The International Biochar Initiative (IBI)

Links to Articles and More Information on Char

As new information is always coming out, IBI appreciates updates on recently published articles and papers. Please send any new information or links to new articles to info@biochar-international.org for posting.

The Financial Times, Black is the New Green by Fiona Harvey
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/67843ec0-020b-11de-8199-000077b07658.html

This in-depth examination of the technical and economic issues around biochar includes lyrics from "The Biochar Blues" as a sidebar! The author concludes: "These problems of economics and communication will be the real hurdles at which biochar may fall, just as they have been the reasons why we have failed to capitalise on other ways of cutting carbon, from the very simple – small alterations to wood-fired cooking stoves in Africa and India can reduce the indoor air pollution from cooking fires that kills millions, yet hardly any homes have them – to the complex challenges, such as adopting renewable energy. A massive effort will be required to overcome the inertia that has been the downfall of other great climate ideas."

Black is the New Green--Financial Times, by Fiona Harvey

Articles from February 2009

General

http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2009/117-2/innovations-abs.html
February 2009, Environmental Health Perspectives Volume 117, Number 2, Biochar: Carbon Mitigation from the Ground Up, by David J. Tenenbaum. An in-depth examination of important aspects of biochar science. The author interviewed many of the key biochar researchers and also talked to students at Michigan Technological University involved in a biochar program.

http://www.rtvnoord.nl/nieuws/indexwm.asp?actie=totaalbericht&reacties=ja&pid=79166
2-6-09, RTV Noord (Swedish), Eeuwenoude Bemestingstechniek Oplossing CO2-Probleem? (Ancient CO2 Fertilization Technology Solution Problem?) Short general interest article.

http://www.presse-fr.com/200914014/le-carnaval-de-guyane-45-jours-de-fete-a-cayenne/
2-10-09, Presse-Fr (French), Le Carnaval de Guyane : 45 jours de fête à Cayenne (The Carnival of Guyana: 45 days holiday in Cayenne). Terra Preta features as a tourist attraction in this travel article on Guyana.

http://www.dn.se/nyheter/vetenskap/den-svarta-jorden-kan-radda-klimatet-1.798891
2-15-09, DN.se (Swedish), Den Svarta Jorden Kan Rädda Klimatet (The Black Earth Can Save the Climate), by Annika Nilsson. Article includes discussion of Swedish biochar research, projects in Africa and quotations from Johannes Lehmann.

http://www.energiaspiegata.it/2009/02/superare-kyoto-si-puo-serve-una-buona-agricoltura/
2-16-09, Energia Siegata (Italian), Superare Kyoto Si Può: Serve una Buona Agricoltura. (Kyoto Can Be Overcome: We Need a Good Farming). General interest article presented through an interview with Franco Miglietta.

http://www.ecoblog.it/post/7838/il-biochar-una-speranza-per-i-suoli-e-latmosfera
2-21-09, EcoBlogit (Italian), Il Biochar, una Speranza per i Suoli e l'Atmosfera (Biochar, a Hope for the Soil and Atmosphere). General interest article on biochar.

http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/02/22/bio-char-a-carbon-negative-way-to-improve-our-food-supply/
2-22-09, Red Green and Blue, Bio-char: a Carbon Negative Way to Improve Our Food Supply, by Kay Sexton. Brief summary article with discussion of different approaches to research.

Policy and Politics

http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/bright-sparks-light-the-way/2009/01/31/1232818793461.html
2-2-09, Sidney Morning Herald, Bright Sparks Light the Way, by Greg Hunt. The author has policy recommendations for climate change that include biochar. He highlights Crucible Carbon, a small firm in Newcastle that "is leading the world in developing biochar, a technology that effectively captures carbon for between 500 and 3000 years in blackened crop waste or wood residue."

http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/009406.html
2-2-09, World Changing, Geoengineering Megaprojects are Bad Planetary Management, by Alex Steffen. Includes an endorsement of biochar for carbon sequestraton.

