![\"biochar\"](\"http:\/\/www.unrbep.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Screen-Shot-2014-09-03-at-2.01.53-PM.jpg\")
<\/p>\nElmer \u201cDusty\u201d Moller, Wood Utilization Manager, Business Environmental Program,\u00a0University of Nevada Reno<\/p>\n
In the summer of 2012 in Ely, Nevada, a handful of dedicated researchers processed\u00a0some Pinyon Pine and Juniper in a way that hadn\u2019t been done for more than 100 years.\u00a0They turned it into charcoal! Or rather, agricultural grade charcoal because they intend\u00a0to bury it rather than burn it. The researchers, members of Nevada\u2019s Pinyon Juniper\u00a0Partnership (PJP), used a pyrolizer that converts biomass–biological material from\u00a0living, or recently living organisms, most often referring to plants or plant-derived\u00a0materials\u2014into a charcoal-like substance called biochar.<\/p>\n
Pyrolizers produce char, liquids and gases by heating the biomass at high temperatures\u00a0with little or no oxygen present. In the Ely project, however, only the char was collected.\u00a0What was in store for that char involved some of the top soil scientists, rangeland\u00a0specialists, and mine reclamation experts in the United States.<\/p>\n
In the late 1800s, charcoal used for smelting ore mined in NE Nevada was\u00a0manufactured in \u201cbeehive\u201d kilns, like those located in Ward, Nevada (Figure 1). Each\u00a0kiln would hold about 35 cords of wood and take 10 days to produce 1,750 bushels of\u00a0charcoal. In 2012, the pyrolizer (Figure 2) used about 6 tons of whole tree chips and\u00a0produced about a ton of a form of charcoal known as biochar. The chemistry is similar,\u00a0but the end use different. The early charcoal was produced for its heating properties;\u00a0today\u2019s biochar is manufactured as a soil amendment.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In its role as a soil amendment, biochar acts like a sponge; indeed, when seen through\u00a0an electron microscope, it looks like sponge or block of Swiss cheese.<\/p>\n
![\"bc2\"](\"http:\/\/www.unrbep.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Screen-Shot-2014-09-03-at-2.02.01-PM-e1409778451358.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
It is the tremendous \u00a0surface area and pore \u00a0structure that makes \u00a0biochar \u201cwork\u201d. All the\u00a0nooks and crannies offer \u00a0secure housing for fungi \u00a0and micro-organisms. Therein lies the \u201csecret\u201d of biochar. Char act as a host to mycorrhizal fungi, an association wherein the mycorrhiza colonizes the plant roots.<\/p>\n
\u2026\u201dMycorrhizas form a mutualistic relationship with the roots\u2026This mutualistic \u00a0<\/em>association provides the fungus with relatively constant and direct access to \u00a0<\/em>carbohydrates, such as glucose and sucrose. The carbohydrates are translocated from \u00a0<\/em>their source (usually leaves) to root tissue and on to the plant’s fungal partners. In \u00a0<\/em>return, the plant gains the benefits of the mycelium’s higher absorptive capacity for \u00a0<\/em>water and mineral nutrients due to the comparatively large surface area of mycelium: \u00a0<\/em>root ratio, thus improving the plant’s mineral absorption capabilities.\u201d (Harrison, MJ. <\/em> More simply put, the highly absorbent char may take in water, fungi and nutrients and\u00a0help plants grow better.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Biochar\u2019s Role in the \u201cCarbon Revolution\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n The Ely char was produced from mostly Utah Juniper trees removed from a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) fuels reduction treatment in White Pine County, Nevada.\u00a0 A chemical analysis was performed on the char.\u00a0 According to an International Biochar Initiative (IBI)-based method, the char was nearly 70% organic carbon and with a heat value of more than 11,100 Btu\/lb.\u00a0 While that fuel value is impressive, the Ely researchers were bent on showing that the higher end use for the char is as a soil amendment.\u00a0 In that application biochar may improve water use efficiency, decrease soil acidity, reduce fertilizer requirements, improve plant growth, and more.<\/p>\n The first step in the project was to demonstrate that the char \u201cwould do no harm\u201d.\u00a0 USDA-ARS soil scientist, Dr. Jim Ippolito, at the Northwest Irrigation and Soil Research Station in Kimberly, Idaho, conducted a four month \u201cpot incubation study\u201d using four types of Northeast Nevada soil and two types of char\u2014one made solely from Utah Juniper; the other, Pinyon Pine.