Advantages of Biochar

Biochar can be used as an organic amendment for soil that, although it has been used for a very long time, going back to its use in the Amazon basin 7,000 years ago, its use in modern agriculture is relatively new.

Biochar can be created by burning plant material using pyrolysis or burning wood residue products at very high heat with limited oxygen. The product created by burning wood using pyrolysis is different from burning wood in an open fire due to the lack of oxygen involved.

Pyrolysis produces a charcoal that maintains the plants cell structure and integrity, creating a highly porous, carbon-rich material, that not only acts as a sponge for water and nutrients, but also a catalyst to promote healthy soils.

Not all biochars are the same or the same quality. The behaviour of biochar in soils, however, is complex. Different biochars may react differently to the same environmental conditions – while at the same time, one type of biochar may react differently to different environmental conditions. Areas with low rainfall or nutrient-poor soils will most likely see the largest impact from addition of biochar.

Consistent use of Biochar can reverse soil degradation and therefore increase the possibility of creating sustainable food and fuel production in areas with severely depleted soils, scarce organic resources, and inadequate water and chemical fertilizer supplies. By making croplands more fertile for longer periods of time, biochar will therefore discourage deforestation.

The quality of the original plant material used will dictate the quality of the biochar produced. If you have a uniform product to begin with you will produce higher quality biochar, however if you have multiple different plant matter sources being used the resultant biochar may be not as good quality and may not produce the same crop improvement results. In the past this has led some people to believe biochar wasn’t as effective as claimed when in reality it is the quality of the biochar that is the issue.

Pyrolysis can be used as a value adding process by utilizing wood chips and other wood residue products from timber mills or even wood thinnings from plantations that would not otherwise be used productively.

As biochar acts as a stable carbon store which captures carbon from the atmosphere and locks it into the ground it makes it perfect for carbon sequestration. It has been shown to remain in the soil for thousands of years. This can give farmers another income source by engaging in the new carbon capture and storage economy and utilizing the growing carbon credit market. This has the result of helping to remove CO2 from the atmosphere and has the added benefit of reducing the carbon footprint of modern farming. 

Biochar can draw down carbon from the atmosphere into the soil and store it for hundreds to thousands of years.

Many people are currently doing research on Biochar and its effects in improving soil in farming and other crop trial situations both in Australia and around the world.

Wood Vinegar is a light brownish liquid that is produced by condensing the gasses left over from the pyrolysis process making biochar. It has a smokey smell and a PH ranging from 2 to 4 depending on the initial feedstock and pyrolysis process.

Due to the high quality of the feedstock and process used in the pyrolysis plant at GRIP our wood vinegar has a PH of 2 to 3. For most applications it is diluted depending on its intended use.

Wood Vinegar can contain over 200 organic compounds and increases the quality and quantity of soil microbes. It helps to regulate microbiological populations in soil and helps increase nutrient uptake through root systems. This will help to increase resistance to disease or other adverse conditions.

Wood vinegar is mainly used as a soil fertiliser, (particularly useful when combined with biochar) pesticide and herbicide, although it has many other uses as well, as can be seen in the image below.

Wood vinegar in a diluted form can be used to stimulate plant and vegetable growth, strengthens roots and leaves, produces thicker and stronger stems and improves absorption within the roots. It appears to work in a similar way to the way plants are encouraged to germinate after being in a bushfire.

Wood vinegar can be used to repel pests and insects and prevent plant infection from fungal, bacterial diseases and viruses. It is an excellent repellant to problems like cabbage moth that can decimate brassica crops in a very short period of time.

When utilising wood vinegar as a fertiliser you can reduce the use of synthetic fertilsers by 50%. It is an excellent adjunct for organic farmers.

Wood Vinegar can be used to replace Glyphosate (roundup).

As part of stage 2 of the project the excess heat will be captured using an ORC or Organic Rankin Cycle Engine to be used to dry timber and heat water onsite and used in the new Radial laminating plant. The heat can also be used in co-located greenhouses or run through a turbine to create electricity.