Biochar, soil, pyrolysis, carbon, and more

K. Thomas Klasson, Research Leader

U.S. Department of Agriculture,

Agricultural Research Service,

New Orleans, LA 70124

Biochar, soil, pyrolysis, carbon, and more…..

How much are we publishing ?

0.1

1

10

100

1000

1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014

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Since the first article was published in 2000

using the word “biochar,” the term has seen

exponential increase in its use with a

doubling rate of 1.3 years.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

USDA Agricultural Research Service

Cornell University

Chinese Academy of Sciences

University of Florida

Zhejiang University

Iowa State University

University of Edinburgh

University of New South Wales

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Nanjing Agricultural University

Who is publishing ?

USDA-ARS has a variety of activities that

contributes to the number of manuscripts

published. Not only do we work on

pyrolysis methods, we also have a strong

characterization program and

implementation focus.

Surprisingly many books on the topic

2010

2010

2011

2013

2009 2010 2012

2012

2013

2009

The first publications on “biochar”

2000

2001

The first publications on “biochar”

2001 2003

The first publications on “biochar”

1999

The first publications on “biochar”

1996

The first publications on “biochar”

1993

Bio-Char Inc., 1984-2002

What happened to Bio-Char Inc. ?

What happened to Bio-Char Inc. ?

Moral of the story:

Don’t try to sell BIOCHAR in Ajax

Advantages & Opportunities for Biochar

• Advantages

Good information about raw materials

Easy concept to accept

On the radar and in the news

Classification progress

• Opportunities

Stability

High cost and low value of carbon

Sustainability

• Benefits

Advantage − Biochar raw materials

“The purpose of this report is to determine whether the land

resources of the United States are capable of producing a

sustainable supply of biomass sufficient to displace 30

percent or more of the country’s present petroleum

consumption – the goal set by the Advisory Committee in

their vision for biomass technologies. Accomplishing this

goal would require approximately 1 billion dry tons of

biomass feedstock per year.”

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400

Total resourcepotential

Agriculturalresources

Forestresources

Million Dry Ton per Year

Advantage − Biochar raw materials update

“In addition to updating the 2005 study, this report attempts to

address a number of its shortcomings. Specifically, the

update provides:

• A spatial, county-by-county inventory of primary

feedstocks

• Price and available quantities (e.g., supply curves) for the

individual feedstocks

• A more rigorous treatment and modeling of resource

sustainability.”

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800

2012

2017

2022

2030

Milion Dry Tons per Year

Forestland resources

currently used

Forestland biomass & waste

resources potential

Agricultural resources

currently used

Agricultural biomass & waste

resources potential

Energy Crops

Advantage − Bioenergy KDF database

bioenergykdf.net

Champagne, IL

Population: 179,669

Sq.mi.: 999

Forest res.: 233

Crop res.: 607,233

Manure: 390

Urban wood res.: 19,288

Sec. mill res.: 290

Easy concept to accept (biochar for lands)

Burning of sugarcane fields to make

processing easier, kills off microorganisms

and keeps the soil rich.

The American Farmer 1(5): 144, 1845

The Plough, the Loom and the Anvil 3(8): 516, 1851

“We have the evidence upon almost every farm in the county

in which I live, of the effect of charcoal dust in increasing and

quickening vegetation. The spots where charcoal pits were

burned 20, and some say even 30 years since, still produce

better corn, wheat, oats, vegetables or grass, than the

adjoining lands.”

The Plough, the Loom and the Anvil 3(10):625-626, 1851

“My attention was first drawn to the influence of charcoal, by

the wonderful experiments of Baron Von Liebig, in the

propagation of plants, and the facility with which cutting were

rooted in this substance”

“As a medium for storing up the volatile portions of manure

and compost heaps, and for adsorbing the ammonia which

descends in the snow and rain, it has probably no superior.”

“…and I have yet to see the first instance where charcoal

formed a part of the compost, that vegetation did not grow

luxuriantly, producing the increasing and quickening effects

described by Mr. Trimble.”

1915

“…At that time the charcoal used was obtained from old pits

in the mountains.”

“The beds where this charcoal was used were so much better

than the other beds in the nursery that it seemed worth while

to determine just what the effect of pure charcoal might be,

and to compare the beds so treated with untreated beds, and

with beds treated with pit charcoal.”

The National Greenkeeper, Sept. 1929

“PERSONALLY, I have realized by using charcoal that it

helps to keep the surface of the putting greens in a good

porous condition so that when the player makes a good shot

to the putting green the ball will bite well and not bounce off

the green. We often create this condition by the use of

charcoal, especially where silt and clay loams predominate.

During the playing season, should it be a dry one, charcoal

helps to prevent the surface of the soil from baking and

cracking open, thus preventing the nitrogen gases from

escaping out of the soil. After a heavy rain or watering

charcoal expands, thus allowing more water to enter into the

subsoil. Charcoal also helps to make the surface of the

putting greens firm and porous. For illustration (and don't

think this is a fish story), a year ago in the early part of the

month of May our clubhouse was destroyed by fire. I had a

large practice green situated close to the clubhouse. A huge

fire engine drove across the middle of the green and it did not

destroy a square inch of sod. I have counted at least twenty

women with high heeled shoes walk across this green and

they never leave any evil effects. I have never raised a divot

on any of our short holes in two years and never have had a

single complaint. The chief cause of maintaining a good firm

surface I attribute to the liberal amount of charcoal in my

putting greens.”

