BIOCHAR

What is Biochar?

Biochar is a type of charcoal produced by burning plant material under very low oxygen conditions. Biochar has great capacity to improve soil quality by retaining nutrients including carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen, as well as heavy metals and other contaminants. It also increases water retention and enhances microorganism diversity, making soils more fertile and hospitable for plants and other beneficial organisms.

Ridge to Reefs uses biochar in green infrastructure wastewater treatment systems including wood chip bioreactors to promote biological activity of microorganisms which perform vital nutrient reducing functions. It can also be used in farming applications to improve soil health due to its high carbon content and surface area, as well as its ability to uptake heavy metals and balance soil pH.

Pioneering the Use of Biochar with Wood Chip Reactors

Ridge to Reefs implemented the first bioreactor mixed with biochar in a non-research setting in the USA.

The goal of this new practice is to reduce nitrate concentrations by 80%-90% and phosphorus concentrations by 30%-60% in the farm’s agricultural runoff.

Read more here.

Bioreactor/Biochar Workshop at James River Association

On Nov 10th, 2016 Ridge to Reefs had a free, open to the public workshop at the James River Association. We discussed bioreactors with biochar as a valuable innovation for best management practices reducing nutrient loads to the Chesapeake Bay.

Speakers: Dr. Zach Easton (Virgina Tech)
Charles Hegberg (reGENESIS Consulting Services)
Joseph D. Brown (University of Delaware)
Drew Koslow (Ridge to Reefs)