What is Biochar?
Biomass slowly baked in the absence of oxygen becomes biochar. Biochar is a porous, stable, carbon-rich material, that can endure in the soil for thousands of years.
Technically, biochar is the lightweight residue left over after the pyrolysis (thermochemical conversion) of biomass into carbon. Haleakalā Biochar products are made on Maui – our feedstock comes from local invasive hardwood tree removal projects and other sources of clean hardwood biomass that would otherwise decompose, become a fire hazard, be burned to ash, or end up in the landfill.
Biochar has many benefits in the landscape.
Biochar offers multiple soil health benefits in degraded tropical soils like those in Hawai’i. Its porous nature is effective at retaining both water and water-soluble nutrients. Soil biologist Elaine Ingham highlighted its suitability as a habitat for beneficial soil micro organisms, which is a particular benefit for degraded soils. She pointed out that when pre-charged with these beneficial organisms, biochar promotes good soil and plant health. With hardwood-sourced biochar made to the right specifications, we can also improve water and soil quality (including soil remediation), increase soil fertility, and raise agricultural productivity.
Biochar may be a means to mitigate climate change through permanent carbon capture.
Biomass burning and natural decomposition releases large amounts of carbon dioxide and methane to the Earth's atmosphere. Biochar carbon remains in the ground for centuries, slowing the growth in atmospheric greenhouse gas levels. According to Project Drawdown, biochar can reduce carbon dioxide emissions 1.36–3.00 gigatons by 2050. One ton of biochar sequesters 3 tons of carbon dioxide, according to Chemists Without Borders, a nonprofit group of scientists combating climate change.
Bonus! Haleakalā Biochar is made from invasive species!
Our team has been working to restore landscapes back to native habitats on Maui for over 15 years, and in the process, we have removed a lot of invasive Eucalyptus, Wattle, and other types of invasive trees that contribute greatly to wildfire hazards and native habitat loss on Maui. While we don’t want these problematic trees growing on Maui, we can transform these “enemies” in to assets through biochar production. A win-win for Maui!
Biochar made from Eucalyptus, seen under an electron microscope
“If you could continually turn a lot of organic material into biochar, you could, over time, reverse the history of the last two hundred years… We can, literally, start sucking some of the carbon that our predecessors have poured into the atmosphere down through our weeds and stalks and stick it back in the ground. We can run the movie backward. We can un-mine some of the coal, un-drill some of the oil.”
– Bill McKibben