Biochar Permanence Report: Unlocking the Potential of Biochar: A Closer Look at Its Permanence
Bier, H., Lerchenmüller, H., European Biochar Industry, March 14, 2024
In the quest to understand permanence of biochar, our report sheds light on critical findings from two scientific publications by Sanei et al. (2024) and Azzi et al. (2024). The report, authored by Secretary General Harald Bier and Board Chairman Hansjörg Lerchenmüller at EBI, offers a comparative analysis of results from the two studies. It reveals a key gap: most incubation experiments use carbonized material that is not representative of biochar produced commercially today. Moreover, these studies often lack detailed characterization of biochar fractions, hindering a comprehensive understanding of their properties. Another key point posited in the paper is that the observed degradation rates shown in incubation experiments are consistent with the size of the labile fractions that are known to be easily degradable.