Biochar is a type of charcoal used as a soil amendment that helps plant growth and can be applied to agricultural uses as well as carbon capture and storage, unlike traditional charcoal used for fuel.
Like regular charcoal, biochar is a product of biomass pyrolysis, and its main component is carbon molecules. Scientists became interested in biochar due to research on Amazonian dark earth. In Japan, the use of biochar in agriculture has a long history.
In recent years, due to the impact of climate change caused by the emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane, scientists have begun to focus on the use of biochar because it helps capture and remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere through biochar sequestration, converting them into a very stable form and storing them in the soil for thousands of years.
In addition, the use of biochar can increase agricultural productivity by 20%, purify water, and help reduce the use of chemical fertilizers.
