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There’s a growing need to improve crop yields, and while strategies like crop rotation and enhanced seed varieties remain valuable, biochar has emerged as a promising solution.
In fact, biochar production has recently gained traction for its ability to enhance soil fertility, improve plant growth, and supply essential nutrients to crops—with the U.S. biochar market size expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 11.3% from 2023 to 2030.
In other words, the benefits of biochar can’t be ignored—and increased adoption could play a key role in sustainable agricultural practices. Interested in learning more about biochar?
Let’s break down the benefits of using biochar, tips for effective usage, and more.
Key Takeaways
- One of the key benefits of biochar is its ability to improve soil carbon sequestration and reduce CO2 emissions—making it a valuable tool for mitigating climate change.
- Using biochar for soil health has an array of benefits, including its ability to improve soil composition and texture, boost productivity, and increase the soil’s capacity to retain nutrients—all of which support higher crop yields.
- The benefits of turning waste into biochar are numerous—organic waste is diverted from landfills, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced, and valuable nutrients are preserved.
- Biochar-based slow-release fertilizers can boost soil moisture in arid regions—improving water-holding capacity by up to 47.8% and retention by over 35% in 30 days—making them ideal for water-scarce conditions.
What Is Biochar?
Biochar is a charcoal-like, carbon-rich material made by heating organic biomass in a low-oxygen environment. The benefits of biochar in soil are increasingly evident, as this approach helps remove carbon from the atmosphere, mitigate climate change, and improve waste management.
However, the promise of biochar isn’t just about improving soil—it’s about rethinking how we manage waste and grow crops. As described by the International Biochar Initiative, “biochar is a powerfully circular way to fight climate change.”
That said, the type of biochar feedstock used affects its properties—shaping nutrient content, pH level, porosity, and overall effectiveness across different soil types and applications.
How Is Biochar Made?
Curious how to make biochar fertilizer?
The process starts by choosing a feedstock. As mentioned, there are various feedstocks available, each with different use cases and impacts on soil performance. Common feedstocks include agricultural waste, woody biomass, organic material, and animal waste.
The feedstock must then undergo a process called pyrolysis. As described by ScienceDirect, biochar production through pyrolysis is a waste management technology that involves heating biomass waste in an anaerobic environment at a temperature as high as 450 °C and above.
However, there are different types of pyrolysis, each varying in temperature, duration, and oxygen levels.
- Slow pyrolysis: Slow pyrolysis is the slow heating of organic material in the absence of oxygen, typically operating at 400-500°C. This type of pyrolysis produces a high yield of stable, carbon-rich biochar.
- Fast pyrolysis: Fast pyrolysis involves rapidly heating biomass to high temperatures in the absence of oxygen, resulting in increased bio-oil production.
- Gasification: Gasification is a process that uses heat, pressure, and steam to convert materials directly into gas in a low-oxygen environment. This method is typically used for energy production, with biochar as a secondary output.
6 Benefits of Biochar
Want to know the benefits of using biochar?
Here’s what makes biochar a standout climate and soil ally:
1. Long-Term Carbon Sequestration
One of the key benefits of biochar is its ability to improve soil carbon sequestration and reduce CO2 emissions—making it a valuable tool for mitigating climate change.
A recent study found that biochar application increased soil carbon sequestration by an average of 61%. And due to its remarkable stability and resistance to microbial decomposition, biochar is capable of persisting in soil for centuries.
2. Improved Soil Health & Productivity
Using biochar for soil health has an array of benefits, including its ability to improve soil composition and texture, boost productivity, and increase the soil’s capacity to retain nutrients—all of which support higher crop yields. Even more, biochar helps remove toxified soils, enhance photosynthesis in plants, improve carbon sequestration, and minimize greenhouse gas emissions.
Biochar can also be combined with compost and fertilizers to boost its effectiveness. One study shows that using biochar with inorganic or organic fertilizers in acidic soils increases crop productivity more than using fertilizer or biochar alone.
3. Pollution Mitigation & Water Filter
Using biochar for pollution mitigation and water filtration has also proven to be highly effective. Biochar enhances flocculation, dewatering, adsorption, and oxidation processes during municipal wastewater treatment, thereby aiding sludge management, odor mitigation, and nutrient recovery. When integrated into sustainable drainage systems, biochar helps reduce stormwater impact by enhancing soil structure, increasing erosion resistance and water retention, improving hydraulic conductivity, and removing pollutants.
Studies show that engineered biochar achieves up to 95% pollutant removal efficiency, combining effectiveness, cost-efficiency, and environmental sustainability.
