Biochar is a carbon rich product of biomass pyrolysis, a process where biological material is exposed to high temperatures, in the absence of oxygen, to cause the decomposition of that material into various chemical and physical components. By going through this process, biochar can be a valuable soil additive and a carbon sink with a high potential to take up a wide variety of contaminants (through absorption or adsorption).
The influence of ageing processes on biochar properties are still the subject of intense research. To investigate the effect of ageing on biochar properties, in October 2015 soil samples were collected at an agricultural field site that was treated with biochar in March 2011. The black particles in the soil in this photograph are biochar. To learn more about this research, find the full publication of this study here.
Description by Gabriel Sigmund, modified from imaggeo.egu.eu.
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