Charcoal, or biochar, has been determined to be a key ingredient in the Terra Preta of Brazil. Terra Preta is man – made, super – rich soil found in the Amazon basin of South America. Ancient peoples created these soils through slash and char methods. Slash and char differs from slash and burn in that the vegetation is not burned completely.
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Studies on Amazonian soils with added charcoal showed dramatic improvement in crop production. According to Scott Bidstrup in Saving the Planet While Saving the Farm, the charcoal creates a haven for bacteria which live in symbiosis with root hairs of plants. The bacteria release minerals from the charcoal and the plant roots release enzymes to the bacteria. As well, the bacteria are able to remove trace minerals from rainwater and make them available to plants.
In many cases, charcoal is a waste product. Many homes have wood burning stoves, which produce a waste product of ash and charcoal. This charcoal is perfectly acceptable to add to garden soil. Weeds which have gone to seed, tree and shrub trimmings, and fall leaves can all be burned to create charcoal or biochar.
Charcoal is created by burning biomass (vegetation) in an atmosphere lacking oxygen. To do this at home, gather up waste vegetation and safely set it afire. Let it burn until the smoke starts to thin. At this point, the oxygen supply must be cut off. This can be done by covering with soil. If the biomass is within a container such as a barrel, place a lid on the barrel at this point.
Let the vegetation smolder over night, and by morning, charcoal and ash should be all that is left.
One of the best ways to use charcoal is to burn it where it is going to be used. Dig a small pit or trench, fill with waste vegetation, and burn. Soil and compost can then be added and the area is ready for planting.
Some studies show that pulverizing the biochar makes it more beneficial to the soil. As well, adding ample compost ensures that nutrients are available immediately to plants and microorganisms.
Creating biochar actually sequesters carbon. This means that the charcoal locks up carbon from the environment. By contrast, rotting vegetation releases carbon into the atmosphere. When carbon is sequestered via charcoal, plants then draw carbon out of the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide and remove more carbon than is released. For details on this process, see A Handful of Carbon.
Why sequester carbon? Because carbon sequestration combats global warming. If done on a large scale, pyrolysis (creation of charcoal) could not only increase the productivity of soils, but help offset fossil fuel emissions.
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