Biochar Product Applications Don Harfield, P.Eng., P.M.P Retired - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Biochar

Product Applications

Don Harfield, P.Eng., P.M.P Retired

Vegreville, Alberta

Presentation to the AROWRN Conference Camrose, Alberta – June 14, 2017

What is Biochar?

 Biochar is a carbon-rich solid produced by pyrolysis of

biomass under partial or complete exclusion of

• xygen. The process converts carbon in biomass into

‘recalcitrant’ carbon which resists degradation and can sequester carbon in soil for centuries.

 Biochar is identical to charcoal, except it is primarily

used for soil amendment purposes. However, it has myriads of applications like cleaning water, reducing

• dor, adsorbing toxic pollutants on soil to name a

few.

Biochar: Carbon-rich solid produced by low-temperature (450 to 550º C) pyrolysis of biomass under partial or complete exclusion of oxygen.

How Do You Make Biochar?

Where Can We Use Biochar ?

 Greenhouse/Hydroponic Growth Media  Agricultural Soil Amelioration  Horticultural Soil Amendment  Slow Release Fertilizers  Biochar Product Blends

Biochar Sawdust Biochar at 60 tons/ha Solonetzic soil

Biochar Quality Guidelines

Biochar* IBI1 EBC2 BQM3 General Characteristics Organic Carbon Content  10 wt.%  50 wt.%  10 wt.% H:Corg  0.7  0.7  0.7 Classification Criteria Organic Carbon Contaminants Contaminants Classes Class 1:  60 wt.% Class 2:  30 wt.% and < 60 wt.% Class 3:  10 wt.% and < 30 wt.% Premium grade Basic grade High grade Standard grade Toxicants PAHs 6 – 20 mg/kg 4 mg/kg 12 mg/kg  20 mg/kg  20 mg/kg Dioxins/Furans 9 ng/kg (I-TEQ) 20 ng/kg (I- TEQ OMS) 20 ng/kg (I- TEQ OMS) 20 ng/kg 20 ng/kg PCBs 0.2 – 0.5 mg/kg 0.2 mg/kg 0.2 mg/kg 0.5 mg/kg I-TEQ 0.5 mg/kg I- TEQ Metals (mg/kg) As 12 - 100

• 10

100 Cd 1.4 - 39 1 1.5 3 39 Cr 64 -1200 80 90 15 100 Cu 63 -1500 100 100 40 1500 Pb 70 - 500 120 150 60 500 Hg 1 - 17 1 1 1 17 Mo 5 - 20

• 10

75 Ni 47 - 600 30 50 10 600 Se 1 - 36

• 5

100 Zn 200 - 7000 400 400 150 2800 *All the parameters shown are in terms of dry weight basis (db)

• 1. IBI Biochar Standards - International Biochar Initiative (IBI)
• 2. European Biochar Certificate (EBC) – European Biochar Foundation (EBF)
• 3. Biochar Quality Mandate (BQM) – British Biochar Foundation (BBF)

Biochar Quality Guidelines

Biochar Characterization

 Basic Analyses

 Proximate (moisture, volatiles, fixed C, Ash)  Ultimate (C, H, N, O, and S)  Heating Value

 Toxicity Analyses

 Germination Inhibition Assay  Earthworm Avoidance Test  PAHs/Dioxins/Heavy Metals

 Advanced Analyses

 Morphological Analyses (surface area, porosity)  Carbon Stability (Aging Effects)

Carbon Stability - Biochar

CFIA Approval

 CFIA considers ‘Biochar’ as a supplement under

the Federal Fertilizer Act and requires specific registration prior to sale/import or prior to environmental release in Canada.

 Air Terra in collaboration with InnoTech Alberta

pioneered Biochar Registration with CFIA in Canada

 Air Terra Biochar approved December 2015  Titan Clean Energy Biochar application in process  CFIA non-compliance could result in product

detention and prosecution.

Federal Regulations - CFIA

Air Terra Biochar - Specifications

Biochar Average Result Air Terra Product

• Min. Guarantee
• Max. Allowable

Concentration Proximate Analyses wt.% dry basis (db)

Volatile Matter 8.5 % Ash 6.7 %  25 % Fixed Carbon 84.8 %  70 % IBI Class 1 (> 60 %)*

Ultimate Analyses wt.% (db)

C 84.56 % H 0.68 % O 7.84 % N 0.22 % S

Atomic Ratios

H/C 0.1 IBI guidelines* require biochar H/Corg ratio ≤ 0.7 O/C 0.07 Biochar with O/C atomic ratio < 0.2, have an estimated half-life (T1/2) > 1000 year [Carbon Management 2010, 1, 289]

Toxicity Bio-Assay

Germination Rate 100 % Radish seed germination rate in biochar relative to quartz sand control

Toxicants

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - PAHs 1.6 mg/kg < 20 mg/kg IBI guideline* Dioxins Not detected < 9 ng/kg IBI guideline* Furans Not detected < 9 ng/kg IBI guideline* Poly Chlorinated Biphenyls - PCBs Not detected < 0.5 mg/kg IBI guideline* Heavy Metals Within max. allowable conc. Below CFIA T-4-093 standard threshold

CFIA Labelling – Air Terra Example

Research Support at InnoTech Alberta

• Lab Scale Product Development and Analyses
• Pilot Scale Production
• Demonstration Scale Biochar Units
• Client Systems Testing & Optimization
• Field Trials and Crop Evaluation

Biochar Composting Trial - Harfield

CFIA Approved Biochar Compost Feedstock with Biochar

Biochar Commercial Applications

 High Value – Low to Medium Volume

 Functionalized Biochars  Activated Carbon Replacement  Filter Media (industrial water clean-up, ie oil sands tailings)  Mercury/Sulfur Capture  Inoculant Carriers

