I recently read this article on biochar in the Financial Times.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/67843ec0-020b-11de-8199-000077b07658.html

One optimistic estimate stated:
"According to some early estimates of biochar’s potential, this wonder substance alone could achieve all the carbon reductions necessary to prevent further global warming. Johannes Lehmann of Cornell University and others calculated that biochar could remove between 5.5 and 9.5 billion tonnes of carbon from the air each year."

Biochar could very well be the best strategy for carbon sequestration, especially in the short term.  When compared to the carbon sequestration technologies needed for coal and gas power plants, the biochar challenges appear much less daunting.

The article is in-depth and provides a great overview of biochar's history and ability to remove carbon from the atmosphere for hundreds of years, improve the soil fertility of impoverished agricultural areas, and even help to retain water.

The approach to biochar production focuses on pyrolysis, a form of controlled thermal decomposition of organic material in the absence of oxygen, at heats that can reach 500 to 600°C. 

"Using pyrolysis also allows the capture of the syngas and the tarry liquid byproducts, both of which can be used as fuel to generate electricity or for the heating process."

Interestingly, the article does not explore the use of algae as a potential input source for the pyrolysis processes.  Post a new comment