eBook

Biochar systems for smallholders in developing countries

Roberts, Kelli, Whitman, Thea, Wilson, Kelpie, Lehmann, Johannes, Scholz, Sebastian M, Sembres, Thomas

2014

Overview

Biochar is the carbon-rich organic matter that remains after heating biomass under the minimization of oxygen during a process called pyrolysis. There are a number of reasons why biochar systems may be particularly relevant in developing-country contexts. This report offers a review of what is known about opportunities and risks of biochar systems. Its aim is to provide a state-of-the-art overview of current knowledge regarding biochar science. In that sense the report also offers a reconciling view on different scientific opinions about biochar providing an overall account that shows the various perspectives of its science and application. This includes soil and agricultural impacts of biochar, climate change impacts, social impacts, and competing uses of biomass. The report aims to contextualize the current scientific knowledge in order to put it at use to address the development climate change nexus, including social and environmental sustainability. The report is organized as follows: chapter one offers some introductory comments and notes the increasing interest in biochar both from a scientific and practitioner's point of view; chapter two gives further background on biochar, describing its characteristics and outlining the way in which biochar systems function. Chapter three considers the opportunities and risks of biochar systems. Based on the results of the surveys undertaken, chapter four presents a typology of biochar systems emerging in practice, particularly in the developing world. Life-cycle assessments of the net climate change impact and the net economic profitability of three biochar systems with data collected from relatively advanced biochar projects were conducted and are presented in chapter five. Chapter six investigates various aspects of technology adoption, including barriers to implementing promising systems, focusing on economics, carbon market access, and sociocultural barriers. Finally, the status of knowledge regarding biochar systems is interpreted in chapter seven to determine potential implications for future involvement in biochar research, policy, and project formulation.

