Is sustainability certification for biochar the answer to environmental risks?

Abstract

-Biochar has the potential to make a major contribution to the mitigation of climate change, and enhancement of plant production. However, in order for biochar to fulfill this promise, the industry and regulating bodies must take steps to manage potential environmental threats and address negative perceptions. The potential threats to the sustainability of biochar systems, at each stage of the biochar life cycle, were reviewed. We propose that a sustainability framework for biochar could be adapted from existing frameworks developed for bioenergy. Sustainable land use policies, combined with effective regulation of biochar production facilities and incentives for efficient utilization of energy, and improved knowledge of biochar impacts on ecosystem health and productivity could provide a strong framework for the development of a robust sustainable biochar industry. Sustainability certification could be introduced to provide confidence to consumers that sustainable practices have been employed along the production chain, particularly where biochar is traded internationally.Index terms: climate change, life cycle assessment, risk management, sustainable land management.A certificação de sustentabilidade do "biochar" é a resposta para os riscos ambientais?Resumo -O "biochar" tem potencial para dar uma importante contribuição para a mitigação das mudanças climáticas e para o aumento da produção vegetal. No entanto, para que o "biochar" possa atender a esta expectativa, a indústria e os organismos reguladores devem seguir alguns passos para gerenciar as potenciais ameaças ambientais e abordar as percepções negativas. As ameaças potenciais à sustentabilidade dos sistemas de "biochar", para cada estágio de seu ciclo de vida foram revisadas. Nós propomos que a estrutura da sustentabilidade para o "biochar" poderia ser adaptada de estruturas já existentes, desenvolvidas para a bioenergia. Políticas de uso sustentável da terra, combinadas com a regulação efetiva das instalações de produção do "biochar" e incentivos para a utilização eficiente de energia, além do conhecimento aperfeiçoado dos impactos do "biochar" na saúde e na produtividade do ecossistema, poderiam fornecer uma estrutura robusta para o desenvolvimento de uma indústria sustentável de "biochar". A certificação de sustentabilidade poderia ser introduzida, para proporcionar confiança aos consumidores de que práticas sustentáveis foram empregadas ao longo da cadeia de produção, particularmente onde o "biochar" é comercializado internacionalmente.Termos para indexação: mudanças climáticas, avaliação do ciclo de vida, gerenciamento de risco, gerenciamento sustentável da terra.

A Reconnaissance-Scale Gis-Based Multicriteria Decision Analysis to Support Sustainable Biochar Use: Poland as a Case Study

“…Life cycle assessment (LCA) is fundamental to any implementation of biochar and encompasses broader implications and impacts. This is important in the assessment of biochar use, due to the variety of feedstock used for its production and the diversity of technologies for its conversion (Cowie et al 2012;Lehmann, Joseph 2009). The conversion process involves toxic gases (such as CO) as well as volatiles (that can emanate as smoke) and greenhouse gases (notably CH 4 ).…”

Biochar applications and modern techniques for characterization

“…Such as biomasses attained from agricultural sources may clue to an increase in erosion and decline in soil fertility (Cowie et al 2012). Mainly feedstocks are divided into two groups: (1) predominantly yielded biomass being energy and biochar source, and (2) biomass waste as a byproduct.…”

A Mini Review of Biochar Synthesis, Characterization, and Related Standardization and Legislation

“…Referring to Verheijen et al [9], the common objectives of these certifications are to provide the quality and safety indicator for biochar utilization as a soil amendment agent, to promote the biochar's industrial growth and commercialization, as well as for future legislative or regulations. Besides, development of such certifications assists in improving the confidence level of consumers and regulators of the biochar's safe application [79]. Thereby, the parameters and their corresponding threshold values in each biochar certificate are tabulated in Table 4.…”