CarbonNet meeting

Wellington, September 24, 2009

THE NEW ZEALAND

BIOCHAR NETWORK

Marta Camps
Massey University
 1

1. How the NZ Biochar Network functions

2. Existing national and international

collaboration with soil carbon researchers

3. Biochar and biochar feedstocks related to

soil carbon accounting
1. How the NZ Biochar Network functions 2

Launched by Bill Dyck, with the support of:

http://www.landcorp.co.nz/home.aspx
 Objectives 3

1. Transfer knowledge on NZ biochar research and technology

developments to NZ stakeholders
 Objectives 4

2. Provide a mechanism to discuss biochar issues and stakeholder

needs with regard to the operational application of biochar

Self-ignition
Health

Laird (2008)

Air-particulate Irregular landscape

pollution, erosion
 First step of ... 5

Larger research and technology transfer initiative that will provide

solutions to the logistical and technical problems related to the
adoption of biochar technology in New Zealand

Sohi et al. (2009)

1st New Zealand Biochar Network Workshop 6
(organized by Bill Dyck)
11 February 2009

First announcement of 2nd NZBN Workshop

Temperature’s effect on liming

ability
Lime Equivalence (kg CaCO3 t-1)

Sewage
90.00 sludge
Corn Stover
80.00
70.00 Eucalyptus
60.00
50.00 Fresh Pine
40.00
30.00 Miscanthus
20.00
Old Pine
10.00
0.00 Old Poplar
0 100 200 300 400 500 600
Old Willow
Temperature (°C)
Biochar Seminars 7

(organised by Bill Dyck)

 Web page and Newsletters 8

(issued by Bill Dyck)

www.biochar.co.nz

The list of contacts now exceeds 100 individuals!!!!

 2. Existing national and international 9

collaboration with soil carbon researchers

Within New Zealand...

Surinder Saggar
Sewage sludge

Iris Vogeler
Harry Clark

Poplar prunings
Brent Clothier
Markus Deurer

Warren Dickinson Willow prunings

With Australia... 10
 11
With Europe and Australia ...

CSIC

Biomass
Volatile Agricultural and forestry
Compounds residues, grasses, etc Chemical
PYROLYZER

(Bioenergy) Products
C~50 C~40
C=100 C=100 PRESSURE
VESSEL

Water

C~50 C~60
Biochar
Biochar Hydrochar
Hydrochar

Biochar Process Hydrochar Process

Personal communication (A.B. Fuertes)

Rotatory drum kiln Pressure reactor

 12

C H O N O/C H/C ASH YIELD C fixed INITL ACIDI COOH PHENOLIC

(%) (%) (%) (%) (at.) (at.) (%) (%) (%) pH FpH GROUPS GROUPS
(mol kg-1) (mol kg-1)

FEEDSTOCK CORN 42.9 5.8 48.3 0.22 0.84 1.62 2.8 — — — — — —

STOVER

HYDROCHAR CORN 67.8 5.3 24.2 0.65 0.27 0.94 2.1 36 57 4.70 Non 0.07 0.37
STOVER Acid.

BIOCHAR CORN 74.3 2.7 11.4 0.78 0.12 0.43 10.8 28 46 9.89 5.50 0.04 0.30
STOVER

FEEDSTOCK EUCAL. 48.0 5.9 45.5 0.15 0.71 1.46 0.5 — — — — — —

HYDROCHAR EUCAL. 69.7 4.7 23.8 0.10 0.26 0.81 1.1 40 57 4.90 Non 0.09 0.48
acidif.

BIOCHAR EUCAL. 73.2 2.6 15.2 0.38 0.16 0.42 8.6 29 44 10.07 5.75 0.04 0.20
 13
With Europe... CSIC
 14
With Europe... 20

18

16
b

14

Cumulative K+ (%)
12

10

8 K+-control

6
K+-with HA
4

0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
weathering time (h)

2.5
d

Cumulative phosphate P (%)

2.0

1.5
Phosphate P-control

1.0
Phosphate P-with HA

0.5

0.0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
weathering time (h)

0.7 a
0.6

Cmulative ammonium N (%)

0.5

0.4
Ammonium N-control
0.3
Ammonium N-with HA
0.2

0.1

0.0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
weathering time (h)
 15

Absence of PAHs and PCBs!!!!

Quartz
Albite
Bassanite
Olivine
Counts
NZORIG.RD
1600 NZWATER.RD
NZHA.RD

900

400

100

0
10 20 30 40 50 60
Position [°2Theta]
3. Biochar and biochar feedstocks related to soil16
carbon accounting

Hydroponics.co.n
z
 Feedstock available 17

- Need to identify feedstocks with a tipping fee or zero cost that do

not compromise food and fibre or bioenergy production
- Most abundant feedstock in NZ:
- harvest from managed forest
- cereal straw and stover
- residues from wood processing (at present 75% used as bioenergy)

- Also, greenwaste, sewage sludge, animal waste

- Prunings from horticulture

- Location/transport need to
be considered

- Also, drying needs...

Ogama et al. (2006) Mitigation & Adaptation Strategies for Global

Change 11:429-444
 Feedstock available 18

Forest sector:
Wastes at harvest site:
Harvest will
increase to 30 106
m3 over the next
10 years

4 106 m3 go to
pulp industry

Source: NZ Forest Owners Association, FITEC

4 % of total recoverable volume,

left in forest

+ branches
+ bark (18 % of landing residues)

2005  2.15 Mt/yr

2030  5.06 Mt/yr
 Feedstock available 19

Forest sector (at processing site):

3.5 Mt/yr

0.8 Mt/yr

20%!! Residues
~5% bark

Source: NZFI

Bark is used for fuelling kilns and dryers at wood-processing plants

Also landscaping
 Feedstock available 20

Waste to landfill (2007-2008)

292,020 t/yr 743.324 t/yr

NZ is producing about 1.75 106 t of total organic waste (?)

About 50% of the timber waste is not treated
 Feedstock available 21

* The wood processing industry produces 3.5 Mt pa wood residue. It is already

directing residues to bioenergy production. This quantity is the remainder.
EnergyScape Basis Review: Section 3: Bioenergy Resources, June 2009

Source: Jim Jones

 22
How much can we add?

0.93 t/ha

David Laird

Day (2004)
 23
How much can we add?

Is not all about adding carbon to the soil...

 24
How much can be accounted for?
- Historic Russian soil collection
- Historically, steppe burned 1-3 y
- Steppe burning stopped ~ 1900
- Soils collected ~ 1900
- Soils resampled 1997, 2004

- Estimated soil black carbon turnover ranging

from 182 to 541 years (Hammes et al., 2008)

Less condensed BC structures were lost

Additional role of transport…

 25
How much can be accounted for?

Kleber and Keiluweit

Sharma et al. (2004)

Lehmann et al. (2005)

 How much can be accounted for? 26

tc

BCS (0)

BCS (100)

0 100 time (years)

- In the context of biochar-C storage as GHG mitigation activity, the

time horizon of interest is set at 100 years (the global warming potential
is integrated over 100 years for an equivalent amount of atmospheric
CO2)

-  for any amount of C stored away from the atmosphere for at least
this timeframe we can compute the GHG mitigation benefit
 How much can be accounted for? 27

Need to account for leakage...

Any increase in GHG emission resulting outside of the
project boundaries as a result of the implementation of a
project activity

Before project activity:

With project activity:

Example comparing charcoal and LGP
heating value and stove efficiency

Pigneri et al. (2009)

 28

THANK
THANK YOU!!!
YOU!!!

www.biochar.co.nz