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The science does not meet the hype. > Our review shows there are not enough data to draw conclusions about how biochar production and application affect whole-
by brandmeyer 5y ago
The science does not meet the hype.
> Our review shows there are not enough data to draw conclusions about how biochar production and application affect whole-system GHG budgets. Wide-ranging estimates of a key variable, biochar stability in situ, likely result from diverse environmental conditions, feedstocks, and study designs. There are even fewer data about the extent to which biochar stimulates decomposition of soil organic matter or affects non-CO2 GHG emissions. Identifying conditions where biochar amendments yield favorable GHG budgets requires a systematic field research program. Finally, evaluating biochar's suitability as a climate mitigation strategy requires comparing its effects with alternative uses of biomass and considering GHG budgets over both long and short time scales.
From https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0075932 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal...
- jasonlaramburu 5y agoThat paper is from 2013. The science has advanced substantially since then.
- mr_overalls 5y agoSeveral university laboratories are still actively researching biochar and provide snapshots of the current thinking regarding its usefulness: https://whitmanlab.soils.wisc.edu/faqs/ https://whitmanlab.soils.wisc.edu/faqs/ http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann/research/biochar/biocharmain.html http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann/research/biochar/...