What Is Biochar? Biochar (or agrichar) is one of the products created when high-carbon materials such as wood scraps and the woody, undecomposed fraction of yard debris are gasified under low oxygen conditions (pyrolysis). The process produces both syngas for green energy and biochar to be used as a soil amendment.
The use of biochar goes back thousands of years, deliberately so or not. In the Amazon Basin today, there are rich and fertile, black soils (Terra Petra) that are the result of carbon left behind from the fires and cooking of indigenous people. These soils have held their fertility over thousands of years. Sonoma Biochar allows you to reactivate this ancient soil-building technique. Today this biochar is produced while creating green, renewable energy.
2012 US Biochar Conference in Sonoma County.
The Sonoma Biochar Initiative in partnership with the Sonoma Ecology Center has been selected to host the 2012 US Biochar Conference from July 29 to August 1. The Conference is designed to advance our understanding of the economics, science and policies related to biochar as a soil amendment and as a tool for carbon sequestration. The 2012 conference will bring together growers, entrepreneurs, investors, scientists, policymakers,
policy analysts, engineers, producers, users, and students on the topic of biochar. The program will be available in the spring of 2012. Stay tuned! We look forward to seeing you there.
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Plant producing syngas and biochar through pyrolysis
How Is It Used? We are offering 2 different ways to purchase Biochar. Sonoma Biochar is straight Biochar. Sonoma Living Biochar is a blend of Sonoma Biochar, Biodynamic Hi-Test Compost and Christmas Tree Mulch. The application is slightly different.
25 Lbs of Sonoma Biochar is applied to the surface of 15 square feet of soil. Cover the Biochar with a high quality compost and water well. This step will allow the water running through the compost to form a compost tea that can be absorbed by the Biochar, thereby 'charging' it. Next, work the compost and biochar into the top 8-12 inches of soil and water well. Allow the soil to come to equilibrium for a few days, continuing to irrigate regularly. Next, hold of on watering until the soil feels just moist, not wet or dry. You are now ready to plant.
25 Lbs of Sonoma Living Biochar is applied to 10 square feet of soil. Water well to allow the compost tea to soak into the Biochar. Work Sonoma Living Biochar into the top 8-12 inches of soil and water well for a few days. Allow the soil to dry until it is moist before planting.
Biochar is applied only once, but the results will last forever as long as you keep your soil biologically active. Regular applications of compost, mulch, cover crop, etc. will recharge the biochar over the years.
Sonoma Biochar
Quantity
Price*
25 Pounds
$19.00
Sonoma Living Biochar
Quantity
Price*
25 Pounds
$15.00
* Not including shipping costs. To estimate shipping costs click here.
Directions to fill out shipping quote form: Select Quote type "Quick Time and Cost (Package)", ship from zipcode "94952" to your location. Select "residential or commercial". For shipping weight enter "27" pounds.
To Place an Order
You can place an order by calling us or e-mailing at Sonoma Biochar. We will reply to you as soon as possible. We gladly will answer any of your questions as well.
What Are the Reported Benefits of Biochar?
Biochar, a very porous medium, can be seen as a hotel for microorganisms. The compost provides the food that the microbes need to proliferate leading to increased microbial diversity and populations. In addition, biochar has high cation exchange capacity (a negative charge) and as a result will hold on to positively charged nutrients, conserving nutrients. Biochar also has a high water holding capacity and thus reduces irrigation needs.
In addition,
since biochar lasts for thousands of years in the soil, carbon that plants have fixed from the atmosphere is now removed from the carbon cycle and is banked in the soil. This process is called carbon sequestration. Carbon sequestration is an effective tool in reversing global warming.