 Low Value – High Volume

 Soil Amendment and Fertilizer Carrying Agents  Growth Media  Land Reclamation/Remediation  Lake De-eutrophication  Potting Mixes (Commercial & Retail)

Quality Control Considerations

 Feedstock Quality

 Unprocessed

 Agricultural Residue  Forestry Residues  Livestock Residues

 Processed (Non Compliance with Regulations

 Treated Wood (Railway Ties, Preserved Wood)  Construction & Demolition Wood  MSW/Refuse Derived Fuel

 Process Variability

 Temperature  Retention Time  Rate of Heating  Post Treatment

Economic Considerations

 Biochar

 Market price $ 500 - $ 1,000 / tonne (dry basis)  Increasing Product Availability (Canada, US)  Markets Being Developed

 Activated Carbons

 Market price $2000 + / tonne  Well defined product quality  Well established market and applications

 Functionalized Biochar

 Alternatives to Activated Carbons

Soil Considerations

 Need for Improving Our Soils

 Soil Degradation - Carbon & Organic Matter Depletion  Soil Removal for Land Development  Industrially Damaged Soils

 “Bringing Our Soil Back to Life”*

 Minimal Soil Disturbance – No-Till Planting  Grow Cover Crops After Harvesting – Reduce Carbon Loss  Rotate Crops – Restore Soil & Reduce Pests



*From “Growing a Revolution – Bringing Our Soil Back to Life” by Dr. David R. Montgomery, 2017

Biochar Application Rates

 Determine Existing Carbon Content

 Soils Testing – Carbon & Organic Matter Content  Compare to Desired Levels & Neighboring Lands

 Consult With Agronomist

 InnoTech Alberta – Vegreville  Alberta Agriculture  Agricultural College

 Soil Organic Carbon Content in Soils

 Desert – Less than 0.5%  Upland Soils – 0.5% to 3%  Typical Target – 5 to 10%  Organic Soils – Greater than 12 to 18%  Terra Preta Soils – Greater than 50%

Biochar Conditioning

 Best Results After Conditioning

 Charging Biochar with Plant Nutrients  Innoculating with Living Organisms

 Biochar Can Be Added During Planting Stage

 Best to Pre-Condition Before Adding to Soil  Pre-Conditioning with Manure or Compost  Further Additions for Permanent Plantings

 Living Soil

 Soil Microbes in Topsoil and at Root Surfaces  Innoculating Soil with Conditioned Biochar

Accelerates Beneficial Mycorrhizal Structures

 Microbes Need Decomposed Organic Matter  Compost and Manure are Excellent Microbe Sources

Carbon Sequestration

 Biochar is Carbon Negative

 Carbon Sequestration by Photosynthesis  Fossil Fuels Add Carbon Dioxide and Other GHG  Biomass Fuels (Combustion) Are Carbon Neutral  Sustainable Biochar Systems can be Carbon

Negative

 Biochar Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide

 Biochar is Partially Combusted (Pyrolysis) Biomass  Net Carbon Sequestration of 25% from Atmosphere  Converting Biomass to Biochar Can Also Avoid CO2

and CH4 Emissions Due to Natural Decomposition

 Biochar Can Remain Sequestered for Hundreds or

Thousands of Years

Carbon Sequestration

Website Source: International Biochar Initiative

Other Beneficial Pyrolysis Applications

▪ Conversion of Crumb Rubber ▪ Reduction in Landfill Volumes ▪ Energy Densification (Biocarbon) ▪ Pyrolysis Oil (Liquid Fuels) ▪ Bio-Oil (Green Phenols Based Glues) ▪ Gasification Syngas (Conversion to Methanol)

Sources of Biochar & Biocarbon

 *Air Terra - http://www.airterra.ca/  *Titan Clean Energy - https://www.titan-projects.com/  BC Biocarbon - https://www.bcbiocarbon.com/  Diacarbon - http://www.diacarbon.com/  Cool Planet - http://www.coolplanet.com/

 *Note – CFIA approved biochar is required for soil amendments

intended for food production in Canada



Air Terra – Soil Matrix (CFIA Approved)



Titan Clean Energy – Mayan Gold (CFIA Application in Process)

Suggested Reading Resources

Reference Books:

 Biochar for Environmental Management, 2nd Edition, Routledge,

2015

 Geotherapy, CRC Press, 2015  Biochar Production, Characterization and Applications, CRC Press, 2015  The Biochar Solution, New Society Publishers, 2010  The Biochar Debate, Chelsea Green Publishing, 2009  The Biochar Revolution, Global Publishing, 2010  Terra Preta, Greystone Books, 2016  Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations,  Growing a Revolution – Bringing Our Soil Back to Life, W.W. Norton

& Company 2017

Suggested Website Resources

Internet Websites:



Biochar Basics - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biochar



IBI - http://www.biochar-international.org/



USBI - http://biochar-us.org/biochar-org/



ABI - http://albertabiochar.ca/



Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations (Dr. David Montgomery) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr8QuXWj3o0



UN Global Assessment of Soil Degradation - http://www.isric.org/projects/global-assessment-human-induced-soil- degradation-glasod



Soil Organic Carbon - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_carbon



Conditioning Biochars - http://www.terra- char.com/uploads/2/3/7/9/23790961/composting_with_biochar.pdf



Climate Change - http://www.biochar- international.org/biochar/carbon

Thank You!

Don Harfield, P.Eng., P.M.P. Retired Vegreville, Alberta Cell/Text: (780) 632-1717 Email: don.harfield@telus.net

Biochar Product Applications Presentation