Biochar valuable farm process, but carbon benefit depends on source

Converting wastes such as chicken manure into biochar holds benefits for farmers, as soil is enriched, heat energy is produced and carbon is stored underground. Biochar is created by heating and charring biomass- things such as manure, yard waste and crop residue.

Johannes Lehmann, soil scientist at Cornell University, hopes that adoption of biochar by small farmers will expand local, sustainable agriculture operations. In addition to soil revitalization, charring biomass instead of burning causes soils to retain more carbon that would have been released into the atmosphere.

However, Lehmann stresses that not all biochar systems are equal, and they vary in the amount of carbon that can be stored depending on what biochar is made of and how it is produced.

Full story: EarthSky