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2009/2/8/22587/75724
2-9-09, Grist, Plan B: Geoengineering is risky but likely inevitable, so we better start thinking it through, by Jamis Cascio. Another discussion of geoengineering with a mention of biochar.

http://scitizen.com/stories/Future-Energies/2009/02/Thinking-Positive---Carbon-Capture-/
2-9-09, Scitizen, Thinking Positive - Carbon Capture, by Prof Chris Rhodes. Examination of carbon capture, with some number crunching on biochar: "For example, while I like the idea of biochar, the stated goal by the International Biochar Initiative (IBI) is that we could have 1 Gt/year of carbon being drawn from the atmosphere by 2050. O.K. let's assume that's 40 years time and that there is currently (in Gt terms) about zero biochar being produced currently...Hence if a community of 2000 people could catch and sequester 200 tonnes of biochar per year (100 kg/person), 7 billion of us in total could sequester almost 0.8 Gt/year (close to the IBI projection of 1 Gt/year by 2050)."

http://sev.prnewswire.com/environmental-services/20090223/DC7341923022009-1.html
2-23-09, PR Newswire, UN and the World Bank Warning: Urgent Action Needed to Avoid Climate Tipping Point. UNEP and the World Bank have released reports recommending "strategies that can produce fast climate mitigation, including using the Montreal Protocol ozone treaty to quickly phase-down HFCs that have high global warming potential, and expanding the production of biochar, which is a carbon negative strategy that can significantly reduce current CO2 concentrations on decadal timescales."

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MYAI-7PM3SS?OpenDocument
2-25-09, Relief Web, Land, Drought Are Focus of Discussions as Intergovernmental Meeting Holds Two Panels in Preparation for Commission on Sustainable Development, Source: United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). A very long report on a very important meeting.

In February there were again a large number of stories on Australia's emissions trading policy where biochar has become part of a controversy over the role of agriculture and forestry in climate change:

http://sl.farmonline.com.au/news/state/agribusiness-and-general/general/why-biochar/1419941.aspx http://www.crikey.com.au/Politics/20090205-Flip-flop-Flannery-is-a-climate-change-opportunist.html http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25041834-7583,00.html
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25050451-7583,00.html
http://theland.farmonline.com.au/news/nationalrural/agribusiness-and-general/general/new-carbon-solutions-needed-to-avoid-ets-costs/1442604.aspx
http://www.watoday.com.au/national/emission-trading-gets-nod-over-tax-20090224-8gwb.html
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/24/2500432.htm?section=justin
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/global-warming/coalition-pins-its-great-green-hope-on-carbon-trio-20090223-8ftd.html
http://www.crikey.com.au/Politics/20090225-The-great-Coalition-climate-change-kerfuffle.html
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25107838-11949,00.html

Research News

http://insciences.org/article.php?article_id=2021
2-5-09, In Sciences, Planting Seeds of Success. University of New South Wales has a three-year ARC Linkage Grant with Biomass Energy Services Technology Pty Ltd to advance scientific understanding of biochar. Also, visiting Professor Stephen Joseph has attracted venture capital funding for UNSW biochar research and he is currently in the US seeking more investment support.

http://theland.farmonline.com.au/news/state/agribusiness-and-general/general/dpi-steps-up-carbon-sequestration/1435991.aspx
2-17-09, Farm Online, DPI Steps Up Carbon Sequestration. NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) has launched two web pages which highlight work being done to assess and explore the potential for holding carbon in the soil long term, and the benefit this would have in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Farm, Garden and Trade

http://www.agweb.com/get_article.aspx?pageid=148763
1-30-09, Farm Journal, Bio-Oil Heats Up, by Jeanne Bernick. Report says that "ConocoPhillips recently entered into a research partnership with Iowa State University and the National Renewable Energy Lab to evaluate the economics of various approaches to advanced biofuels, including bio-oil." Includes interview with Foster Agblevor, Virginia Tech associate professor of biological systems engineering about converting poultry litter to char and bio-oil.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/Make-Biochar-To-Improve-Your-Soil.aspx
February/March 2009, Mother Earth News, Make Biochar -- this Ancient Technique Will Improve Your Soil, by Barbara Pleasant. Article with practical information for the home gardener on how to make and use biochar, like the following: "If you live close to a campground, you may have access to an unlimited supply of garden-worthy biochar from the remains of partially burned campfires."

