Starting from char
by Erica Grossman

Thousands of years ago, native Amazonians helped to build fertile land in and throughout pockets of South America. By taking their own organic waste and burning it at very low-oxygen levels, they created what is known as terra preta (Portuguese for “black earth”), a rich, blackened substance that could be mixed with soil. Today, some scientists and industries are looking to reintroduce this ancient method to modern agriculture through the use of biochar, a modern version of terra preta that has the potential to revitalize several of our earth’s systems, including agriculture, carbon and heat.

The creation of biochar requires a few steps. First, one must find a sustainably produced organic waste, known as biomass (think: residual matter from forest fires and crop harvests). Then, that biomass must go through pyrolysis, a method in which it is chemically broken down into a condensed substance through heating. The heat applied requires extremely low oxygen levels, with a reaction that produces solid carbon. The result is a charcoal-like substance that can be combined with soil.

“A good way to think about this would be if you used a wood stove,” says Jonah Levine, a dual-appointed research faculty member in the University of Colorado’s Department of Electrical Engineering and the Center for Energy and Environmental Security. “If you used a wood stove, you could get your fire going to where it’s really hot. Then, you just turn off all the air vents to it. If you open it up three hours later, you would have a big pile of unburnt black carbon, and that’s a really simple version of what folks are trying to do now.”

The folks Levine is referring to are organizations like Biochar Engineering Corp. in Golden, Colo., and Mantria Industries, whose sales and marketing teams call Boulder home. These companies are helping to pave the global biochar initiative.

But what can biochar actually do for people?

When returned to the soil, biochar can aid in greater crop yields through increased water holding capacity, neutralized pH levels in the soil, and the sequestering of carbon. In addition, throughout the process of the creation of biochar, a heating or energy stream can be produced. Many believe that this combined potential could promote not just a carbon-neutral but a carbon-negative approach toward heating and agriculture, replacing less sustainable systems like the commonly practiced slash-and-burn method. The carbon-negative effect occurs when biochar is buried and integrated with soil.

“I definitely think we can become carbon-negative and that we can have a carbon-negative system,” says Levine. “But we need to be very careful about how we calculate that.”

Levine warns that it’s very important to consider the entire process of creating biochar out of biomass, and to ensure a correct system before touting it as carbon-negative. But, he notes, the people in the current biochar community are working very hard to ensure that the biomass used is sustainable, and the process is tight.

Companies like Mantria Industries, makers of a biochar called EternaGreen™, look to both the small- and big-picture benefits. They make biochar bags as small as 25 pounds for consumers to begin adding to their personal gardens, but also are on the forefront of large-scale biochar production that seeks to aid developing nations.

“When you see how many of these developing nations are using millions and millions of tons of coal every year just for heating and cooking, it’s overwhelming,” says Josie Dembiczak, a marketing associate with Mantria Industries. “Oftentimes they have depleted their soils to the point where their main exports aren’t doing much for their country anymore. But incorporating a biochar system could actually promote jobs and crop yields, provide a heating and cooking source, and help rid them of waste.”

Biochar Engineering Corp. is also working toward a triad goal of solving the issues of climate change, soil fertility and energy through the promotion of a unit that can be purchased by farmers and anyone interested in biochar production. Additionally, the company has been working with agencies like the Bureau of Land Management to address local forestry issues.

“One of the purposes of the [B-1000 biochar] unit is to provide a clean alternative to controlled burns for managing pine beetle kill, as well as routine fuel-load management at the wildland-urban interface,” says BEC President Jim Fournier.

But whether it promotes local gardening, forestry protection or large-scale farming ventures, the potential for the biochar industry to take a global stronghold is a potent possibility, and one that Colorado companies are pushing forward.

“This is a tangible answer to global warming and food security issues,” says Dembiczak. “Reversing the damage we’ve done to the planet and decelerating the carbon cycle is a truly amazing concept. So much so that we really believe that biochar can change the world.”

For more information on Biochar Engineering Corp., call 303-279-3776, or visit www.biocharengineering.com.
For more information on EternaGreen™ and Mantria Industries, call 610-617-4455, or visit www.mantria.com.