EUROCHAR – Development of technologies for long-term carbon sequestration
„In the context of climate change mitigation, technologies for removing the CO from the atmosphere are key challenges. The transfer of carbon from the atmosphere into useful carbon deposits is currently one promising option. Transferring biomass to carbon-rich materials with potential mega-scale application is an option to sequester carbon from plant material, taking it out of the short-term carbon cycle and therefore binding CO efficiently and even in a useful, productive, way into longer term non-atmospheric carbon pools. EuroChar will investigate carbon sequestration potentials that can be achieved by transforming plant biomass into charcoal (or Biochar) and add that to agricultural soils. Biochar production will be demonstrated using thermochemical (TC) or hydrothermal carbonization processes (HTC) that can produce energy and store 15 to 20% of the Carbon originally contained in the biomass. Detailed ISO-accredited whole Life Cycle Assessment will be carried out according to the International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD) Handbook on LCA, for both TC and HTC production systems to evaluate the net Carbon sequestration capacity associated to Biochar production. Physico-chemical properties of Biochar will be analysed in a series of laboratory studies that will use standardized analytical protocols, and a specific phyto-toxicity test will be made using molecular approaches involving a model plant […]“
More information as well on the 7th framework site