\u00a0 (Earlier char studies have shown significantly different results that depended on what the char was made from and the combination of time and temperature used in the production process.)<\/p>\n No nutrients were added as the alfalfa seeds being studied began to sprout. \u00a0Ippolito\u2019s preliminary findings indicated that char was a \u201cneutral\u201d factor in terms of nutrient addition, but was a \u201cpositive\u201d factor in terms of increasing plant-available water and a subsequent increase in alfalfa germination rate.\u00a0 After that study, the Ely group could show land managers, mine operators and gardeners that biochar was not detrimental; so the next step was to demonstrate just how much it was going to help.<\/p>\n The changing culture of American agriculture<\/strong><\/p>\n Understanding how American agriculture got to where it needs help by adopting new methods of revitalizing soil is important.\u00a0 Perhaps the first \u201cmarker\u201d is the Dust Bowl era and the devastation that plagued the US in the early 1930s.\u00a0 Two culprits are most frequently mentioned as prime contributors to the failure of agriculture throughout the US mid-west\u2014drought and deep plowing–the ground preparation most favored at the time.\u00a0 Lack of water and deep plowing followed the move to increase cultivation in the mid-west. Farmers were reacting to the increase in food prices generated by the demands of World War I.<\/p>\n Among the Dust Bowl impacts of loss of farm production\u2014in many cases, loss of the land, literally, as tons of top soil were stripped from the farms, was the inability of farmers\/ranchers to feed their herds.\u00a0 The Federal government responded with a series of programs under the direction first by the Soil Erosion Service in 1933; then, the Soil Conservation Service which became \u00a0today\u2019s Natural Resources Conservation Services.\u00a0 Farmers were given money to use \u201cconservation\u201d farming methods\u2014crop rotation, strip farming, contour plowing, among others. The government aided the ranchers by buying up the herds of animals\u2014then, slaughtering the animals unfit for food and processing the remainder to feed citizens through a variety of distribution programs.\u00a0 When the drought passed, a strong relationship between the Federal government and US farmers and ranchers had been forged and continues today.<\/p>\n The second \u201cmarker\u201d occured in the 1970\u2019s when Department of Agriculture switched from a policy of restricting production to maintain stability in US agriculture production to a policy of \u201cplant fence row to fence row\u201d\u2014a program dependent on expanding exports and price supports when international markets didn\u2019t provide the necessary demand for the rapidly increasing US supplies.<\/p>\n The culture of American farming appears to have adopted the model of \u201cprofit maximization\u201d\u2014extracting the most and best crops from as many acres as possible while holding costs to minimum levels.\u00a0 This maximization, however, may not always prove best for the land and other natural and common pool resources.<\/p>\n For example, some studies show that, worldwide, about 70% of freshwater stocks are used to grow food.\u00a0 While a somewhat lower percentage is reported for the US, the source water and location of the farmed land is critical.\u00a0 For example, the Ogallala Aquifer occupies more than 170,000 square miles in an area bounded by Wyoming and South Dakota in the north and New Mexico and Texas in the South.\u00a0 Enter two problems: overpumping and climate change.\u00a0 A New York Times article explains the former problem:<\/p>\n \u201cSixty years of intensive farming using huge center-pivot irrigators has emptied parts of the High Plains Aquifer.\u00a0 It would take hundreds to thousands of years of rainfall to replace the groundwater in the depleted aquifer. \u00a0In 1950 irrigated cropland covered 250,000 acres. (Then) with the use of center-pivot irrigation, nearly three million acres of land were irrigated.\u00a0 In some places in the Texas Panhandle, the water table has been drained (dewatered). \u00a0Vast stretches of Texas farmland lying over the aquifer no longer support irrigation. In west-central Kansas, up to a fifth of the irrigated farmland along a 100-mile swath of the aquifer has already gone dry.”<\/em><\/p>\n It\u2019s climate change that has some observers really concerned.