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/mantria-industries-llc-and-carbon-diversion-inc-introduce-eternagreen-biochar,702031.shtml
2-3-09, EarthTimes, Mantria Industries, LLC and Carbon Diversion Inc. Introduce EternaGreen Biochar. Announcement that Mantria Industries, LLC, based in Philadelphia, is offering biochar for sale and is employing BioChar Brokers, LLC "to work with customers globally in regards to testing, analysis and ultimately supplying them with BioChar products that will fit their personalized needs."

http://www.nrtoday.com/article/20090205/NEWS/902059846/1063/NEWS&ParentProfile=1055&title=Biomass%20harvesting%20could%20create%20jobs,%20prevent%20fire
2-5-09, News Review, Biomass Harvesting Could Create Jobs, Prevent Fire, by Adam Pearson. In Douglas County, Oregon, the Forest Service has a biochar pilot project that will demonstrate a portable biomass pyrolyser by Renewable Oil International.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/allotment/2009/feb/06/gardeningadvice-gardens
2-6-09, The Guardian, Calling All Ethical Gardeners, by Lucy Siegle. Announcement of a contest for an Ethical Garden Award. Biochar is mentioned as an ethical gardening practice along with permaculture, wildlife gardens and community wildflower meadows. Entries must be received by March 9th.

http://www.echonews.com/index.php?page=News%20Article&article=25159&issue=387
2-12-09, Northern Rivers Echo, UK Musos Fund Local Biochar Trial. Report that Rainforest Information Centre (RIC) has received a grant from the UK based Artists for Project Earth to research and develop a farm-based biochar kiln. "RIC founder John Seed said there was a lot of interest in biochar technology all over the world, but most of the research was for projects in the $1 million to $40 million bracket...We wanted one that would work on a (conventional) farm.”

http://www.carbonnews.co.nz/story.asp?storyID=2837
2-16-09, Carbon News, Biochar pioneer recruits top Australian scientist. Report on New Zealand biochar company Carbonscape and the news that it has recruited scientist Tim Flannery to its board of directors.

http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=369819
2-19-09, eMedia World, Sustainable Power Corp. Acquires Angel Eyes Produce Corp. "Sustainable Power Corp. produces Vertroleum® biocrude, biogas and a biochar which is essentially a 7-3-7 organic fertilizer. By acquiring Angel Eyes, the Company extends its chain of green products from garbage and other waste organic materials to biofuels, from biofuels to electricity, and now from garbage to biofuels to electricity to food."

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Hands-On-How-To/Biochar-Stoves.aspx
2-20-09, Mother Earth News, New Biochar Stoves at the 2009 ETHOS Conference. Mother Earth News has reprinted the report from the January IBI newsletter.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/marlboroughexpress/4859672a6523.html
2-25-09, Marlborough Express, Carbon Firm Sends Test Samples, by Kaikoura Star. "Marlborough charcoal technology company Carbonscape has two reasons to celebrate: it has sent the first batch of charcoal created with its microwave technology off for testing, and has welcomed a big name from across the Tasman to its board."

Multimedia

http://science.discovery.com/tv/ecopolis/episode/episode.html
February 2009, Discovery Channel. Biochar is featured on the Discovery Channel Ecopolis program: A World of Trash. The full episode is not yet posted, but the following link contains a segment of the episode: http://videos.howstuffworks.com/science-channel/34242-ecopolis-super-soil-video.htm UC Berkeley Prof. Daniel Kammen narrates the program and expresses his support for biochar.

December 2008 - January 2009

1-28-09, New Scientist, Most Effective Climate Engineering Solutions Revealed. Report
on a study published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics by researcher Tim Lenton
of the University of East Anglia, UK comparing geoengineering proposals for climate mitigation.
“Lenton says turning agricultural waste into charcoal and burying it may hold the most
promise. Although it would only reduce radiative forcing by 0.4 W/m2 by 2100, the
method is cheap, low tech, and would have the added advantage of fertilising the soil.”
Dozens more articles on this study have appeared in publications ranging from Wired http://blog.wired.com/sterling/2009/01/we-are-as-lousy.html to MIT’s Technology Review http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/energy/22536/. One of the more indepth
stories appears at Planet Earth Online, http://planetearth.nerc.ac.uk/news/story.aspx?id=302

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126921.500-one-last-chance
-to-save-mankind.html?page=1

1-23-09, New Scientist, One Last Chance to Save Mankind. New Scientist interviews
climate change giant James Lovelock, originator of the Gaia theory. Lovelock believes
that biochar is one of the only answers to climate change we have. He says, “There is
one way we could save ourselves and that is through the massive burial of charcoal…
you can start shifting really hefty quantities of carbon out of the system and pull the
CO₂ down quite fast.”