• Publisher: THE WORLD BANK,World Bank,World Bank Publications,The World Bank,Washington, DC: World Bank
• Subject: ACCESS TO ENERGY / ACID / ACIDIC SOILS / AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS / AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS / AGRICULTURAL WASTE / AGRICULTURAL WASTES / AIR / AIR EMISSIONS / AIR POLLUTION / AIR QUALITY / ALLOCATION / ALTERNATIVE SCENARIOS / ALTERNATIVE USES / ANION EXCHANGE / APPROACH / ASH / ASH CONTENT / ATMOSPHERE / ATMOSPHERIC CARBON / ATMOSPHERIC CARBON DIOXIDE / ATMOSPHERIC GREENHOUSE GAS / ATMOSPHERIC GREENHOUSE GAS CONCENTRATIONS / AVAILABILITY / BALANCE / BARRIERS TO ADOPTION / BASIC / BIO-OIL / Biochar / Biochar -- Developing countries / BIOMASS / BIOMASS AVAILABILITY / BIOMASS CARBON / BIOMASS ENERGY / BIOMASS FEEDSTOCK / BIOMASS RESIDUES / BIOMASS SOURCE / BIOMASS USE / BLACK CARBON / BLACK CARBON EMISSIONS / BUILDING MATERIALS / BUSINESS AS USUAL SCENARIO / CALCULATION / CAPITAL COST / CARBON / CARBON ACCUMULATION / CARBON CONTENT / CARBON CREDITS / CARBON DECOMPOSITION / CARBON DIOXIDE / CARBON DYNAMICS / CARBON FINANCE / CARBON MARKET / CARBON MARKETS / CARBON OFFSET / CARBON RATIO / CARBON SEQUESTRATION / CARBON STORAGE / CARBONIZATION / CELLULOSE / CH4 / CHANGES IN DEMAND / CHANGES IN LAND USE / CHEMICAL COMPOSITION / CHEMICAL PROPERTIES / CHOICE OF TECHNOLOGY / CLEAN AIR / CLIMATE / CLIMATE CHANGE / CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT / CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS / CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION / CLIMATE CHANGE NEGOTIATIONS / CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY / CLIMATE EFFECTS / CLIMATE RESILIENCE / CLIMATES / CLIMATIC CONDITIONS / CO2 / COAL / COLORS / COMBUSTION / COMPONENTS / CONVERSION EFFICIENCY / CROP RESIDUES / Crops and climate / Crops and climate -- Developing countries / DEFORESTATION / DEFORESTATION PRESSURES / DESERTIFICATION / DIESEL / DROUGHT / DUST / E-MAIL / ECONOMIC BENEFITS / ECONOMIC COSTS / ECONOMIC IMPACT / ECONOMIC IMPACTS / ECONOMIC RESOURCES / ECONOMIC SYSTEMS / ECOSYSTEM / ECOSYSTEMS / ELECTRICITY / EMISSION / EMISSION ANALYSIS / EMISSION REDUCTION / EMISSION REDUCTIONS / EMISSIONS / EMISSIONS DATA / EMISSIONS FROM DEFORESTATION / EMISSIONS OF METHANE / ENERGY CROPS / ENERGY NEEDS / ENERGY PRODUCTION / ENERGY SOURCE / ENERGY STRATEGIES / ENERGY SYSTEMS / ENERGY USE / ENGINEERING / ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES / ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY / ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY / Farms, Small / Farms, Small -- Developing countries / FAST PYROLYSIS / FEASIBILITY / FEEDSTOCK / FEEDSTOCK SOURCE / FEEDSTOCKS / FERTILIZERS / FIRE EMISSIONS / FOREST / FOREST DEGRADATION / FOREST POLICY / FOREST SCIENCE / FORESTRY / FORESTS / FOSSIL / FOSSIL FUEL / FOSSIL FUELS / FUEL EFFICIENCY / FUEL USE / GAS PRODUCTION / GASIFICATION / GASIFICATION SYSTEMS / GASIFIER / GENERATION / GHG / GHGS / GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE / GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT / GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FACILITY / GLOBAL WARMING / GREENHOUSE / GREENHOUSE GAS / GREENHOUSE GASES / HEAT / HEMICELLULOSE / HIGH SILICA CONTENT / HOUSEHOLD COOKING / HUMAN HEALTH / INCOME / INNOVATIVE FINANCING / IPCC / LAND FOR AGRICULTURE / LAND MANAGEMENT / LAND USE / LAND USE CHANGE / LANDFILL / LANDFILLS / LEACHING / LIGNIN / LIQUEFACTION / MANURE / MECHANICAL ENGINEERING / METHANE / METHANE EMISSIONS / MITIGATION EFFECT / MITIGATION POTENTIAL / MOISTURE CONTENT / MONETARY VALUE / N2O / NATURAL RESOURCES / NEW TECHNOLOGIES / NITROGEN / NITROUS OXIDE / NITROUS OXIDE EMISSIONS / NONMETHANE HYDROCARBONS / NUTRIENT LOSS / NUTRIENT RECYCLING / NUTRIENTS / OFFSET PAYMENTS / OIL PRODUCTION / OILS / OPEN DUMPS / ORGANIC CARBON / ORGANIC COMPOUND / ORGANIC MATERIALS / ORGANIC MATTER / ORGANIC MATTER CONTENT / OXYGEN / PAH / PAPER PRODUCTS / PARTICULATE / PARTICULATE MATTER / PHOSPHORUS / PILOT PROJECTS / PLANT GROWTH / POLLUTANTS / POTASSIUM / POWER COMPANY / PRIMARY FEEDSTOCK / PUBLISHING / PYROLYSIS / RENEWABLE ENERGY / RENEWABLE ENERGY APPLICATIONS / RESERVOIRS / SCENARIOS / SILICA / SOIL CARBON / SOLAR POWER / SUBSISTENCE FARMERS / SULFUR / SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT / TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT / TEMPERATURE / TRADITIONAL BIOMASS / TROPICS / UNCERTAINTIES / UNEP / WMO / WOOD RESIDUES / WOODY BIOMASS
• ISBN: 9780821395257, 0821395254