How Is Biochar Made
How Is Biochar Made
How Is Biochar Made
Kiln Technology - Production techniques did not advance significantly for centuries ex-
cept to use kilns instead of earthen mounds. Kilns to produce char are built out of
dirt, bricks and even steel . But these kilns still emit a lot of particulates and smoke
including greenhouse gasses responsible for global climate disruption.
Capturing Energy – Today, biochar is produced using pyrolysis, that is, biomass is super-heated in
the absence of oxygen at high temperatures (350-700ºC) in specially designed furnaces. The
most sustainable feedstocks is are what’s now considered waste: excess manure, wood debris,
construction waste, slash from forest thinning, food processing waste, residue from methane
digesters or urban tree trimmings. Most of this would be left to rot, be open-burned or
dumped in a land fill.
In this modern method, volatile gases, hydrocarbons and most of the oxygen and hydrogen in
the biomass are burned or driven off and captured, including GHG’s. These captured emis-
sions are known as syngas (synthesis gas) and can be used like natural gas. Liquids, called bio-
oils, are also captured creating another source of energy, leaving carbon-enriched biochar. The
heat generated during the pyrolysis process can generate electricity too!
Biochar Production Today -- There are pyrolysis ovens for any need, from
camp stoves to industrial-sized units for creating electricity and heating
large buildings. Small stoves are being employed in third world countries
to reduce the smoke from open fires inside homes, more efficiently burn
materials and produce a soil amendment at the same time.
Japan, China and Australia innovated producing biochar in small pyrolysis ov-
ens like those on the left. Great for residential use, these units dispose of
waste, generate heat and power and produce biochar for the family garden.
Stoves bigger than these can be converted to mobile units and taken to the
biomass source saving on transportation costs when large amounts of bio-
mass are available periodically but not regularly in a specific location.