What Is Biochar And How Can It Be Used
Biochar FAQ's
What is Biochar
Biochar is a form of carbon rich charcoal created through the intentional pyrolysis of organic materials such as wood ,manure and crop residues.
It is used mainly to improve soil health.It holds nutrients and moisture in the soil, extending the growing season of plants and increasing the amount of carbon dioxide they draw down from the atmosphere.
As the extra vegetation transpires it cools the adjacent atmosphere( think how nice it feels under the trees on a hot day) This helps to cool the planet —- then —- more vegetation induces more rain to fall, just what we need in the desertifying parts of the planet!
Whats the process to produce biochar?
Our Team Collects the Organic Matter
Using the funds donated we will employ local workers to collect unwanted organic matter such as tree prunings, hedge cuttings and weeds.
It’s Time to Burn
We will process the organic waste in our specialist locally made kilns, using the low oxygen, low emission process called pyrolysis.
The Biochar Is Born
When burned with minimal oxygen, the carbon in the organic material will be fixed as Biochar, minimising the emission of CO₂ to the atmosphere.
What Next for the Biochar?
The Biochar will be activated with a commercial microbial compound then sold and used in our products.
Is there any organic matter that cannot be turned into Biochar?
Any organic matter that is contaminated, for example ,with heavy metals can still be pyrolysed but this char would be used in building materials such as concrete production. It is beneficial for its strength to weight ratio and reduces the concretes environmental impact.
What happens to the profits from buying Burn My Footprint Biochar and Products?
We have mobile kilns, transport and ancillary equipment suitable for producing Biochar from local invasive weeds( great for reducing wildfire risk) or farmers and gardeners crop residues and tree prunings.
Your donation will be used to employ local workers to help collect this organic matter and create the Biochar.
Spreading the word on the global benefits of Biochar is a slow process ( most of you reading this will have only just heard about it). The Biochar will be returned to the land under the fruit trees of the farmers , mixed with the manure from the goat sheds! Even without your own land you can make a positive impact on the planet.
The more we return carbon to the soil the better.
We also make batches of Biochar which we keep clean enough to make the products we sell for domestic use, these are made using olive and almond tree prunings that we can be sure have not had any chemicals applied to them.
Buying gift for others will help spread the word, we don’t need profits we need a healthy planet !
Can we buy Biochar from Burn My Footprint?
We can supply biochar from our base in Lubrin, Spain (04271), Use the button below to contact us with your enquiry.
We sell a range of products Which utilize biochar inside and outside of the home. See our product section for more details.
How is organic matter turned into biochar
Biochar is created when organic matter is subjected to a process known as pyrolysis this process involves heating the materials in an oxygen limited environment, breaking them down into the chemical components and releasing gases and liquids that can be used as fuel. The remaining solid material is biochar which is primarily composed of carbon. When organic matter is burnt in an oxygen rich environment carbon dioxide is given off into the atmosphere, leaving only ash.
Biochar can be used in a variety of ways , from improving soil fertility [when mixed with essential microorganisms or manure] it provides the perfect home for microbes in the soil.It also holds moisture in the soil. Cleaning water through filtration and adsorbing odorous gasses are amongst its many other uses.
Can Burn My Footprint collect my organic matter to produce Biochar?
If you live locally to Lubrin, feel free to get in touch via our contact page. We can make arrangements to visit your site for on site processing of your unwanted organic matter into Biochar.
How does biochar help the planet?
Biochar is an incredible way to help the planet! Rather than releasing carbon into the atmosphere, it locks it away, capturing it in a solid structure instead of allowing it to pollute the environment. It is a cost-effective soil amendment that increases water retention in soil and makes a soil hold onto natural organic fertilizers. It boosts plant growth, reduces nutrient runoff, and even helps limit climate change! Talk about a win-win with the environment biochar is indeed the superhero of sustainable solutions
What are the benefits of biochar
The benefits of Biochar are multifarious and akin to having a super power!
Biochar helps to improve soil structure, increase the availability of nitrogen, and balances the nutrients in the soil; making it’s a great tool for improving soil fertility. Not only that, it can also be used to store carbon, helping to reduce environmental emissions and protect the planet; A superhero indeed!
Biochar is highly durable, with many studies showing that it can stay in the soil for centuries, effectively storing carbon , building deeper soils , supporting more growth of carbon fixing vegetation, thus providing ongoing benefits over time.
Why is biochar so valuable?
Instant CO₂ Removal
Planting trees is great but it takes time. When it comes to climate change time isn’t on our side. Producing Biochar is a fast way to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere.
What is Biochar?
Biochar is an amazing sponge that will hold (absorb) huge amounts of water.
Healthier Plants
Biochar supports healthy plant growth and encourages richer soil life to give plants that extra boost!
Better Soil
Plants like soil that has a nice, neutral pH. Biochar helps balance out soil that’s to acidic for plants to absorb nutrients.
Promotes Germination
Better soil means better germination, Biochar improves soil quality which in turn helps promote germination.
Bug Friendly
Biochar encourages microbes which help plants digest all the nutrients they need.
How Can Biochar Be Used?
Farming & Agriculture
Adding Biochar to soils improves their ability to hold onto water and provides great habitat for beneficial bacteria and fungi, which increase soil life and fertility. This helps to increase crop yields.
One way to do this is to feed the char (flavored with molasses) as a supplement to livestock. It helps their digestive system work better. Their intestinal microbes will populate the char before they add it to the fields for you!
Another way is to spread activated (see how we do this in the How it Works section) biochar directly onto the fields.
These methods of improving soil fertility are more natural than adding manufactured chemical fertilizers, which have been shown to be harmful to soil microbes and biodiversity.
Horticulture
Nurseries and garden centres can use biochar to replace peat in potting compost.
For those people who don’t want animal products to be used to grow their food, biochar can replace the use of manure in the soil.
Contamination
Biochar can be used to take up toxic materials (eg oil spills) and can then be incorporated into large infrastructure projects, for example mixed into the concrete for motorways, tunnels etc. Replacing some of the sand in the mix makes the concrete stronger.
Domestic Uses
Biochar will absorb moisture and reduce bad smells. Our small permeable bags of it can be used in your trainers, wardrobe, car, fridge etc. We can make pet beds to order and sell loose biochar for litter trays.
Climate Change Reduction
Wildfires can be reduced when Biochar is produced from crop residues, invasive weeds and forest undergrowth.
Biochar production helps keep Carbon on the ground, not in the atmosphere. One tonne of Biochar produced can prevent over three tones of Carbon Dioxide entering the atmosphere.
More vegetation for longer periods fixes even more carbon. This increases transpiration which, in turn, increases humidity thus keeping the planet cooler, Amazingly the additional humidity encourages more clouds to form and then more rain to fall!