On the radar and in the news

It does not hurt…

Advantage − Biochar classification/analysis

Total C, H, O

High (>80%), Medium (60-80%), Low (20-60%) C

Labile (and stabile C)

Dissolves in water, decomposes at 350°C, decomposes at 950°C

Element other than C, H, O

S and N from ultimate analysis, metals from ash dissolution

Surface area and pore-size distribution

Macropore/Micropore ratio

Cation-exchange capacity

Alternate absorption of ammonium and potassium

McShields Biochar Characterization Procedure

(1) Dry at 200°C, (2) pyrolysis at 450°C, (3) ash part of (2) at 550°C

(2)-(1) is mobile matter and (2)-(3) is resident matter

Determine C & N on (1) and (2). Assume Total – C = OH

Total ash, acid (5N HCl) soluble ash and non-soluble ash

Determined on (3) above

Absorption capacity

Capacity of R134a (gravimetric adsorption capacity scan) or butane

activity (ASTM 5742)

Feedstock

Biomass and diluents (<10%). <2% contaminants. No municipal solid

waste or hazardous waste.

Test Category A - Basic Utility Properties (required)

Particle size, moisture

Cinorg, Corg (Ctot-Cinorg), H, N, ash (H:Corg)

Electrical conductivity, pH/liming ability

Test Category B – Toxicant Reporting (required)

Germination Inhibition Assay

PAHs, Dioxin/Furan, PCBs, As, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Pb, Hg, Mo, Ni, Se, Zn,

B, Cl, Na

Test Category C – Advanced Analysis and Enhanced Soil Properties (optional)

Mineral N (ammonium & nitrate), P, K, Available P, Volatile Matter, Total

Surface Area, External Surface Area

Advantage − Biochar classification

Advantage − Long term stability is certain

Labile (and stabile C)

Dissolves in water, decomposes at 350°C, decomposes at 950°C

tk

tstabile

tk

tlabiletstabilelabile eCeCC

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Opportunity − To predict the future….of carbon

McShields Biochar Characterization Procedure

(1) Dry at 200°C, (2) pyrolysis at 450°C, (3) ash part of (2) at 550°C

(2)-(1) is mobile matter and (2)-(3) is resident matter

Determine C & N on (1) and (2). Assume Total – C = OH

Mobile is mobile, resident is stable

Test Category A - Basic Utility Properties (required)

Cinorg, Corg (Ctot-Cinorg), H, N, ash, (H:Corg)

H:Corg < 0.7

Opportunity − Predicting stability

94 biochars with varied fixed carbon, volatile matter, and ash content

H:Corg and O:Corg correlated very well with ash-free volatile matter

VM>80%afb = no C sequestration value

VM<80%afb & O:Corg >0.2 or H:Corg >0.4 = moderate C sequestration

VM<80%afb & O:Corg <0.2 or H:Corg <0.4 = high C sequestration

No indication of what “moderate” or “high” C sequestration was

Opportunity − Predicting stability

Edinburgh Stability Tool

Oxidation with H2O2 at 80°C predicts labile C that

will degrade in 50-250 years

The stabile C correlated well with Fixed C and O:C

$6,390/ton $7,950/ton $3,630/ton

$4,440/ton

$21,730/ton

Cost of biochar

Opportunity − Reduce the cost of biochar

Crop

Corn

Soybeans

Hay

Wheat

Cotton

Grain sorghum

Barley

Sunflower

Canola

M acres

87.4

76.1

56.3

49.0

9.4

5.0

3.2

1.8

1.7

$/acre

865

526

301

292

686

328

356

379

319

Biochar

1% in top 8 inches 25%

=13 tons/acre higher yield

$/acre

1,081

658

376

365

858

410

445

474

399

Biochar

35% yield

$60/dry ton biomass

Biomass $/acre

2,228

2,228

2,228

2,228

2,228

2,228

2,228

2,228

2,228

Recovery (yr)

10

17

30

31

13

27

25

24

28

Recovery (yr)

7

11

20

21

9

18

17

16

19

CO2 Credit

2.75 ton CO2e/ton char

$4/ton CO2e

Detail cost analysis

Fast pyrolysis require $58/ton CO2e

Slow pyrolysis require $71/ton CO2e

(base case $4/ton CO2e)

Dropped to $0.10/ton CO2e

from forecast $18/ton CO2e

Low value of carbon (credit)

Fast pyrolysis require $58/ton CO2e to be profitable

Slow pyrolysis require $71/ton CO2e to be profitable

(base case $4/ton CO2e)

$11/ton CO2e

$4.80/ton CO2e

Opportunity – Sustainability

Crop

Corn

Soybeans

Wheat

Cotton

Grain sorghum

Barley

Ton residue/acre

23.3

0.3

10.8

1.7

10.1

13.2

Ton SP Char/acre

8.1

0.1

3.8

0.6

3.5

4.6

Ton FP Char/acre

1.05

0.01

0.49

0.08

0.45

0.59

Application Rates (8”)

6.5 ton/acre = 0.5%

13 ton/acre = 1%

Biochar

35% yield for Slow P

4.5% yield for Fast P

Benefits − Final thoughts

“Plants thrive in powdered charcoal, and may be

brought to blossom and bear fruit if exposed to the

influence of the rain and the atmosphere; the

charcoal may be previously heated to redness.

Charcoal is the most “indifferent” and most

unchangeable substance known; it may be kept for

centuries without change, and is therefore, not

subject to decomposition. The only substances

which it can yield to plants are some salts, which it

contains, among which is silicate of potash.”

Justus Liebig, M.D., Ph.D., F.R.S., M.R.I.A.,

“Organic Chemistry and its Application to

Agriculture and Physiology,” p. 62, 1840.