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/front/The_climate_farmer_who_grows_a_mean_pinot.html?siteSect=107&sid=10207923&cKey=1232126955000&ty=st

1-16-2009, Swiss Info, The Climate Farmer Who Grows a Mean Pinot. Profile of vinter
Hans-Peter Schmidt who is growing organic grapes using biochar as a central tool to
increase soil health and diversity. Article includes a good explanation of the benefits of
pyrolysis over composting. Schmidt plans to expand his production to 1000 tons of
biochar a year with an energy yield of about $90,000 worth of electricity.

http://cleantechnica.com/2009/01/16/biochar-a-soil-additive-that-fights-global-warming
-and-is-environmentally-friendly/

1-16-09, Green Options Media, Biochar. A short, basic info piece on biochar by Amiel
Blajchman appears in this online publication.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2009/01/15/2003433780

1-15-09, The Observer, London, Twenty Big Green Ideas. Writer Lucy Siegle takes
the occasion of the Observer Ethical Awards to "highlight 20 of the biggest ethical
ideas around at the moment, affording some respite to the prevailing jam-side-down
version of life on offer almost everywhere else." Coming up number one in this assessment
is biochar which is explained, "In a nutshell: a way of trapping carbon with 'green coal.'"

http://environmentalresearchweb.org/cws/article/futures/37275

1-12-09, Environmental Research Web, Going Nuts for Biochar. Contributing editor
Kate Ravilious interviews University of Georgia researcher KC Das for this article on the
basics of biochar. Includes a quote from Das on the challenges of biochar production:
"The scaleability of the technology is what is holding us back at the moment," said Das.

http://evworld.com/EVWORLD_TV.CFM?storyid=1614

1-8-09, EV World, Terra Preta, What? This article relates biochar to the world of electric
vehicles: "The connection to alternative fuel vehicles, including EVs, is not as tenuous as
it might seem. The process of creating terra preta or biochar as it is also know
(another name is agrichar) involves the combusting biomass into a biogas.
That biogas and the resulting heat can be used to produce a synthetic liquid fuel
or power thermal turbines to generate electric power."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jessica-catto/plant-power-to-the-planet_b_156355.html

1-08-09, The Huffington Post, Plant Power to the Planet. Blogger Jessica Catto writes:
"To offset harmful carbon emissions, which make us sick and ratchet up the speed of
global warming, we should conjure up a giant terrarium: a safe harbor for earth's
ecosystems. Biology is the answer." She says that biochar is one example of
biological solutions to climate change.

12-30-08, Popular Mechanics, Can a Kind of Ancient Charcoal Put the Brakes on Global
Warming? Jeremy Jacquot writes "Today, private companies, universities and government
organizations in nine countries - Vietnam, Belize, Cameroon, Chile, Costa Rica, Egypt,
India, Kenya and Mongolia - are setting up demonstration trials to evaluate biochar's
ability to improve various types of soils while trapping carbon and making fuel to find
out if this ancient substance is an economically viable solution to global warming."

http://www.theage.com.au/environment/coalition-targets-carbon-policy-gap-
20081229-76ts.html

12-30-08, The Age, Australia, Coalition Targets Carbon Policy Gap. Katharine Murphy reports
on a new initiative to bring farming and forestry into carbon emissions trading. The policy
will include tax breaks for farmers who can sequester carbon in soil. Biochar is being considered
as a soil sequestration technique. In January, a large number of stories in the Australian press
followed the politics of this proposal:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/01/26/2474588.htm

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/opinion/editorial/general/turnbull-turns-up-
heat-on-emissions/1416768.aspx

http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2009/01/26/45315_national-news.html

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/01/26/2474067.htm

http://www.theherald.com.au/news/local/news/general/turnbull-pushes-cleancoal-
role-for-region/1415862.aspx

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24962519-11949,00.html

http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/turnbull-plan-stirs-dustup/2009/01/25/1232818248036.html

http://www.theage.com.au/environment/turnbull-to-go-hard-on-emissions-20090123-7org.html

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/12/24/14238/309/

12-27-08, Grist Magazine, Biochar: Magic Bullet? Chief Grist blogger David Roberts has a
rundown on potential drawbacks of biochar, including pollution from low tech charcoal
making. Roberts also asserts that "Net gains from biochar not equal to gross.
Adding biochar to soil lowers ability of rest of soil to hold carbon. Still net gain,
but not as big of one." An active comments section follows the article.

