Biochar vs Hercules: Nothing is New; Everything is in a State of Flux

Hey, I'm glad you stopped by again.

It's high time you understood what Biochar is, so that you are able to distinguish it from what it is not. This, and subsequent blog posts will help enlighten you about the wonders of Biochar. 

You will be able to identify the difference between Biochar and charcoal (if there is any difference at all); the uniqueness of Biochar in our big and small world; structures and functions of Biochar; its production and applications; modifications; analysis; and what I am doing right now with this knowledge. In fact, you may get to know an encapsulated version of my daily and weekly endeavors in Grad School, as well as what drives me into exploring the wonders of the black substance. 

I am passionate about exposing you to something you will thank me later for. It was one of the great philosophers of antiquity who said, "nothing is static, everything is in a state of flux". This statement can serve as an addendum to the Ecclesiastic words of Solomon: "There is nothing new under the sun".

Take note of the two statements as we continue to explore the substance called Biochar. 

Biochar

            

                    What is Biochar?

It is a solid, carbonaceous, porous material, produced by the thermochemical conversion of biomass, at a relatively low temperature (usually less than 700°C), in an oxygen-depleted environment. It has the capability to sustainably sequester carbon, improve soil functions, and immobilize contaminants, while avoiding detrimental impacts on the wider environment, human and animal health.

Biochar and Origin

The origin of Biochar extends back to the pre-Columbian era when the ancient Amerindians (that is American Indian) communities in the Brazilian Amazon region first made dark earth soils called Terra Preta, through slash-and-char. These soils contain high carbon content (150g carbon/kg soil) compared to adjacent untreated soils (20-30g carbon/kg soil).

Biomass in Hearth

Imagine a community rich in fertile soil, hoarding her great many agricultural produce from an adjacent community proven to have a barren land. The produce only gets released on high demand and at a high cost. The hungry farmers find it hard to sleep one day, and challenge themselves to proffer solution to the sheer famine in the land. They keep on thinking daily as the produce received by the neighboring community are being consumed everyday by its citizenry. An unconventional and unprecedented wisdom becomes inspired over the long nights as they gather around a hearth, eating some fruits and sipping vinegar, and going inebriated after a long while. They begin to doze off, after having higher doses of drinks. Someone picks the fruit wastes and dumps it into the hearth, which has been then covered. The cock crows and all get up, and instinctively learn the hearth which was to be unearthed over the night was done otherwise. It is opened, and to their surprise, they find the carbonaceous, porous material, which they later bury in the soil with seeds of the fruit they have left over. The result is soil amendment; the fertilization of their soil beyond any natural, fertile soil.

It was Smith (1980) and Glasser (2000) who put forward the new idea of identifying black carbon (residues of incomplete combustion: Biochar) as a probable cause of, and a key factor in, sustainable and fertile soils.

Tell me what you have learnt from this blog post in the comment section below. 

Note: the italicized concept was fictionalized.