Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES Biochar for climate mitigation – facts and fears

Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor

DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES

Biochar for climate mitigation – facts and fears



Numbers and figures– 8 Gt carbon (C) (30 Gt CO2) annually– of which 2 Gt (estimated) is from deforestation– Current level: 385 ppm – 1 ppm CO2 = 2.12 Gt C– If therewere no natural sinks:

3.77 ppm annual increase• 400 ppm well before 2020!



More numbers and figures

• 1 kg char buried = 3.67 kg CO2 removed• Half-life of charcoal (biochar) in soils

Preston & Schmidt: 5 000 – 7 000 yearsLehmann: 2 000 – 3 000 yearsBird: > 100 years (grass wildfire, high oxidation)

• Half-life of biomass> 40 years (estimated)



32 000 years old char



Tipping points



Antarctic ozone Arctic summer sea-iceArctic permafrost (going on)Atlantic thermohaline circulation (NADW)El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO)Indian summer monsoonSahara/Sahel and West African monsoonAmazon rainforestBoreal forestAntarctic Bottom WaterArctic ozone

Tipping points – the Humpty Dumpty effect

FG

FGFG



280

300

350

400

385

Risk for tipping increase considerably over 350 ppm

ppm CO2

Systems theory - climate



Emission reductions only – is futile !

It is like cutting the branch – but doing it slower!



7,68

7,53

7,38

7,23

7,09

6,95

6,81

6,67

6,54

6,417,84

8,00

387 ppm

0

10

20

30

40

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2016 2017 2019

Assume a 20% emission reduction in ten years For the entire world!

Current CO2 concentration

Reduced emissions

Gt C

arbo

n



7,68

7,53

7,38

7,23

7,09

6,95

6,81

6,67

6,54

6,417,84

16

24

31

38

46

53

60

67

73

80

86

8,00

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2016 2017 2019Accu

mulation

Emissions

Gig

aton

nes

Car

bon

But, carbon dioxide accumulate in the air



Accumulated

7,68

7,53

7,38

7,23

7,09

6,95

6,81

6,67

6,54

6,417,84

16

24

31

38

46

53

60

67

73

80

86413ppm

8,00

387ppm

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

370

375

380

385

390

395

400

405

410

415

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2016 2017 2019

Atm

osph

eric

CO

2 co

ncen

tratio

n, p

pm

Emissions

Gig

aton

nes

Car

bon

Thus, even an emisson reduction will lead to a disastous increase in concentration



Gt/yr

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

0

Assume, a radical emission reduction

90%

This won’t solve the problems



Gt/yr

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

0

But a radical emission reduction can solve the problems!

At this time,the CO2 levelstops rising !

2 Gtnet sequestration

if it is combined withbiochar sequestration !



• A combination of – EMISSION REDUCTION

and– CARBON SEQUESTRATION with char

may solve the climate problems

However, this would be an effort that would dwarf the Chinese wall, the pyramides and the

first and second world war – together



Charcoal (biochar) addition to soils

enhance soil metabolism and quality



Oxisol(normal rain forest soil)

Terra Preta(anthrosol: charcoal enriched oxisol)

FGFG



Is extensive charring a threat?



Yes, It is not feasible to make enough char to

counteract current annual emissions of 8 Gt per year

1. Just trying to do this would give carte blanche to further emissions

2. Cutting the feedstock for that would certainly be a threat to global plant (and animal) life

if it is not understood that:



Therefore, the charring process (pyrolysis) must be regulated

– with rules for emission reductions– and ethical principles for biomass aquisition

(e.g. only biomass that otherwise would decay)

Here is an urgent need for supranational actions!



Is there enough biomass for 2Gt?• Global cereal production: 2 Gt

– Straw: 2 Gt 0.5 Gt char• World wood fuel, 1.7 Gt pyrolysis burning

– 0.42 Gt char– paper: 0.3 Gt char

• Improved household burning by the poor (Anila pyrolysing stove)– 0.4 Gt char

• Changed forestry and agricultural practice (5%)– 0.6 Gt Total: 2.2 Gt char



Tax and permitfund

FG

$Payment

Permission

Emission

The PPEModel

(currently used)

The economist solution:Climate problems fromapproved carbon dioxide!



/C(H2O)/n

Carbon sequestration

fund$

FG

Sequestration

Validation

Payment

The SVPmodel

Another solution:Climate problems reducedby payment for sequestration!Alleviating:•Atmospheric CO2•Unemployment•Economy, if combined with emission tax•Global economic imbalance



Receives tax for emissions

Receives funds for emission permits

Pays for the sequestration serviceGuard obedience to rules (disobedience = no payment)

The need for supranational initiatives: An international carbon sequestration fund

Carbon sequestration

fund



Thank you!

Documents

Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES Biochar for climate mitigation – facts and fears