Farm and Trade News

http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/2972265

1-21-09, istockanalyst, SynGest Chooses Iowa for Its First Nitrogen Fertilizer Plant.
Syngest, Inc projects that its plant producing 150 tons per day of ammonia and 20 tons
per day of biochar from 450 tons per day of corn stover will be online in three years.
The plant will use a pressurized oxygen-blown gasifier. A Des Moines Register article on the project is here: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090122/BUSINESS/901220359/1030/BUSINESS01

http://ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/article.news.php?component_id=6484&component_version_id=9668&language_id=12

1-13-09, Ecosystem Marketplace, How to Save the Amazon Rainforest. Forest analyst Rhett A.
Butler does a thorough job in this article of assessing carbon market mechanisms such as REDD
(Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) that could help save native
forests and biodiversity. One part of the answer, Butler says, is better use of land that
has already been cleared. He says, "A particularly promising path for boosting fertility
and productivity in Amazonia is biochar farming techniques similar to those used by
pre-Colombian populations. The so-called 'terra preta' soils offer the additional benefit
of sequestering carbon, helping reduce atmospheric concentrations of CO2."

http://www.biomassmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=2334

January 2009 Issue, Biomass Magazine, Colorado ACRE Awards Grants to Biomass Projects.
Report on $250,000 of grants by the Colorado Dept. of Agriculture for biomass research,
including $50,000 that will help the Flux Farm Foundation study the effects of biochar on
rangeland. The project will look at different types of char and different applicatIon methods.
“We really think that western Colorado and the interior West can be this big platform for
carbon sequestration,” a Flux Farm representative said.

Local News

http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/011809/uga_378507633.shtml

1-18-09, Athens Banner-Herald, Scientist Hopes Terra Preta Will Slow Climate Change.
Lea Shearer's profile of terra preta researchers at University of Georgia includes an interview
with researcher Christoph Steiner and information on the U.N. Convention to Combat
Desertification's endorsement of biochar at the climate meeting in Poland last month.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/jan/16/its-only-natural/

1-16-09, Memphis Commercial Appeal, Mississippi Family Uses 'Permaculture' Methods
for Sustainable Food Source. Reporter Lisa Kelly Eason profiles a local family whose
permaculture garden includes biochar. The gardener is quoted saying: "It increases agricultural
production and stores carbon in the ground. It's rare that the environment and the
'bottom line' can both be accomplished together."

http://www.nj.com/reporter/index.ssf/2009/01/new_jersey_audubon_and_local_f.html

1-13-09, Somerset Reporter, New Jersey Audubon and Local Farmers Bring Green Seed to
Birdseed Market. Article describes a partnership to reduce the carbon footprint of birdseed
by growing it locally and by using biochar in the fields.

http://media.www.ricethresher.org/media/storage/paper1290/news/2009/01/09/News/
Rice-Team.Wins.Ike.Contest-3582682.shtml

1-9-09, The Rice Thresher, Rice Team Wins Ike Contest. The Rice student newspaper talks
about its victorious science team coming out on top over 200 competitors with their biochar
idea for recycling waste debris generated by Hurricane Ike. Includes a picture of the
student team leader, senior Jeremy Caves.

http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=10594

1-2-09, Palo Alto Online, Palo Alto Examines New Compost Technologies. Composting
is controversial in Palo Alto, where the city is grappling with alternatives to the current system.
This article reports that "Robert Niederman, a long-time organic gardener, said city leaders
should consider switching to a 'biochar' system, which involves burning organic waste at
temperatures of 500-degrees Fahrenheit in a low-oxygen container."

http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2008/12/31/37355_on-farm.html

12-31-08, Weekly Times Now, Australia, Bio-char Chicken a Tasty Alternative.
Report on poultry farmer Rob Kestel who "is confident a large-scale pyrolysis plant
proposed for Western Australia will provide an effective way of disposing chicken litter.”
One complication to poultry manure disposal there is a biting fly. Converting manure to
biochar will reduce the population of the biting stable fly.

http://northdenvernews.com/content/view/1553/2/

12-30-08, North Denver News, A 'Black Magic' CO2 Fix. This short, informative article on
biochar quotes Tim Flannery.

