Using biochar: 12 countries are able to sequester more than 20% of greenhouse gas emissions

Weather of Arabia - It is believed that the potential global production of biochar reaches 510 million metric tons of carbon annually, and carbonaceous coal is capable of mitigating the effects of climate change, and therefore countries that possess this reserve are also able to fight climate change and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, so how that?

What is biochar?

Biological charcoal is a type of charcoal, which is produced from natural organic materials such as wood, twigs and other plant waste by a process called carbonization or pyrolysis. Biochar is characterized by its high carbon content and is usually lower in other organic matters such as water and ash.

Biochar is used for several things. It is used in cooking and heating operations, as well as in the manufacture of activated carbon, which is used in water purification, air purification, and other fields.

Biochar is also a better renewable material than traditional fossil-based coal, as it can be produced from renewable plant sources. The use of biochar is an environmental and economic way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce dependence on fossil coal.

Biochar and greenhouse gas emissions

The use of biochar would reduce the proportion of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, with the increasing pace of climate change, scientists are warning of the need to take urgent measures to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

12 countries are able to sequester more than 20% of total greenhouse gas emissions

New maps have revealed areas where residues from crops can be used sustainably to produce biochar. Made using a high-resolution global dataset, these maps are the first of their kind to highlight crop residues.

The research results indicate that there are 12 countries that have the technical capacity to sequester more than 20% of total current greenhouse gas emissions by converting crop residues into biochar. Bhutan tops the list with its ability to sequester 68% of its emissions using biochar, followed by India with 53%.

The research, titled “Carbon sequestration potential of biochar from crop residues: a spatially explicit global assessment,” was published in the journal GCB Bioenergy.

The use of fossil fuels is not enough at the moment

“We are entering an unprecedented era in which rapid and deep reductions in the use of fossil fuels will not be sufficient to avoid serious harm to humans and ecosystems as a result of climate change,” said study co-author Dominic Wolff, a senior researcher at Harvard University.

“We also need to get rid of excess carbon dioxide,” added Wolf, who works in the School of Integrative Plant Sciences, a department of soil and crop sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “Making biochar from crop residues is one of the few tools we have that can "It helps achieve this on a large scale without the need for competition over land."

Biochar contributes to improving soil fertility and promoting plant growth, and also provides a way to extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. When added to soil, biochar absorbs carbon and traps it in the soil for centuries.

Producing more biochar will protect the environment

The study showed that in theory, if the total amount of crop residue produced by agriculture globally were converted to biochar, a maximum of 1 billion metric tons of carbon per year would be sequestered, with three-quarters of this carbon still being sequestered a hundred years later. This means that this measure would be enough to offset about 80% of total greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.

“Even when considering constraints on sustainable harvesting and competitive use of crop residues, such as their use as livestock feed, the potential for biochar production at both global and local levels is about half that amount,” Wolf said.

When these constraints are taken into account, the potential global production of biochar is approximately 510 million metric tons of carbon per year, with approximately 360 million metric tons remaining sequestered after a hundred years.

“High-resolution maps of crop residue production and biochar sequestration will provide valuable insights and contribute to supporting decision-making regarding biochar production and investment in biochar production capabilities,” Wolf noted.

Source: greenfue