Carbon can be locked in the soil for hundreds of years.
The natural decomposition of plants leads to a large amount of carbon in the soil. However, this carbon is relatively unstable and highly susceptible to climate change. When changes like farming occur, the soil releases carbon dioxide. This makes them both carbon sources and carbon sinks. Therefore, the idea of using soil to lock in carbon is not at all attractive to climate scientists.
The difference between biochar and soil carbon sequestration is that biochar can stably lock in carbon for hundreds of years. The carbon elements within it are mineralized and difficult to decompose further. More importantly, in addition to its soil improvement functions, some by-products produced during its production process are highly economically attractive.
During the production process, approximately 1/3 is converted into biochar, 1/3 into syngas that can be used for power generation, and another 1/3 forms a crude oil substitute. Although this substitute cannot be used as transportation fuel, it can be used to manufacture plastics. Therefore, Tim Flannery, a renowned Australian explorer and naturalist, believes that these characteristics of biochar "allow us to simultaneously address three or four major crises: the climate change crisis, the energy crisis, and the food and water resource crises." Using biochar not only makes the soil fertile but also helps the soil retain moisture.
It can effectively reduce the carbon content in the air.
According to the Global Carbon Project, from 2000 to 2007, 54% of the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere by humans each year, approximately 4.8 billion tons, was absorbed by carbon sinks on land and in the ocean (such as forests and phytoplankton in the ocean). However, there are still approximately 4 billion tons of carbon remaining each year that we need to find ways to reduce or absorb. Furthermore, due to the warming of land and oceans, the absorption capacity of natural carbon sinks is decreasing, which means we either have to make greater efforts to reduce the carbon content in the air or stop emitting carbon into the air altogether.