\u00a0 The map (below) shows the long term impacts of drought throughout the US:<\/p>\n While the Ogallala Aquifer is not recharging at a rate to replace water extraction, the amount of precipitation the area receives is decreasing.\u00a0 And, from the drought map, the message for Nevada is clear\u2014expect less rainfall (Nevada only averages 7 inches of rain annually now!) and be extremely cautious with ground water removal.\u00a0 Perhaps the findings of the Ippolito study\u2014the possibility of increased water efficiency and improved germination\u2014will come into play.\u00a0 First, however, considerable amounts of biochar need to be produced to test out biochar\u2019s value to Nevadans.<\/p>\n Biochar\u2014a growth industry with critical requirements<\/strong><\/p>\n Creating a brand new industry in Nevada is a tall order.\u00a0 Nevada has a rich history in converting large tracts of Pinyon\/Juniper to charcoal\u2014used throughout the state as a fuel and process element for smelting mine ore.\u00a0 But, biochar is different than charcoal.\u00a0 In order for biochar to succeed in the markets of rangeland, farm land, mine spoils and urban settings, biochar has to satisfy these four conditions:<\/p>\n Figure 5: Homestyle Biochar Production Unit<\/span><\/p>\n Inventive technology<\/em><\/strong>\u2014Entrepreneurs must find ways to efficiently convert biomass to biochar in a wide range of production settings.\u00a0 In urban settings, a TLUD \u201ckiln\u201d, shown in Figure 5, can convert urban tree waste to char.\u00a0 The name TLUD comes from the burning process involved.\u00a0 The compartments inside the barrel contain fuel wood and biomass.\u00a0 The fuel wood is ignited at the top layer<\/strong> (TL)<\/strong> and the fire is stocked from the bottom using an up draft \u00a0(UD).\u00a0 <\/strong>The downside to this technology is the smoke\u2014similar to a barbecue\u2019s output, but lasting all day!\u00a0 City burn ordinances and complaining neighbors will limit the acceptance of this production method.<\/p>\n Biomass has a relatively low value and can\u2019t be profitably transported very far. Char, while having a higher value, works best when blended with nutrients or composted and that step is most efficiently accomplished close to the application site\u2014again reducing transportation costs.<\/p>\n In a recent study conducted by Humboldt State University researcher, Han Sup Han, the cost to move biomass-whole trees felled (sawn down) to the ground-from where they landed to a processing facility was nearly $50\/BDT.\u00a0 (BDT equals \u201cbone dry ton\u201d-an estimate of the fiber present after the moisture has been removed.) Some biochar conversion processes can achieve a 25% recovery-using 4 tons of biomass to yield 1 ton of biochar.\u00a0 Thus, the cost of the raw material would be approximately $200 per ton.<\/p>\n Adoptive markets<\/em><\/strong>\u2014Eager, early adopters need to be present within each of the markets to help \u201cpull\u201d the char through the production process.\u00a0 Those market leaders need to be reminded of the role that carbon plays in the soil.\u00a0 Stable forms of soil carbon, like biochar, can increase farm profitability, urban tree survival and home garden success by increasing yields, soil fertility, soil moisture retention, aeration, nitrogen fixation, mineral availability, and disease suppression. Carbon is a major contributor to healthy soil!\u00a0 Like one dedicated collaborator in Eureka, Nevada, said, \u201cWe\u2019re running out of options to improve our soils and this one shows promise\u201d.<\/p>\n Stealth business plan<\/em><\/strong>\u2014Operators need to complete a thorough investigation of resource availability, production and application costs that, when balanced against improved crop yields, leads to the conclusion that biochar use \u201cwill pencil out\u201d. An extremely strong \u201cCustomer Value Proposition (CVP)\u201d must be developed that will help investors overcome the fear of the many unknowns that accompany using a \u201cnew\u201d product or starting a new industry. At the heart of the CVP are the mechanisms that drive the profit formula\u2014ingredients (seed, biochar, water, fertilizer, labor) in; quality and quantity of production out.<\/p>\n Favorable government policy<\/em><\/strong>–With more than 9 million acres of the PJ forest type, the Ely district of the BLM is a key player in the Nevada biomass market.\u00a0 The district has a budget for healthy forest restoration.\u00a0 Restoration activities are summarized in \u201ctask orders\u201d where specific tasks are prescribed. \u00a0Those prescriptions are deemed fulfilled or complete when a function is accomplished.