Biochar: forgotten agricultural nostrum
What is biochar?
The new multifunctional products are in good request nowadays. One of such innovations is Biochar. This type of charcoal is manufactured using the low-temperature continuous pyrolysis equipment. The raw material for the recycling process is biomass (agricultural and other biological waste).
Biochar origins (Terra Preta)
Spain сonquistadors were the first who noticed the fertile soil of the Amazon basin area in XVI century. They were believed that they had seen prosperous fruitful city in the dense jungles of South America, called “El Dorado” by Francisco de Orellana. The next European expedition took place 100 years later. However, the investigators did not found any approvals of mythological El dorado existence.
In ХХ century the exploring of Peru, Eсuador and Brazil area was continued. The content of the fertile soil, which wasn’t typical for Jungle, attracted attention of Dutch scientists. The native Indians called this phenomenon Terra Preta (“black soil” in Portuguese). The pedologists were deeply impressed that this soil was fecund without any fertilizing. The local Indians have recognized advantage property of this topsoil: it is able to regenerate. The collected 20 cm layer of the topsoil renewed in 20 years (1 cm per year).
The results of chemical analysis presented that Terra Preta content is equal to yellow and red soils content, which are situated at few metres, but absolutely unfriendly to plant growth. The only difference was charcoal content (10-30%), which appeared in the soil near 2000 years ago. This fact improved the hypothesis of Terra Preta anthropogeniс origin and confirmed the conquistadors’ notes. The total area of Terra Preta in South America is equal to the area of modern France. The scientists suppose that near 3 million Amazon basin people survived owing to Terra Preta.
At the end of the 20th century researchers investigated the soil heritage of the Indians of South America and determined the content of carbonized, but not completely burned, organic residues at the molecular level. This substance provides the soil nutrients, maintains moisture content and mineral balance, required for plant growth. It remains naturally and enhances productivity over time. The Ancient Indians manufactured the bio char prototype using incomplete waste incineration technology inside the mud stoves at low temperature. The season cloudbursts did not wash the output products out of the soil, as the ash (product of high-temperature combustion). Also, the first bio char didn’t spoil the selva as the non-treated biomass.
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