Biochar - Environmental Sensitivity and Climate Mitigation
By Norman T. Baker, PhD
Biochar is part of the future of sustainability for our environment, culture and a circular economy. Quality biochar is nothing more than charcoal made from wood at about 450°C to as much as 900 C. About 30% of wood can be made into biochar. Other things like crop waste (e.g. rice hulls) or manure can also be made into biochar. Biochar has enormous potential for our culture and economy, including diverse things like water filtration, the absorption of electromagnetic energy, construction of buildings, uses in clothing and electronics, air decontamination, pesticide remediation, heavy metal adsorption, use in medicines, sewage treatment, a catalyst for hydrogen production, green roofs, cleaning up drinking water, replacing coal in energy plants, etc. After creating biochar through pyrolysis, the remaining 70% of the wood is a complex mixture of gases, called woodgas and oils, called synoils. The woodgas can be modified and used as a replacement for gasoline and the synoils can be used in diesel engines. Both will be a significant part of our future for clean renewable energy. In the graphic below, notice how climate change, renewable energy and soils and agriculture are all interdependent and how one simply flows circularly into another to mitigate climate change, improve crops, reduce pollutants and help solve environmental problems. Hopefully, biochar is implemented before an environmental disaster or climate change makes the Earth less habitable. It will clearly make an enormous contribution to creating a circular economy, an organic agriculture and an environmentally cleaner future.
From: Bano, A., Aziz, M. K., Prasad, B., Ravi, R., Shah, M. P., Lins, P. V. D. S., ... & Prasad, K. S. (2025). The multifaceted power of biochar: A review on its role in pollution control, sustainable agriculture, and circular economy. Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590182625000049
Although there is considerable corporate and entrepreneurial interest in supplying biochar to the consumer, high quality biochar can also be made at home and farm for organic food production and other uses. Research shows woody waste from our forests and landscapes, which is normally simply burned or composted can be used sustainably to make biochar and solve several problems in our society simply because these applications all operate synergistically. The biggest barrier to implementing biochar is the sheer volume and cost of industrially made biochar. This alone prevents farmers from using and realizing the benefits. The other problem is that it takes about 5-7 years for the biochar and the soil microbiome to age properly and create that soil fertility that makes biochar well known. Real soil fertility does not happen overnight like most people hope. It takes time, proper management and a healthy natural environment for that to happen.
Most of the interest around biochar is in soil incorporation. There are two reasons for this. First, it has the potential to restore depleted agricultural soils and to enhance organic agricultural productivity. This includes crop production enhancement, greenhouse gas reduction, water holding capacity, greater fertilizer efficiency, heavy metal remediation and pesticide degradation in contaminated soils. Second and simultaneously, biochar has a half-life of thousands of years in the soil. In terms of carbon sequestration to fight global warming, this is essentially forever. Every pound of biochar incorporated into this soil sequesters 2.6- 3.0 pounds of CO2 from our atmosphere. People often ask if common cooking charcoal can be used in place of biochar. Charcoal for cooking, biochar, activated charcoal are all different chemically and biochar is the only one that should be used in the soil. All growers, farmers and environmentalists should start learning about and using biochar. You will soon learn that biochar is a win-win-win-win-win-win-win-win for crops, environmental sensitivity, permaculture, climate change, personal nutrition, soil quality, water retention and economic and labor efficiency. This is especially true if the reader learns as much as they can about biochar. You will be in “over your head” immediately when you start reading. Just keep learning how to make it and manage it properly for all of its uses and benefits. Of course, the benefits of biochar are completely in concert with almost all other environmental causes.
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Internet Sources – Books, websites and blogs that have three or five stars are especially recommended for people new to biochar. Many more books on biochar are available commercially.
Bruges, James. (2009) The Biochar Debate. Charcoal’s Potential to Reverse Climate Change and Build Soil Fertility. Chelsea Green Publishing. White River Junction, Vermont. www.chelseagreen.com 119 pages.
*** Taylor, Paul (2010) The Biochar Revolution. Transforming Agriculture & Environment. Published by global publishing group. www.globalpublishinggroup.com.au 360 pages. This book is recommended for a good introduction to the topic.
***Bates, Albert (2010) The Biochar Solution. Carbon Farming and Climate Change. New Society Publishers. www.newsociety.com 208 pages.
*Lehmann, Johannes and Stephen in Joseph (editors). (2009, 2015, 2024). Biochar Environmental Management Science and Technology. Earthscan. Dunston house, London, UK. Very academic in nature and with almost complete coverage.
Ladygina, N and F. Rineau (2013) Biochar and Soil Biota. CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group 270 pages.
*** Pieplow, H., and H. Schmidt, K. Draper (2016) Terra Preta. How the World’s Most Fertile Soil Can Help Reverse Climate Change and Reduce World Hunger. With Instructions on How to Make the Soil at Home. Greystone Books. 210 pages.
*** Tindall, R., F. Apfel-Marglin, D. Shear (2017) Sacred Soil. Biochar in the Regeneration of the Earth. North Atlantic Books. 238 pages.
*****Bates, A and K. Draper (2018) BURN. Using Fire to Cool the Earth. Chelsea Green Publishing. Vermont. www.chelseagreen.com 297 pages
***Cox, J. (2019) Gardening with Biochar. Supercharge Your Soil with Bio Activated Charcoal. Storey Publishing. 128 pp.
*****Wilson, K., (2024) The Biochar Handbook. A Practical Guide to Making and Using Bioactivated Charcoal. Chelsea Green Publishing. 279pp. Ms. Wilson also has several hands-on publications using and making biochar on her website.
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Websites and Discussion Groups on Biochar
International Biochar Initiative - http://www.biochar-international.org
***U.S. Biochar Initiative - http://www.biochar-us.org/
*****Biochar Discussion List Website - http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/Making_BioChar
National Geographic - http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/09/soil/mann-text/8
Aprovecho Research Center - http://www.aprovecho.org/lab/home
***Wikipedia (Biochar) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biochar
*****Biochar Today https://biochartoday.com/ In-depth reports of recent current research. (You really should subscribe).
The Biochar Journal – newly created in 2013 - http://biochar-journal.org/en/home
Very good videos that explain biochar and its use in organic food production. www.livingwebfarms.org
The Promise of Biochar – Johannes Lehmann - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wLaSQGyuIA
Biochar: The Oldest New Thing You've Never Heard Of - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0YNFn9Dloc&t=422s
Josiah Hunt - TEDxHilo Biochar and the Future of Farming https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWbomZJn83U
***Mineral Balancing and Organic Gardening – www.growabundant.com and use Logan Labs for soil tests.
***CARBON-SMART NUTRICULTURE. Healthy Soil grows Healthy Food for Healthy Families. http://nutriculture.org/
About Biochar. Sonoma Biochar Initiative. https://sonomabiocharinitiative.org/about-biochar/
Wilson Biochar https://wilsonbiochar.com/resources
You Tube videos are available by the dozen on a huge range of biochar subjects. Some are actually useful.
For further information about Biochar and the North Olympic Group of Sierra Club, contact Norman Baker,
360-809-3551, ntbakerphd@gmail.com Below are examples from our garden.
