How Our Biochar is Made
Our Basic Formula: Ancient Wisdom + Sustainable Technology = YES
-
Charcoal for fires, forges and cooking food has been around for a very long time and is made, all over the world, in a way that hasn’t changed much for millennia. Biochar however is made by using kilns that ensure all the volatile material (naturally found in woody biomass) is burnt off, leaving a clean, organically stable, carbon shell that is non-toxic and suitable for application in soil.
-
The cellular structure of the original woody biomass/ plant remains after pyrolysis, giving biochar one of its key properties: its water holding capacity. Each speck of biochar in the soil absorbs water and nutrients (like a sponge) for roots to access easily. This water is also held for longer, thus reducing leaching and improving the soil texture.
-
Biochar remains inert in the soil, meaning that, unlike other forms of organic carbon, it will remain in the soil for hundreds of years, providing a home for mycorrhizal fungi and billions of essential microscopic flora and fauna. In this way, you are making a difference to the soil and hence the planet.
-
Biochar has another important function in the soil. Because biochar is made from plant material that in turn was made by photosynthesis from sunlight and atmospheric CO₂, when added to the soil it acts as a natural carbon sink, giving us all the aforementioned benefits together with reducing atmospheric carbon. It’s not just sustainable to make biochar and put it into the soil - it’s necessary.
How Our Kilns Work
Our German-designed Kon-Tiki kilns are specially built for pyrolysis, the process by which we can make pure biochar.
-
Biochar is made in an almost identical method as barbecue charcoal (through lighting a fire and adding wood), but the shape of our kilns enable us to drive out the impurities (tar and other volatile compounds) which are found in charcoal. This is to do with the way our kiln’s circulate and limit air flow.
Because we pyrolize our wood in these specially designed kilns, it is more environmentally friendly and it leaves us with pure carbon, the ideal soil improver.
The Process From Start to Finish
-
We carefully choose the right timber from our waste plantation wood to select at the right time, as part of our woodland restoration project. Because we manage the woods ourselves and only use our own timber, we know for certain that all timber selection has been done with the environment and the local ecology in mind.
-
We then prepare our timber to go into the kilns, leaving it to dry out as long as possible.
-
Next, we start a fire at the bottom of the kiln and start to load it up once it’s up to temperature (at least 300 degrees). We continue to add the feedstock over a series of hours (up to 10 hours), and constantly monitor the pyrolysis to ensure the best quality biochar.
-
After leaving the kiln to cool overnight, we inspect the quality of our biochar.
-
Our final step is to crush the biochar using our specially repurposed mill. Our particular method allows us to capture more of the precious fine biochar particles (“dust”) than other biochar producers, meaning that our biochar will disperse into your soil even more effectively.
The biochar is then ready to package up and send to you in our sustainable packaging.
Our Own Biochar Expert
David Friese-Greene, Jessica’s father, is a founding member of the British Biochar Initiative, co-author of ‘The Biochar Debate’ (James Bruges, 2009) and advisor to The Soil Fertility Project (Nirman Trust).
-
With a BSc in Ecology, and a wealth of field experience working with biochar, David brings a wealth of theoretical and applied knowledge to the team. With David’s help, we are demonstrating how an ancient process can be a truly sustainable and pro-environmental modern practice.
David is dedicated to providing education about biochar, and is on hand to support our buyers in making the most out of their biochar.