biochar

Pack your fruits and vegetables in a biochar box, double their shelf life then compost the boxes with the leftovers and make Terra Preta in your backyard. Biochar paper and cardboard might become the most influential invention to mitigate climate change while reducing organic residues sent to landfills.

A simple but ingenious invention finally allows each farmer and gardener, everywhere in the world, to produce for themselves a sufficient quantity of high quality biochar. With reasonable investment and some know-how of the charmaker’s craft, farmers can produce in one afternoon a cubic meter of high quality biochar. This democratization of biochar production will be a key strategy to closing the agricultural...

Biochar, a highly porous material produced from plant waste, is mostly used in agriculture as a soil conditioner, in livestock farming as a feed supplement, and in metalworking as a reducing agent. It can also be used for cleaning "grey water", as an absorber in sports clothing, in batteries and many other uses (see 55 Uses of Biochar). The latest developments at the Ithaka Institute are now focusing on its use as a...

Biochar is one of the oldest soil amendments in the history of agriculture. However, with the advent of modern agro-chemistry, the agronomic value of biochar got rapidly into oblivion. Only lately, when biochar got into focus as climate mitigation strategy, it’s function as soil amendment and nutrient carrier was rediscovered. All the more its fascinating to see that at the onset of modern agricultural chemistry in...

Switzerland has become the first country in Europe to officially approve the use of certified biochar in agriculture, with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture issuing its approval on 23 April 2013. In it, the Ithaka Institute is given responsibility for controlling biochar quality and the sustainability of its production.

The effect a wine cellar's climate has on the quality and complexity of a wine has up to now been greatly underestimated. Only now are we beginning to realise that decisive factors for a good wine are not just temperature, but also humidity. As a result, the Delinat Institute has developed a new form of plaster made of biochar and clay, with which an optimal cellar climate for the production of natural wines can be...

Initially only used in agriculture, the range of uses for biochar now covers a wide range of different fields, giving this plant-based raw material the chance to make the most of its positive properties. Wherever biochar is specifically used even for industrial purposes, the carbon taken from the atmosphere in the form of CO2 can be stored for long periods or at least used to replace fossil carbon sources.

90% of the biochar produced in Europe is used in livestock farming. Whether mixed with feed, added to litter or used in the treatment of slurry, the positive effect of biochar very quickly becomes apparent. The health - and consequently the well-being - of the livestock improve within just a short space of time. As regards nasty smells and nutrient losses, the use of biochar could even herald a new age of livestock...

The current imbalance in the world's carbon and nitrogen cycle is not just the main cause of climate change, but also a direct threat to ecosystems through eutrophication, desertification and a decline in biodiversity. Re-balancing through regularly recycling organic material with its carbon, nitrogen and phosphor content is needed. Biochar has the potential to play a key role, as it not only converts the carbon...

Over the last two years more than 200 hobby gardeners took part in a biochar trial coordinated by the Delinat Institute. Different sorts of vegetables were planted on two 10 m² garden plots, the one with compost only and the other with compost and biochar. The analysis of the results showed very interesting differences, once again underlining the importance of specifically applying biochar.

The introduction of the European Biochar Certificate is a milestone in the use of biochar in agriculture. Biochars produced under the certificate's guidelines fulfil all production criteria regarding the environment and climate protection. The product guarantee provided by the certificate covers the ecological supply of biomasses used for the production of the biochar and the latter’s compliance with government...

The poultry industry is struggling more and more with livestock disease. Often this can be traced back to microbial pathogens and ammonia in the litter. The addition of highly porous biochar can serve to reduce toxic ammonia pollution in the coops and regulate the moisture level of the litter. The biting coop odour and foot pad dermatitis in the poultry can be prevented within just a few days. If biochar is included...

In 2011, several new field-scale experiments with biochar in vineyards were set up by the Delinat Institute. In addition to the institute's own site in Valais (Switzerland), long-term field experiments were also undertaken in three representative vineyards in France, Spain and Italy. The primary aim was to investigate the influence of biochar on vine growth and grape quality under various climatic and soil...

The secret of Terra Preta lies not solely in its use of biochar, but rather in a societal system that has internalized the importance of closed nutrient cycles in nature. Only by means of conscious recycling of all accumulating waste matter could the otherwise nutrient poor tropical soils allow for population densities which exceed present-day Bangladesh, the Netherlands or Japan.

One of our oldest preconceptions is that a cowshed inevitably stinks. But the pungent odour of liquid manure is first and foremost the sign of a microbial decomposition process that has gone out of control. That which stinks to high heaven is not only an offence to delicate citizens’ noses but above all a source of disease for the animals living there. Thanks to biochar and to the control of the microbial...

Viticulture is becoming the pioneering culture for biochar research. Biochar has been applied to many large-scale viticulture experiments across Europe this spring. After the first large-scale and long term experiments at the Delinat Institute in 2007-08, expectations are high. The latest results confirm these expectations and also show that only scientifically sound experiments will lead to conclusive information...

Biochar is not a fertilizer, but rather a nutrient carrier and a habitat for microorganisms. First of all, biochar needs to be charged to become biologically active in order to efficiently utilize its soil-enhancing properties. There are numerous methods of activating and producing substrates similar to terra preta aside from mixing biochar with compost.

In early 2010 the Delinat Institute invited 500 gardeners to participate in a large-scale experiment on the use of biochar. In the meantime, there are some results. Although the average yields were slightly higher, there were considerable variations between sites and cultures. Biochar is not a fertilizer, but a long-acting soil conditioner. It is, therefore, expected that more reliable conclusions can be drawn at...

In order to unleash the huge environmental potential of biochar, quality and environmental standards are urgently needed. The Biochar Science Network (BCSN) has therefore developed a discussion paper for the certification of biochar for organic farming purposes.

On Friday the 16th April 2010, the first industrial biochar facility of Europe went in Lausanne (CH) into production. The biochar is produced from urban lop, grape pomace, wood, miscanthus and other suitable biomasse. The biochar production is guaranteed climate-positive and free from eco-toxicological substances. The high quality biomasses are pyrolysed at 400 to 550°C to come up with particularly effective...

With soil depletion in vineyards often reaching extreme dimensions, the use of biochar seems a very promising way forward. Two years ago the Delinat Institute started the first large-scale biochar experiment in Europe. The results come not only as surprise for sceptics, but also far exceed the expectations of optimists.

Climate farming is an ecologically sustainable master plan for agriculture, whose future role is not limited to food production but will also include climate protection, fostering of biodiversity, and landscaping, as well as generation of energy and raw materials. These different functions are inseparably intertwined, having their common basis especially in the furtherance of biodiversity and the equilibration of...