Interest grows in biochar's potential

摘要

Biochar is formed when natural organic material is heated in the absence of oxygen — a process called pyrolysis. It is biologically and chemically stable, due to its structure, and in some cases can remain in soil for hundreds of thousands of years.It is important to note that not all biochar is the same. Its chemical and physical properties depend on the type of material used as feedstock and the pyrolysis process conditions. Variations in temperature and time during pyrolysis affect the resultant biochar. The feedstock may be any organic material — crop waste, wood chips, municipal waste or manure — and that makes a difference to the final biochar.