Tee Cee Tips

Dear Tee Cee,

What exactly is “biochar”? I see it for sale and talked about as a good thing. How is it made, and what do people do with it? It seems to be some sort of wood-burning process, so I don’t understand how that can be good for the environment.

— Laura

Dear Laura,

Biochar is essentially solid carbon chemically transformed from waste wood, which has been hailed as a climate and waste management solution. It’s used in many applications in regenerative agriculture including improving soil quality.

HOW BIOCHAR IS MADE >>

Waste wood, including trees that have been burned by wildfire or killed by beetles, old wooden telephone poles, etc., is used to create biochar. Wood waste is heated up to super-high temperatures in an oxygen-free kiln, which chemically transforms wood into nearly pure, solid carbon. This same process is used to make charcoal and activated carbon.

WHAT IT DOES >>

Biochar locks in carbon that would otherwise be released when trees and wood decompose. In fact, biochar production is considered “carbon negative” because the process captures more carbon than it produces. The carbon savings improve even more when the heat generated from production is used to warm greenhouses or other industrial spaces. A Berthoud-based company, Biocharnow, has been a leader in developing biochar production. Check out videos of their facility and process on Youtube and at biocharnow.com.

Biochar helps keep waste wood out of landfills, which is important because, like food scraps and yard trimmings, waste wood decomposes without oxygen (anaerobically) in landfills, which produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

HOW IT’S USED >> Like compost, biochar is often used as a soil amendment. On a microscopic level, beneficial microbes love to hang out in the tiny holes in biochar — it’s like a condo for microbes — creating a climate where they reproduce and help fertilize plants. Biochar is also used in soil remediation projects. For example, biochar can be used to clean up old mining sites by pulling heavy metals out of the ground. It is also sometimes mixed into concrete and asphalt as a “bio-filler.”

There’s still a lot of research that needs to be done to fully understand the value of biochar. For example, this year, Colorado legislators introduced House Bill 23-1069, which would study how biochar can be used to plug oil and gas wells instead of energy-intensive concrete. Unfortunately, this bill did not make it through this legislative session, but it shows that there is a lot of interest in this innovative product’s many beneficial uses.

— Tee Cee

If you want to learn more about the pros and cons of different recycling technologies or have other Zero Waste questions, call Eco-cycle at 303-4446634 or email recycle@ecocycle.org.