Esin Apaydin Varol

Opportunities and Uses of Biochar on Forest Sites in North America

Biochar may be useful for restoring or revitalizing degraded forest soils and help with carbon sequestration, nutrient leaching losses, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, biochar is not currently widely used on forested lands across North America. This chapter provides an overview of several biochar experiments conducted in North America and discusses the feasibility of using in-woods mobile pyrolysis systems to convert excess forest biomass into biochar. Biochar may be applied to forest sites in order to positively influence soil properties (nutrient leaching, water holding capacity), but its biggest benefit may be in facilitating reforestation of degraded or contaminated sites, and in sequestering carbon in soils. The majority of data on biochar applications on forest sites focus on seedling responses and short-term impacts on nutrients, soil physical properties and microbial changes. Long-term field research is necessary to determine water use, carbon sequestration, nutrient use, and greenhouse gas emissions, and the subsequent alteration of forest growth and stand dynamics.

Biochar: A Regional Supply Chain Approach in View of Climate Change Mitigation

Biochar systems are designed to meet four related primary objectives: improve soils, manage waste, generate renewable energy, and mitigate climate change. Supply chain models provide a holistic framework for examining biochar systems with an emphasis on product life cycle and end use. Drawing on concepts in supply chain management and engineering, this chapter presents biochar as a manufactured product with a wide range of feedstocks, production technologies, and end use options. Supply chain segments are discussed in detail using diverse examples from agriculture, forestry and other sectors that cut across different scales of production and socioeconomic environments. Particular attention is focused on the environmental impacts of different production and logistics functions, and the relationship between supply chain management and life cycle assessment. The connections between biochar supply chains and those of various co-products, substitute products, and final products are examined from economic and environmental perspectives. For individuals, organizations, and broad associations connected by biochar supply and demand, achieving biochar’s potential benefits efficiently will hinge on understanding, organizing, and managing information, resources and materials across the supply chain, moving biochar from a nascent to an established industry.

Life Cycle Analysis of Biochar

1 All products including bioproducts have an impact on the environment by consuming resources 2 and releasing emissions during their production. Biochar has received considerable attention 3 because of its potential to sequester carbon in soil while enhancing productivity. In addition, 4 using a renewable source of feedstock to make the biochar is more likely to be sustainable. In 5 this chapter, we discuss the environmental impacts of producing biochar using a holistic method 6 called life-cycle assessment (LCA) or more generally life-cycle analysis. LCA is an internationally 7 accepted method that can calculate greenhouse gas (GHG) and other emissions for part or all of 8 a product life cycle. One huge benefit is that LCA provides metrics to compare alternative 9 substitutable products. For example, using the metrics estimated from a LCA study such as 10 impacts of climate change for a new and current product, LCA outcomes can show which 11 product has less impact on the environment and human health and is more likely to be 12 sustainable. LCA can be thought of as an approach similar to financial accounting but instead 13 focused on the environment. Generally, the following chapter will show how LCA can assess 14 impacts of the entire supply chain associated with all steps of the biochar system, from biomass 15 harvesting to soil amendment with a focus on the biomass thermochemical conversion step. 16 Specifically, a description of how the LCA method was developed and is used will be shown in 17 the context of biochar production. Conducting LCA can capture many direct and indirect effects 18 from the production of fuels and materials used in product production. We will also describe a 19 new advanced pyrolysis technology developed in the United States and used to process waste 20 woody biomass, thus exploring biochar LCA from a forestry perspective. Therefore, this chapter 21 will present LCA mostly from a forestry perspective, although agricultural activities will be 22 discussed. The new pyrolysis technology produces biochar, along with synthesis gas, and we 23 will discuss its environmental performance based on the LCA research conducted so far. 24 25