In Other Languages

http://www.italiachiamaitalia.net/news/133/ARTICLE/12876/2009-01-07.html

1-7-09, Italia Chiama Italia, Carbon Negative, se il carbonio diventa "negativo" - di Marco Fattorini

http://g1.globo.com/Amazonia/0,,MUL942585-16052,00-FERTILIZANTE+DE+ORIGEM+AMAZONICA+PODE+AJUDAR+NO+COMBATE+
AO+AQUECIMENTO+GLOB.html

1-4-09, Globo.com, Fertilizante de origem amazônica pode ajudar no combate
ao aquecimento global

La nuova agricoltura

Novembre 28, 2008 by Redazione di Franco Miglietta, Silvia Baronti e Francesco Primo Vaccari Istituto di Biometeorologia del CNR, Firenze

http://www.energiaspiegata.it/tag/biochar/

Update on Kyoto featuring biochar (in Italian)

November and December 2008 New Articles

Farm and Trade News

http://fw.farmonline.com.au/news/state/forestry/general/oil-mallee-plan-released/1364777.aspx

11-19-08, Farm News Online, Oil Mallee Plan Released - Australian Forestry Minister Terry Redman announces a plan for the oil mallee industry that includes biochar.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/ethicallivingblog/2008/nov/21/organics-carbonemissions 11-21-08, The Guardian, Finding a Solution to Soil's Carbon Problem - blogger Bibi van der Zee reports on the Soil Association conference, saying "If you'd told me a week ago that I would spend two days listening to people talk about soil carbon sequestration (and be gripped by it!) I would have laughed in your face."

http://www.wickedlocal.com/orleans/fun/entertainment/dining/x776455263/
11-21-08, Wicked Local Orleans, Backyard Grower Preserves Eastham Turnip Tradition. A Cape Cod organic grower uses biochar to produce impressive heirloom turnips.

http://southeastfarmpress.com/news/agricultural-research-1128/
11-26-08, Southeast Farm Press, Manure Shows Promise for On-Farm Fuel. Summary of a US Agricultural Research Service (ARS) study on producing biochar and other products from manure.

http://cornandsoybeandigest.com/corn/black_gold_soil_1108/
11-30-08, The Corn and Soybean Digest , Black Gold - Susan Winsor's article is a general information piece on biochar and soil carbon that quotes scientists Bruno Glaser, David Laird and Johannes Lehmann.

http://www.biomassmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=2217
December 2008 Issue, Biomass Magazine, New Zealand Company Converts Wood to Charcoal. Anna Austin tells us of a new "microwave-assisted pyrolysis" technique called "Black Phantom," developed by New Zealand-based Carbonscape Ltd.

http://www.theobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1325256
12-02-08, The Observer, Plant Targets Farm Waste. Report on University of Western Ontario's launch of a pilot plant to turn agricultural waste into useful products, including biochar.

Top Tens
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/nov/27/renewableenergy-energy
11-27-08, The Guardian, The 10 Big Energy Myths. Businessman and climate-change commentator Chris Goodall has written a book called Ten Technologies to Save the Planet. Biochar is one of them and it commands a whole chapter in the book. This article is Goodall's summary of his book.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16179-ten-ways-to-save-the-world.html
12-02-08, New Scientist, Ten Ways to Save the World. Journalist Tamsin Osborne provides this summary of Chris Goodall's book.

Time Magazine
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1864279,00.html
12-04-08, Time, Carbon: The Biochar Solution. Lisa Abend produced a report on biochar, its origins in the Amazon and on IBI's recently profiled practitioner, Josh Frye, who is making biochar from chicken manure. The article quotes Bob Hawkins of Eprida, and scientists Tim Flannery, Dominic Wolfe and Johannes Lehmann. Some inaccuracies in the article will hopefully be corrected in a letter to the editor.

Projects and Initiatives
http://www.thestar.com/article/548658
12-06-08, The Toronto Star, A 'revolutionary' remedy for global warming. Reporter Peter Gorrie has a story on the inaugural meeting of the Canadian Biochar Initiative: "Next week, as 10,000 delegates in Poland wrap up another inconclusive United Nations conference on climate change, a small group will gather in Montreal to try to actually do something about the problem."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/6158073.html
12-10-08, Houston Chronicle, Team from Rice wins $10,000 in 'Recycle Ike' Contest. Carolyn Feibel reports that a team of students and scientists from Rice University has won a $10,000 prize for finding a way to use all the wood waste generated by hurricane Ike. The winning idea is biochar. The Rice team will use the money to build a pilot bioreactor for making biochar.

