1. Biochar is biomass burned in low-oxygen environments and can help Cambodia in several ways. It can be used as an energy source through small-scale gasification stoves or large-scale gasification for rice mills, saving on fuel costs. 2. Biochar can improve soils as a soil amendment, similarly to ancient Terra Preta soils in the Amazon which were very fertile for hundreds of years due to biochar additions. Slash-and-char agriculture can immediately condition soils for crop growth. 3. Using biochar locks carbon from the atmosphere in soils for a long time, reducing carbon emissions and mitigating climate change, which affects Cambodia despite its low emissions. Gasification

2. Michael Horton
Biochar!

3. The
potential
benefits
from
Biochar
for
Cambodia..
Michael
Horton
ConCERT
(Connecting
Communities,
Environment
&
Responsible
Tourism)

4. Biochar
is
biomass
that’s
burned
in
a
low/
no
oxygen
environment
(pyrolysis)

5. Biochar
is
biomass
that’s
burned
in
a
low/
no
oxygen
environment
(pyrolysis)

6. So,
how
can
biochar
help
Cambodia?
1. Source
of
energy
Pyrolysis
can
occur
over
a
wide
range
of
temperatures
• low
temperatures
maximises
biochar
production

7. So,
how
can
biochar
help
Cambodia?
1. Source
of
energy
• high
temperatures
=
gasification

8. So,
how
can
biochar
help
Cambodia?
1. Source
of
energy

9. So,
how
can
biochar
help
Cambodia?
1. Source
of
energy
Gasification
can
be
on
a
small
scale
such
as
gasification
stoves
for
homes:
• burn
a
wide
range
of
fuel
• burn
the
gases
produced
• leave
biochar
as
residue
• use
25%
of
the
fuel
of
an
open
stove

10. So,
how
can
biochar
help
Cambodia?
1. Source
of
energy
Social/health
benefits
of
gasification
stoves:
• reduce
labour
in
collecting
fuel
• virtually
no
emissions
• reduce
bronchial
complaints
especially
for
women
&
children

11. So,
how
can
biochar
help
Cambodia?
1. Source
of
energy
Large
scale
gasification

12. So,
how
can
biochar
help
Cambodia?
1. Source
of
energy
-­‐
Large
scale
gasification
Gas
produced
is
fed
into
the
diesel
engine
of
the
rice
mill
generator,
saving
between
60
and
80%
of
the
diesel
used
The
energy
from
one
tonne
of
rice
will
process
3
tonnes

13. Now,
what
can
we
do
with
all
that
biochar…

14. So,
how
can
biochar
help
Cambodia?
2. Soil
amendment
(conditioner)
–
Biochar
structure
varies
depending
on
what
it’s
made
from,
but
all
types
are
like
a
honeycomb

15. Terra
Preta
• Terra
Preta,
(dark
earth),
deep
deposits
of
black
and
intensely
fertile
soil
in
the
Amazon
rainforest,
which
is
found
right
alongside
some
of
the
poorest
soils
on
earth,
oxisols
(tropical
rain
forest
soils)
• Deposits
are
located
along
rivers
and
sometimes
in
areas
raised
above
the
floodplain,
covering
an
area
about
the
size
of
France
• Scientists
believe
it
was
created
over
thousands
of
years
by
people
who
practiced
“slash
and
char”
agriculture

16. Slash
and
Char
agriculture
• 6
feet
deep
trenches
dug
and
filled
with
cleared
“slash”
(biomass)
• soil
dug
out
to
create
the
holes
put
back
on
top
and
whole
lot
set
on
fire
• biomass
high
moisture
content
and
lack
of
oxygen
made
fires
smoulder
for
hours,
even
days
• pyrolysis
turned
biomass
into
biochar

17. Improved
soils
• Slash
and
Char
much
more
efficient
at
conditioning
soil
than
Slash
and
Burn
–
could
start
growing
crops
immediately
• honeycomb
structure:
• retains
water
and
nutrients
• reduces
run
off
• encourages
beneficial
microorganisms
to
grow
• benefits
have
lasted
between
800
and
a
few
thousand
years

18. Improved
soils
In
common
with
other
locations
throughout
Cambodia,
soils
in
Siem
Reap
province,
especially
north
of
Route
6,
are
notoriously
poor:
• sandy
• lacking
in
nutrients
Many
Cambodians
rake
up
and
burn
valuable
biomass
everyday,
much
of
which
could
fuel
gasification
stoves
with
the
biochar
residue
added
back
to
the
soil

19. So,
how
can
biochar
help
Cambodia?
3. Reduced
carbon
emissions

20. So,
how
can
biochar
help
Cambodia?
3. Reduced
carbon
emissions
• plants
capture
CO2
and
lock
it
in
their
structures
(sequestration)
• this
is
released
again
when
they
are
burned
or
decay
• incorporating
biochar
into
the
soil
locks
around
50%
of
the
carbon
away
for
hundreds/thousands
of
years

21. So,
how
can
biochar
help
Cambodia?
3. Reduced
carbon
emissions
• this
has
the
potential
to
reduce
the
build
up
of
CO2
in
the
atmosphere
• decomposing
plant
tissue
also
produces
methane
(20+
times
more
powerful
greenhouse
gas
than
CO2)
• methane
is
produced,
captured,
and
used
as
a
fuel
in
gasification

22. Worldwide
CO2
emissions
and
climate
change
have
nothing
to
do
with
Cambodia?
Hmmm……

23. Thank You!
Michael Horton