\u00a0 For example, if the activity is to \u201cmasticate\u201d the PJ–grind in place\u2014then the appropriate machine does precisely that.\u00a0 In another case, \u201clop and scatter\u201d means to feel the PJ and then cut off and scatter the limbs over the surrounding ground.<\/p>\n At the point in time when the sawyer has dropped the tree, it can be \u201cutilized\u201d.\u00a0 Up to this point, it has typically cost the BLM about $250 an acre for the labor and machine work.\u00a0 If the fiber is to be utilized, it could cost BLM another $250\u2014assuming 5 tons of PJ per acre–to see the fiber delivered to a nearby processing plant.\u00a0 In this example, then, prescribing \u201cutilization\u201d doubles the cost of treatment!\u00a0 The biomass developed has value but without the budget to remove the biomass from the forest on the front end and the investment in research to efficiently process the biomass into biochar on the backend, making the carbon farm or garden ready is not going to happen.<\/p>\n Through regulatory action, research, grant funding\u2014the whole gamut of tools that the US Department\u2019s of Agriculture and Interior use to get things done\u2014corrections, changes, adjustments, even policy reversals, need to occur.\u00a0 One instance, the tactic of \u201cpile and burn\u201d used on forest slash after hazardous fuels reduction or forest health projects has many weaknesses.\u00a0 Biochar created from that biomass can be returned to the forest floor or used in nearby markets.\u00a0 In another case, urban biomass currently landfilled, can be converted to biochar for use in gardens, urban canopy cover restoration, lawns, gardens, golf courses\u2014the list is endless.<\/p>\n Nevada\u2019s Biochar Markets<\/strong><\/p>\n Broad Acre Agriculture<\/em><\/strong>\u2014With Nevada being the driest of the 50 US states, biochar\u2019s water efficiency is an attractive product characteristic.\u00a0 What would an extra inch of rain mean to NE Nevada\u2019s alfalfa farmers?\u00a0 Research from Iowa State University offers a tantalizing answer:<\/p>\n While no\u00a0meteorologist\u00a0or agronomist can accurately predict which years will be “dry years,” scientists and farmers can now take steps to protect themselves against plant dehydration during a drought\u2026Biochar exhibits many unique properties that could provide aid to combat future dry spells, the most noteworthy being water retention. In a lab study conducted at Iowa State, researchers discovered biochar increased the soil\u2019s water retention by 15 percent.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThis year, [water retention is] huge because of the drought,\u201d said David Laird, professor of agronomy. \u201cIf you can improve the soil quality and make it so the soil holds water better, then it will be more robust in a dry year.\u201d (Debner, 2013)<\/em><\/p>\n Since it would be cost prohibitive to try to apply biochar on a large Nevada ranch, could it be selectively applied just to the area where the plant could benefit the most from it?<\/p>\n One New Zealand researcher, Don Graves, Motueka, Aotearoa New Zealand uses a unique seed drill\/ disc to do just that.\u00a0 The soil profile shown in Figure 7 illustrates the location of biochar slurry occupying both horizontal seedbed shelves and the vertical column produced by the disc designed to cut through crop residues. (Graves, 2012a, unpublished).<\/p>\n Forest\/Rangeland Restoration<\/em><\/strong>\u2014An important part of marketing is delivering the product.\u00a0 Biochar production processes can yield a considerable amount of dust-like fines or ash.\u00a0 When Dr. Debbie Page-Dumroese, a researcher with the US Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station in Moscow, Idaho, conducted a trial on the Umpqua National Forest, her delivery method called for the use of 5 gallon buckets!\u00a0 Figure 8 shows that application technique. (Page-Dumroese, 2011).\u00a0 A delivery technique that served for a scientific study could find reluctant clients for larger field trials.<\/p>\n Mine Reclamation–<\/em><\/strong>Char can be pelletized and, plain wood pellets can be charred.\u00a0 New Zealander Don Graves manufactured clay-coated biochar pellets by charring standard wood stove pellets then coated them with a clay\/fertilizer coating.\u00a0 This version of biochar could prove useful in mine reclamation applications where top application might be the best way to introduce biochar to mine spoils.