Poznan
http://www.novanewsnow.com/article-275289-White-Rock-student-heads-to-Poland.html
11-23-08, King County Advertiser, White Rock Student Heads to Poland. Biochar in Poznan coverage kicked off with this article about Canadian Youth Delegation member Thea Whitman. Thea is doing post-graduate work on biochar at Cornell University and is starting a biochar cook stove project in Kenya "with a view to incorporate this process into the Kyoto protocol (or its successors) Clean Development Mechanism."

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE4B45KB20081205
12-05-08, Reuters, Scientist Says Ancient Technique Cuts Greenhouse Gas. Gerard Wynn reports from Poznan with a basic background piece on biochar and the IBI.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/ancient-skills-could-reverse-global-warming-1055700.html
12-07-08, The Independent, Ancient Skills 'Could Reverse Global Warming.' Geoffrey Lean, Environment Editor, reports on a new biochar project by Craig Sams and Dan Morrell planned for Belize and Sussex, and discusses biochar in the context of the climate talks in Poznan.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/12/betting-on-biochar-to-break-the-co2-imbalance.php
12-07-08, Treehugger, Betting on Biochar to Solve Our Super CO2 Imbalance. This top eco blog has a report from April Streeter on the scene in Poznan covering biochar, the IBI, and a new biochar venture.

http://news.mongabay.com/2008/1210-africa.html
12-10-08, Mongabay.com, Africa Calls for "Full-Range" of Bio-Carbon as Climate Solution. This article says, "The African Climate Solution - a partnership launched at the current climate talks in Poznan, Poland - seeks payments from industrialized nations for efforts by developing countries to sequester carbon through land use practices." Biochar is identified as one of the practices.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Dangerous-Sea-Level-Rise-Imminent/story.aspx?guid=4A4237D2-E49F-4E36-BF6F-632232ED133E
12-11-08, MarketWatch.com, Dangerous Sea Level Rise Imminent Without Large Reductions of Black Carbon and Implementation of Other Fast-Action Mitigation Strategies. MarketWatch ran this report from the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development on important developments at Poznan regarding fast action on climate change and the role of biochar. As an island nation facing rising seas, the Federated States of Micronesia has called for the use of biochar as a "key piece of the fast-action strategy" that can be deployed immediately to begin backing away from climate tipping points.

James Hansen, "Target Atmospheric CO2: Where Should Humanity Aim?"

Wardle et al article in Science "Fire-Derived Charcoal Causes Loss of Forest Humus"

Lehmann and Sohi Technical Comment Response to Wardle 2008 Science Article

Wardle et all Response to Lehmann/Sohi Technical Comment in Science

September 2008 National Geographic article "Our Good Earth" includes Terra Preta and charcoal. For the complete article, see: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/09/soil/mann-text

More Carbon for Soils More Carbon for Crops - Carbon Negative Farming with Bio Char
Beyond Zero Emissions interviews Dr Lukas Van Zwietan, senior research scientist of the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI), on biochar. To link to the interview or listen to the podcast, click here.

Listen to National Public Radio (NPR) article: Charcoal May Help Improve Soil Quality from April 11, 2008. Researchers say that adding charcoal to soil may provide more benefits for long-term soil quality than compost or manure....to hear the complete story, Click here

Photo courtesy of Richard Haard

Charcoal in agriculture: Experimental research at Fourth Corner Nurseries: Link to the article by Richard Haard.

http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/haard4cncharcoalreportjan07

and a followup piece here:

http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/haard4cncharcoalreportjan11

Stephan M Haefele, "Black Soil, Green Rice", Rice Today Magazine, 2007

The Australian Broadcast Corp (ABC) recently aired a segment on Agrichar on Thursday, August 23, 2007 at 8:00 pm. See the ABC Catalyst website for more information by clicking here. The link contains an article, the 11 minute segment, and a transcript of the program. Much of the program was filmed during the 2007 IAI Conference in Terrigal, NSW, Australia.

Johannes Lehmann, "Bio-energy in the Black", Frontiers in Ecology, 2007