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Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research

Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research

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Project • ARCP2009-12NSY-Karve

Biochar for Carbon Reduction, Sustainable Agriculture and Soil Management (BIOCHARM)

Biochar is a charcoal-like solid that can be created from most types of organic matter. It is of interest, inter alia, as a long-term carbon store and for its agronomic properties. While there has been much discussion of biochar as a sustainable strategy in developing countries, there have as yet been very few detailed case studies from feedstock to field deployment. In this project, the project team has explored the use of carbonised rice husks (CRHs) which are the by-product from small- to medium-sized (150-300 kW) gasifiers located in rice mills utilising rice husks as the fuel as well as use of char produced from sugarcane leaf litter and maize cobs using up draft gasifier kilns. The project presents original field trials results using CRHs and sugarcane trash and corn cob char. It aims to evaluate systems of feedstock-energy conversion technologies and agricultural use of biochar.