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Home , Biochar

Biochar for mitigation: the role of industry Hailong Wang Scion

• A Crown Research Institute of New Zealand

• New Zealand Forest Research Institute Limited

• Based in Rotorua, Christchurch, Wellington,

Auckland and Dunedin Outline

• Introduction • & C sequestration • Forest residues for biochar • Biochar to forest • Research needs • The NZ biochar scenario Global Cycle (Billions of Tonnes Carbon) NZ Gross CO2 Equivalent Emissions > 70 million t/yr

http://www.med.govt.nz/templates/ContentTopicSummary____23719.aspx Pathways for mitigating GHG emission in NZ • Development of • Growing more forests  Carbon forests Using biochar for C sequestration – carbon negative!

Source: Lehmann, Vol. 447 p144 (10 May 2007). To achieve the C negative goal using biochar:

• Biochar has to be lasting in soil, and • Biochar has to be produced from that would otherwise have oxidised in the short to medium term.

Photo: P. Hall NZ biochar feedstock potential - dry t/yr ¾ potentially available biomass are from forests

Municipal soild waste, putrescible 204000, 4% Municipal biosolids 73000, 2% Fruit and vegetable culls 113600, 2% Forest residues Straw 500000, 10% easily accessible 1210000, 25%

Municipal waste 260000, 5%

Wood processing residues without markets Forest residues 399500, 8% hard to access 748000, 16%

Wood processing residues with markets 1250500, 27%

Source: Hall & Shrubsole 2009 Forests are the key for successful implementation of using biochar to sequester C in NZ

Biomass Gas/energy focus focus

Feedstock Dry t/yr C in Char, t C in Char, t

Forestry residues 3,608,000 613,360 847,880

2,251,031 3,111,720 t/CO2e

Other biomass total 1,196,950 231,685 270,167

850,282 991,512 t/CO2e

Source: Hall & Shrubsole 2009 Benefits of adding biochar to soil

• Increase C sequestration • Increase crop yields • Increase retention of nutrients • Increase mineral nutrition (e.g. K) • Increase retention of chemicals

Photo: P. Hall e.g., biochar addition improved soil adsorption of herbicide terbuthylazine (TA) (Wang et al. 2010)

Control (soil only) Soil + 1% biochar Other effects of adding biochar to soil

• Increase soil biological activities  Liming effect  Enhance moisture retention  Increase porosity - aeration  Increase soil temperature • It may stimulate decomposition, and reduce the net biochar C sequestration, especially in soils rich in SOC, e.g., NZ pasture soils Current research on biochar

• Nearly all studies conducted in agricultural soils • Little work on applying biochar to forest soils

Photo: P. Hall Advantages of applying biochar to forest soils

• Low C footprint: on-site production and application with minimal transportation • Flexibility  surface application: potentially high loading rates, or  incorporation into soil, and  Nursery application Research needs

• Effect of biochar production and application on the of forest soil ecosystems, e.g., fungi, birds • Maximising the GHG mitigation effects through biochar addition to the forest soils e.g., biochar may increase mycorrhizal fungi growth

Biochar provides a living ecosystem

Ogawa Kansai Environmental My hypothesis: Biochar in forest soil: Biochar–mycorrhizae↑– bacteria↓– more C↑↑↑↑

•Native soil C No •Biochar C •Biomass C •Mycorrhizal C •Glomalin •Soil OM

Charcoal

Mycorrhiza formation Ogawa on Dipterocarps root Kansai Environmental Summary

• Plantation forests provide an ideal platform for mitigation of GHG emission

 Direct C sequestration: Woody biomass production

. Already recognised as C credits in ETS

 Soil C sequestration

 Supply of most abundant feedstock for biochar production

 Additional C sequestration by storing biochar in soil

• However, it is a challenging opportunity due to lack of research A New Zealand biochar scenario

• Mobile unit operation in newly harvested forests

• On-site pyrolysis of forest residues

for powering the process – energy self-sufficient

 Bio-oil for offsite refining

 Biochar returned to forest soils (or nearby agricultural land)

• Biochar in forest soil – more mycorrhizal fungi – less SOC decomposition – more efficient nutrient use – healthier – higher growth rate – more C sequestration in the forests Photo: P. Hall

Photo: P. Hall