<\/p>\n Urban Forests\u2014<\/em><\/strong>an important and fast growing market are our urban forests.\u00a0 Canopy cover within our cities is an important controlling factor for pollution and flood control.\u00a0 But the environment offered by concrete and pavement is extreme.\u00a0 This worker is drilling into the planter box in order to apply char to the root zone of this established tree.\u00a0 The char, along with a dose of nutrients will go a long way to increase tree growth and survivability.<\/p>\n Figure 10: Urban Forest Biochar Application<\/span><\/p>\n Gardeners–<\/em><\/strong>The USDA-ARS pot studies mentioned previously were based on application rates determined for 0, 1, 2, and 5% by weight; those equivalent to 0, 10, 20 and 50 tons per acre.\u00a0 Ippolito concluded that \u201csoil moisture content tended to be at its greatest with the 1% biochar application rate. A correlation analysis was also performed between average alfalfa germination means for the entire study period versus average soil moisture content for the entire study period. A significant relationship was found suggesting that increases in soil moisture due to increasing biochar application may be tied directly to increases in alfalfa germination success.\u201d<\/p>\n Urban gardeners can easily make use of this research.\u00a0 The first step is to measure the garden and determine the square footage.\u00a0 At a recommended 1% application rate, a square foot of garden soil, at a tillage depth of 6 inches or so, would require about 1\/2 pound of char.\u00a0 Depending on the density of the char, that would convert to about 3 cups\/per square foot.\u00a0 When applying the char, adding some inorganic nitrogen fertilizer can offset the initial absorptive activity of the char.\u00a0 As stated, once the mycorrhizal community is established, overall fertilizer needs may diminish. Figure 11: Currently Marketed Biochar Products<\/span><\/p>\n Biochar\u2014a dark product with a bright future<\/strong><\/p>\n Natural and native-made chars go back in time several thousand years but the groundswell of re-introducing char as a soil amendment is a recent phenomenon.\u00a0 And it is a grassroots phenomenon at that.\u00a0 The industry, as least in the US, is characterized by a few industrial producers scattered across the country but there are scores of small producers\u2014many operating TLUD kilns in backyard \u201cfactories\u201d.<\/p>\n Much is unknown about the behavioral characteristics of Pinyon\/Juniper-based chars as applied to the Nevada market venues.\u00a0 Yet the upside of the benefits of using char is tremendous.\u00a0 Take the water efficiency aspect alone.\u00a0 Users of similar chars in agricultural applications report water efficiency improvement of 15% or greater. Others report crop yield increases greater than 50%!\u00a0 In specialty applications, like mine reclamation, operators report successful reclamation where previous attempts, not using char, failed.<\/p>\n Nevada\u2019s carbon history is connected to Nevada\u2019s carbon future<\/strong><\/p>\n The operators of the 19th<\/sup> century industrial charcoal kilns in Northeast Nevada were called \u201ccarbonari\u201d\u2014recruits from Spain and skilled in the art of making charcoal.\u00a0 Modern day Nevada \u201cbiocharists\u201d have a different bent.\u00a0 Their goals range from sequestering carbon as a preventive measure for climate change to gaining the water and growing efficiencies shown in laboratory studies and initial field trials.\u00a0 Using the Nevada\u2019s renewable Pinyon\/Juniper resource for today\u2019s aims just might give Nevadan\u2019s a chance to rewrite the state\u2019s Pinyon\/Juniper forest history.<\/p>\n For more information:<\/p>\n The International Biochar Initiative<\/strong> has published IBI Biochar Standards in their role as the lead scientific agency involved with the establishment of the biochar industry.\u00a0 The Standards plus the most complete database of published biochar research and current research projects are available at http:\/\/www.biochar-international.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n The US Biochar Initiative<\/strong> consists of more than a dozen chapters throughout the US\u2014each dedicated to using local biomass resources to produce chars for local markets:\u00a0 http:\/\/www.biochar-us.org\/regional%20chapters.html<\/a><\/p>\n The 2013 North American Biochar Symposium<\/strong> will be held October 13 through 16.\u00a0 Symposium agenda, registration and subsequent proceedings will found here:\u00a0 http:\/\/symposium2013.pvbiochar.