequestration
Biochar has been identified as a key means of sequestering (removing and storing) carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into the Earth's soil. A group of scientists published in Nature in 2019 identified Biochar as the negative emissions technology "at the highest technology readiness level."[1] According to their research, the global carbon sequestration potential of biochar (when also using potassium as a low-concentration additive) is over 2.6 billion tons of CO2/year.[1]
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Soil Amendment
As a soil amendment, Biochar is the simplest way to increase long-term soil organic carbon content in a form which can endure for thousands of years, as seen in the Amazonian Black Earth.
Additional benefits of Biochar for soil include improved soil texture, nutrient retention, cation exchange capacity,[2] water retention,[3] and microorganism habitat.[4]
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Feed Additive
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Water Filter
Charcoal has been a part of water treatment for at least 4000 years.[2] Biochar’s incredible porosity and surface area give it a high capacity to adsorb a wide variety of contaminants from water.[3]
Laboratory testing shows that biochar can effectively reduce contaminants including:
• Heavy metals like lead, copper, zinc, cadmium, cobalt, and nickel;
• Organics such as gasoline compounds and other volatile organics, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and some herbicides, pesticides and pharmaceuticals;
• Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biological oxygen demand (BOD);
• Nutrients such as phosphorus and ammonia;
• Totals suspended solids (TSS).[4]
A 2019 study in the Journal of Environmental Management Found that wastewater treatment using biochar in modified sand filters would be able to achieve a similar level of effectiveness in "significant microbe removal" and "reduce the land requirement for implementation of biochar in treatment facilities," helping overcome a "major constraint" to wastewater treatment on farms.[5]
How To
Video: https://youtu.be/kazEAzGWuIc
Manual: http://www.aqsolutions.org/images/2010/06/water-system-handbook.pdf
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Insulation
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Supercapacitor
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Asphalt
Ink
Paper
Plastic
Sources
[1] <https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-41953-0>
[2] <https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/11/3211/pdf>
[3] <https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2015.00733/full>