Basics of Biochar

Biochar - a charcoal-like material formed from biomass waste (e.g., waste wood, manure, organic materials) cooked in an oxygen-free environment - is an ancient technology that has made a worldwide resurgence. Used as a soil amendment, biochar can address multiple objectives, such as increasing soil infiltration capacity, remediating contaminated and degraded landscapes, and sequestering atmospheric carbon. It is a versatile tool that communities can use to meet resiliency, stormwater, and water quality goals.
This presentation was partially funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Grant Program.
Disclaimer: The views and conclusions contained in this video are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the I.S. Government or the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and its funding sources. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Government, or the National Fish and Wildlife Foundations or its funding sources.
Statement: This material is based on work supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Assistance Agreement No. CB96358201) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund, which promotes community-based efforts to develop conservation strategies to protect and restore the diverse natural resources of the Chesapeake Bay.
Hosted by the Center for Watershed Protection (CWP), this training was presented by Carol Wong of CWP and Sam Dunlap of Carbon Harvest LLC. Carol is a Water Resources Engineer with CWP working on the “Scaling up Biochar” project in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. CWP in partnership with USBI and the University of Delaware are working to accelerate the rate and scale at which biochar amendments are applied in the urban landscape across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Sam Dunlap founded Carbon Harvest LLC in 2020 with the mission of creating soil amendment products that impact climate change by diverting waste, removing carbon from the atmosphere and using it to restore soils and healthy ecosystem functions. Sam stewarded the creation of the Cincinnati Biochar Project (CBP), which received a $400,000 grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies. His company was selected as the operator and manager for the CBP, which is slated to begin production in 2024.