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n The Pinyon\/Juniper Partnership<\/strong> is conducting some of the research describe herein.\u00a0 Their goal is to minimize ecological risks while engaging in landscape level Pinyon\/Juniper forest restoration, with utilization of the resulting biomass as an additional beneficial outcome:\u00a0 http:\/\/www.nvpjpartnership.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n Works Cited<\/strong><\/p>\n The results of the cited Ely biochar \u201cpot study\u201d are contained in a report authored by Jim Ippolito, USDA-ARS-Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research Laboratory, entitled \u201cPinyon Pine and Juniper Biochar Application to Four Eastern Nevada Soils\u201d.<\/strong> An electronic version of that report is available by contacting Dusty Moller, Wood Utilization Manager, University of Nevada Reno at dmoller@unr.edu<\/p>\n Harrison MJ. Signaling in the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis.<\/strong> Annu Rev Microbiol. 2005;59:19-42.<\/p>\n Debner, E. Biochar is an investment in soil<\/strong>. Accessed 7 May 2013.\u00a0 Available from http:\/\/www.iowastatedaily.com\/news\/article_1e80d8e8-01a1-11e2-8ada-001a4bcf887a.html<\/a><\/p>\n Graves, D. Personal Communication<\/p>\n Page-Dumroese, D. Environmental Consequences of Biomass-to-Biochar \u00a0\u00a0Technologies.<\/strong>\u00a0 Quoted in:\u00a0 http:\/\/forest.moscowfsl.wsu.edu\/smp\/solo\/documents\/GTs\/McElligott-Kristin_Thesis.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n Wilson, K. Various \u201cBlog\u201d articles at: www.kelpiewilson.com\/biochar<\/a><\/p>\n Additional information and guidance on the most current biochar research can be located by contacting the following \u201cLinkedIn\u201d groups:\u00a0 http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Biochar\u2014a soil restorative–useful in agriculture and forestry Elmer \u201cDusty\u201d Moller, Wood Utilization Manager, Business Environmental Program,\u00a0University of Nevada Reno Introduction In the summer of 2012 in Ely, Nevada, a handful of dedicated researchers processed\u00a0some Pinyon Pine and Juniper in a way that hadn\u2019t been done for more than 100 years.\u00a0They turned it into charcoal! Or … Continue reading Biochar Technical Paper<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":79,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5972"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5972"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5972\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7125,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5972\/revisions\/7125"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/79"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n2005)<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Biochar](\"http:\/\/www.unrbep.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Biochar-paper-1-300x224.jpg\")
<\/p>\nFigure 4: Long Term Drought Indicators <\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"Biochar](\"http:\/\/www.unrbep.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Biochar-paper-2.jpg\")
<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Biochar](\"http:\/\/www.unrbep.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Biochar-paper-3-300x225.jpg\")
<\/h3>\nFigure 6: PJ Biomass Utilization Costs<\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"Biochar](\"http:\/\/www.unrbep.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Biochar-paper-4.jpg\")
<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\nFigure 7: Biochar Slurry Applied w\/Cross Slot Device<\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"Biochar](\"http:\/\/www.unrbep.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Biochar-paper-5-300x234.jpg\")
<\/p>\nFigure 8: Biochar Manually Applied in Forest Study<\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"Biochar](\"http:\/\/www.unrbep.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Biochar-paper-6-300x162.jpg\")
<\/p>\nFigure 9: Standard wood pellets – charred and coated<\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"Biochar](\"http:\/\/www.unrbep.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Biochar-paper-7-300x225.jpg\")
<\/h3>\n
\n![\"Biochar](\"http:\/\/www.unrbep.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Biochar-paper-8-300x206.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\n
Download Full Article –\u00a0Biochar_Technical_Article–Revised<\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"