EuroChar - Biochar for Carbon sequestration and large-scale removal of greenhouse gases (GHG) from the atmosphere

The transfer of Carbon from the atmosphere into useful carbon deposits is currently a key challenge. Transferring biomass to carbon-rich materials with potential mega-scale application is an option to sequester carbon from plant material, taking it out of the short-term carbon cycle and therefore binding CO2 efficiently and even in a useful, productive, way into longer term non-atmospheric carbon pools. One emerging option is to transform biomass into charcoal (or Biochar) and add that to agricultural soils. Biochar, that can be produced through thermochemical or hydrothermal processes and as by-product of energy production, is normally made of 60-80% of Carbon; both carbonization processes are exothermic as they produce rather than consume energy and the black-carbon of Biochar is a very stable product. The addition of large amounts of Biochar to agricultural soils potentially enhances their fertility and is compatible with sustainable agriculture. The EuroChar Project aims to develop and demonstrate technologies that will contribute effectively and on a large-scale to remove greenhouse gases (GHG) from the atmosphere in a long-term perspective (over 100 years). For this it is designed to determine in a detailed and rigorous way if the Biochar Option is in fact a realistic strategy to sequester atmospheric Carbon. To achieve this general objective the project will address a number of technical and practical questions and will include direct demonstration and prototyping activities. By integrating research made at molecular, ecosystem and technological scales and by delivering realistic scenario analyses and ISO-accredited whole Life Cycle Assessment carried out according to the International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD) Handbook on LCA , as specifically required by the call.