4. Waste Conversion & Resource Circularity
The benefits of turning waste into biochar are numerous—organic waste, including agricultural residues, is diverted from landfills, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced, valuable nutrients are preserved, and the resulting organic waste fertilizer improves soil health. For every ton of organic waste diverted from landfills and converted to biochar, up to 3 tons of CO₂ equivalent emissions are avoided from landfill methane.
For companies, this also presents an opportunity to reduce disposal costs and generate new revenue by selling biochar.
5. Boost to Sustainable Local Economies
One of the key biochar benefits is that it creates local jobs across production, distribution, and application.
For instance, in California’s Central Valley, biochar production could create between 16.56 and 17.69 new full- and part-time jobs annually, contributing $1.2 to $5.75 million in labor income and adding approximately $5.2 million to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) each year. While this is just one example, it shows how investing in biochar can boost local economies while also supporting sustainability efforts.
6. Increased Water Efficiency & Drought Resilience
With water shortages becoming a growing concern in dry regions, finding smarter ways to hold onto soil moisture is more important than ever.
A recent study demonstrated that biochar-based slow-release fertilizers can significantly improve soil moisture in arid regions—boosting water-holding capacity by up to 47.8% and water retention by over 35% within 30 days, highlighting their potential for sustainable agriculture under water-scarce conditions.
Practical Guidance & Quality Considerations of Biochar
While biochar production has emerged as a valuable solution to farm waste management, landfill diversion, and soil enhancement, it must be produced and applied responsibly to maximize its benefits.
From sourcing feedstock to complying with standards, here’s what you should know:
1. Sourcing and Feedstock Quality
Anyone interested in making biochar must understand how to select the right feedstock based on its composition, moisture content, and intended application. While there are various types to choose from, residue-based feedstock—organic materials left over from agricultural, forestry, or industrial processes—offers clear feedstock benefits, such as low cost and reduced risk of contamination.
2. Ideal Pyrolysis Conditions
Producing high-quality biochar depends heavily on maintaining the right pyrolysis conditions. A study on biochar yield and quality found that increasing the pyrolysis temperature reduced the yields of both biochar and bio-oil, while simultaneously enhancing the material’s porosity. Additionally, higher pyrolysis temperatures, longer residence times, and increased gas flow rates were shown to boost the energy content of the resulting biochar.
3. Soil Testing & Application Rates
Before applying biochar at scale, it’s crucial to test your soil to determine its pH, nutrient profile, and organic matter content. These insights help guide not only the application rate but also the selection of the most suitable type of biochar.
As explained by the International Biochar Initiative, “Variation in the pH, ash content, surface area, and other characteristics of biochar is the basis for the concept of ‘designer biochar,’ where the characteristics of a biochar are matched to the specific needs of a soil and/or soil management system. For example, certain high pH biochars may be best for applying to acidic soils, while others with elevated contents of highly recalcitrant C (but which are amorphous in structure) might be better suited to situations where C sequestration is the main goal.”
4. Certification & Standards
As the adoption of biochar in agriculture continues to grow, ensuring its quality and responsible use is more important than ever. To support this, several programs have been established to help companies apply biochar effectively and sustainably.
For instance, the International Biochar Initiative empowers communities and industries to scale biochar to reach its full potential, while the European Biochar Certificate sets quality standards and sustainability guidelines for biochar production and use across Europe.
How Biochar Aligns with Shapiro’s Sustainable Practices
At Shapiro, we’re a food waste recycling company that specializes in solutions like commercial biochar production. From feedstock identification and collection to transport, storage, and pre-processing, we manage every step to ensure efficiency, compliance, and maximum impact.
Our team will work closely with you to create a tailored solution that aligns with your sustainability goals and operational needs. With our end-to-end biochar services, your company can reduce its environmental footprint while turning organic waste into a valuable resource for sustainable agriculture.
Conclusion
From long-term carbon sequestration to waste conversion and improved water efficiency, the benefits of biochar are far-reaching—supporting soil health, reducing environmental impact, and advancing more sustainable agricultural and waste management practices.
At Shapiro, we’re committed to providing services that support a circular economy, and we work with farms, food processors, and other businesses to reduce waste, recover valuable resources, and create more sustainable operations.
If you’re interested in learning more about our custom biochar solutions, contact us today.
Baily Ramsey, an accomplished marketing specialist, brings a unique blend of anthropological insight and marketing finesse to the digital landscape. Specializing in educational content creation, she creates content for various industries, with a particular interest in environmental initiatives.
