BIOCHAR
- ENVIRONMENT
News:
What is Biochar and Why
Do We Need It?
What's
in the news?
●
Biochar has the remarkable potential to absorb up to 3 billion tonnes of CO2e every
year, which is roughly 6% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Biochar:
●
Biochar is a solid product obtained during the pyrolysis of biomass.
●
It is a porous, carbon-rich material.
●
It is not a singular product with specific
chemical and physical attributes. Instead, it encompasses a wide range of black
carbon forms
Significance
of Biochar:
1.
Carbon Sequestration Potential of Biochar:
●
It refers to capturing carbon dioxide from
the atmosphere and keeping it locked away in the soil.
●
In agriculture, biochar is primarily used
to increase crop nutrition, plant growth and soil fertility.
●
An animal feed, it has attracted a lot of
interest in livestock farming.
2.
Remedy for Ground Water Pollution:
●
Modified biochar showed fluoride
adsorption at neutral pH and reduced concentrations less than the WHO
permissible limit for drinking purposes.
●
Biochar can also be applied in varying saline environments, like coastal
areas, to reduce fluoride concentrations from groundwater, depending on pH and
salt strengths.
●
Biochar-based adsorbents showed more
potential for defluoridation than chemical-based sorbents.
3.
Improves Soil Health:
●
Biochar can also be used as a soil conditioner by improving soil
fertility, enhancing nutrient retention and increasing soil organic matter.
●
It can also reduce soil acidity and improve water retention, which can be
particularly beneficial in areas of the Indo-Gangetic plains that face drought
or water scarcity.
4.
Reduce Stubble burning:
●
Biochar facilitates sustainable crop
residues management. This will reduce air pollution as well as ensure income
for farmers.
●
Broadly, biochar is implemented in greenhouse gas mitigation, heavy metals
immobilisation and removal of other toxic pollutants from contaminated soil
and water.
●
Biochar pyrolysed from crop residue helps
in sustainable crop residue management and climate change mitigation, achieving
circular economy and sustainable development goals.
Go
back to basics:
Pyrolysis:
●
It is the heating of an organic material,
such as biomass, in low or no oxygen.
●
In simple terms, Pyloriasation is the
thermal decomposition of materials at elevated temperatures in an inert
atmosphere.