Carbon Negative Energy & Soil RestorationChristoph Steiner
Austrian Academy of ScienceUniversity of Bayreuth
Charcoal as Soil AmendmentResearch and Prospects
Cash crop farming
Irrigated horticulture lawn production
Terra Preta fertility
C. Steiner, UN climate change conference 2007; Bali – Indonesia, www.biochar.org
~50% of C remains as charcoal
Amazonia Slash and Char as Alternative to Slash and Burn
~2% of C remains as charcoalPhoto: Steve Welch
C. Steiner, UN climate change conference 2007; Bali – Indonesia, www.biochar.org
Biochar Research Terra Preta Nova
C. Steiner, UN climate change conference 2007; Bali – Indonesia, www.biochar.org
Biochar Research Terra Preta Nova
C. Steiner, UN climate change conference 2007; Bali – Indonesia, www.biochar.org
NPK fertilizer & charcoal NPK fertilizer without charcoal
Plants after 55 days
Research results, second harvest sorghum
C. Steiner, UN climate change conference 2007; Bali – Indonesia, www.biochar.org
Research results, increased N recovery
Steiner et al. (2008), J Plant Nutr Soil Sci, n=5, means and SE
Black carbon additions [Mg C ha-1]0 50 100 150 200P
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J. Lehmann and M Rondon (2006) Bio-Char Soil Management on Highly Weathered Soils in the Humid Tropics, In: Biological Approaches to Sustainable Soil Systems.
24 studies on Oxisol, Andosol, humid Tropics
Open symbols = unfertilizedfilled symbols = fertilized
Research results, increased productivity
Sieving
Charcoal Use in Agriculture (Biochar)
C. Steiner, UN climate change conference 2007; Bali – Indonesia, www.biochar.org
Terra Preta emerging products
C. Steiner, UN climate change conference 2007; Bali – Indonesia, www.biochar.org
Historic Biorefining pyrolysis
C. Steiner, UN climate change conference 2007; Bali – Indonesia, www.biochar.org
• No competition with food production
• Biomass burning is releasing 4-7 Pg of carbon per year(Goudriaan, 1995).
• Tropical forest conversion ~ 25 % of the net CO2 emissions (Palm, et al., 2004).
•These numbers emphasize the potential for C management if only biomass is utilized being ablaze each year.
www.biopact.com
Nature (2007), Vol 447
• Electrical and thermal energy
• Biochar
BestEnergies
C. Steiner, UN climate change conference 2007; Bali – Indonesia, www.biochar.org
• Feedlot Manure• Poultry Litter• Paper Sludge• Green Waste• Corn Trash
• Wood Waste• Rice Hulls• Distillers Grain • Switch Grass• Bagasse
• Straw• Pig Manure• Cotton Trash • Nut Shells• Woody weeds
BestEnergies feedstock variety
C. Steiner, UN climate change conference 2007; Bali – Indonesia, www.biochar.org
Agronomic Trials have been undertaken in collaboration with the NSW DPI and funding support from the NSW DECC.
BestEnergies agricultural trials
C. Steiner, UN climate change conference 2007; Bali – Indonesia, www.biochar.org
3a: Soil + Char70 cm
2a: Soil + NPK55 cm
4a: Soil + NPK Char
105 cm
1a: Soil only30 cm
BestEnergies agricultural trials
C. Steiner, UN climate change conference 2007; Bali – Indonesia, www.biochar.org
IRRI field trials
Rice-based systems produce about 112 Mt husks and 560 Mt straw annually
Bio-char trial in rainfed upland Bio-char trial in irrigated lowlands
Stephan Haefele, International rice research institute (IRRI)
Clean and efficient cooking biomass
Robert Flanagan, SAFFE
C. Steiner, UN climate change conference 2007; Bali – Indonesia, www.biochar.org
Corn cobs biomass/biochar
C. Steiner, UN climate change conference 2007; Bali – Indonesia, www.biochar.org
Robert Flanagan, SAFFE
Bamboo biomass/biochar
Robert Flanagan, SAFFE
C. Steiner, UN climate change conference 2007; Bali – Indonesia, www.biochar.org
+ BiocharNo Biochar
Field trials
Robert Flanagan, SAFFE
C. Steiner, UN climate change conference 2007; Bali – Indonesia, www.biochar.org
Implementation KANSO Technos
Pulp mill (Tanjung Enim Company) , 450,000 tons annual pulp production, Indonesia
Okimori, et al. (2003) Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change
Implementation KANSO Technos
Concession 290,000 haAcacia mangium 190,000 ha233,000 t/yr waste biomass for charcoal production
66, 000 t/yr charcoal
Okimori, et al. 2003
Implementation KANSO Technos
Control Fertilizer
Fertilizer + Charcoal
Okimori, et al. (2003) Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change
C. Steiner, UN climate change conference 2007; Bali – Indonesia, www.biochar.org
200 Mg per day
60-75% BioOil
15 – 20% Charcoal
10-20% Non-condensable gases
Dynamotive fast pyrolysis
Dynamotive 100 Mg waste sawdust
C. Steiner, UN climate change conference 2007; Bali – Indonesia, www.biochar.org
Bio-Oil
Hydrogen andFischer-Tropsch Diesel
Ammonia+ CO2 + Charcoal
Slow release N fertilizer
Biorefinery
Biomass
Stack emissions are convertedto carbon based fertilizer
Carbon and fertilizer back into fields
Vanillic AcidFurfuralAcetic AcidGuaiacolKetonesEthylcarbinolPhenol
University of Georgia – EPRIDABiorefinery / Carbon Cycling Initiative
University of Georgia – EPRIDABiorefinery / Carbon Cycling Initiative
Pre trials with 150 Mg (tons) of ambient pressure produced charcoal
Nikolaus Foidl
Desarrollos Agricolas Pre trials
Integrated Methane fluxes under field conditions in oxisols from South American Savannas
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Pasture Corn Native savanna
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- Charcoal + Charcoal
Reduced GHG emissions from soil
Marco A. Rondón, Juan A. Ramirez, Johannes Lehmann, USDA Symposium on C sequestration. Baltimore, March 24, 2005
Integrated nitrous oxide emissions in high fertility trenches
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Marco A. Rondón, Juan A. Ramirez, Johannes Lehmann, USDA Symposium on C sequestration. Baltimore, March 24, 2005
Reduced GHG emissions from soil
International Biochar Initiative highlights 2007
International Agrichar Initiative Conference, April 29 – Mai 2, Australia
New Zealand Government Investment Initiative –Climate Change Mitigation – Biochar
U.S. Senator Ken Salazar introduced “The Salazar Harvesting Energy Act of 2007”, focused on carbon-negative bioenergy production – “Biochar Legislation”
Carbon negative biofuels and biochar win UN World Environment Day Award, United Nations Association of Australia