Biochar : A Sustainable Approach for Improving Plant Growth and Soil Properties
Biochar is one of the type of charcoal that is used as a soil amendment for both soil health benefits and carbon sequestration. Biochar is a stable solid and is rich in carbon; also, it can endure in soil up to thousands of years. Like most of the charcoal, biochar is also made from biomass through pyrolysis. Various research is going on biochar as a viable approach for carbon sequestration since it has the capabilities to help mitigate climate change and global warming. Biochar can increase soil fertility of acidic soils (low pH soils), increase agricultural productivity, and provide protection against some foliar and soil-borne diseases. By nature, biochar is hygroscopic. Hence, it is a desirable soil material in many locations due to its ability to attract and retain water. When biochar is used for energy production instead of a soil amendment, it can be directly substituted for other application that uses coal. Pyrolysis can also be the most cost-effective way of electricity generation from biomaterial.
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The biochar market has witnessed a significant growth owing to factors such as a wider application of biochar in electricity generation, agriculture & farming, forestry, and others. Increasing demand for various products in organic farming is one of the major factors influencing the growth of the biochar market. In addition to that, the growing use of biochar in the water treatment process is further anticipated to be another important growth factor supported by rising demand for water treatment facilities, particularly in emerging economies. However, factors such as high cost of the end product and lack of incentives & tax rebates may hamper the market growth for biochar in the near future. Nevertheless, with the steady growth in the agrochemical and agriculture industry, the market players have the opportunity to invest in the biochar market.
As a product, biochar differs from charcoal, which is produced at lower temperatures and considered as solid fuel, containing high quantity of volatile matter. Because of higher process temperatures, the chemical structure of biomass changes and content of hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen in biochar is significantly decreased in relation to carbon. In contrary to charcoal, biochar is also not phytotoxic.
Biochar is mainly used in agriculture to enhance soil fertility, improve plant growth, and provide crop nutrition. As a result, it improves the overall farming productivity. It has also gained considerable attention in livestock farming as an animal feed.
Key Company Profiles:
- Agri-Tech Producers
- Biochar Products
- Biochar Supreme
- Cool Planet Energy Systems
- Diacarbon Energy
- Earth Systems
- Pacific Pyrolysis
- Phoenix Energy
- The Biochar
- Vega Biofuels