Zoom into Soil: Biochar

Welcome to the Zoom into Soil: Biochar video from the British Society of Soil Science.

The literature referencing biochar is enormous, a slew of meta-analyses more recently superseded by a meta-analysis of the meta-analyses. Our first speaker, Dr Saran Sohi, considers what biochar can do, and offers some basic suggestions as to the mechanisms and the subject of prediction. The focus is pointers as to where biochar could excel in the near term, considering a framework where economics, logistics and market constraints are explicit. In considering the more universal features of biochar, the problem of establishing (and assuring) the absolute longevity of biochar carbon in soil is tackled.

Hamish Creber presents ‘Unlocking the potential of biochar’. Biochar has the potential to deliver greenhouse gas removal at scale and be a key technology in achieving NetZero. The effective use of biochar can improve soil nutrient availability and increase crop resilience to environmental stress factors. To date, there have been barriers to the widespread adoption of biochar. This presentation discusses how biochar can be scaled within the U.K. context by optimising the performance of biochar in the soil and by establishing sustainable biochar use systems.