Lehmann Biochar 2009

8/9/2019 Lehmann Biochar 2009

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Johannes Lehmann

Department of Crop and Soil SciencesCornell University

Biochar Systems Science:Climate Change Mitigation with

Multiple Sustainability Outcomes?


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Agricultural Carbon Sequestration

Tillage practices

Organic matter applications (manures,

composts)

Residue retention

AgroforestryBiochar systems

Kimetu

Climate Change mitigationmust first explore allemission reductions from

energy generation!


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Multiple Biomass Use in Agricultural andForestry Systems

FoodBioenergy

Bioproducts

Soil health (soil protection,soil organic matter, nutrients)

Climate forcing (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrousoxide, black carbon)


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Smart Biochar Systems Exploring Synergies

Lehmann, 2007, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment7, 381-387

CO2 making more out of a scarce resource.


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Systems Components

Type of Biochar


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Biochar Properties

Lehmann, 2007, Frontiers in Ecology and theEnvironment7, 381-387

Temperature (C)

0 200 400 600 800 1000

Carbonrecovery(%ofinitia

lC)

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

pH

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

CEC(m

molckg-1)

Surfacea

rea(m2g-1)

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350Carbon

recovery

pHOp

timum

CEC

Surface area

Biochar from black locust(N=3)


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Quality of Biochar - Stability

Corn-BC Oak-BC

0

5

10

15

20

350C

600Ca

b

b b

(1 year, 30C, in sandculture, N=8)

C

arbonlossrate(%year-1)

Nguyen and Lehmann, 2009, Organic Geochemistry40, 846-853

A (corn-350-BC) B (corn-600-BC)

5 nm 5 nm


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Quality of Biochar N2O Emissions

Bhupanderpal-Singh et al., 2009, JEQin press

N2O: Up to 73% reduction

VertisolAlfisolpoultry manure 400C

poultry manure 550C

wood 550C

wood 400C

control


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Systems Components

Emissions Budgets


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Biochar Systems View

Roberts et al., Environmental Science and Technology, in press

Life-cycle energy and emission balances


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Life-Cycle Emissions


0 300 600 900

emit.

reduct.

emit.

reduct.

emit.

reduct.

emit.

reduct.

emit.

reduct.

Greenhouse gases (kg CO2e t-1

dry feedstock)

LUC & field

emiss.agrochems

field ops

other

stable C

avoid foss fuelgen. & comb.land-use seq.

reduced soilN2O emiss.avoid compost

Late

stov

er

Early

stover

Switch

grassB

ar

waste

Net = - 864

Net = - 793

Net = - 442

Net = + 36

Net = - 885

Switch

grassA

(b)0 300 600 900

emit.

reduct.

emit.

reduct.

emit.

reduct.

emit.

reduct.

emit.

reduct.

Greenhouse gases (kg CO2e t-1

dry feedstock)

LUC & field

emiss.agrochems

field ops

other

stable C

avoid foss fuelgen. & comb.land-use seq.

reduced soilN2O emiss.avoid compost

Late

stov

er

Early

stover

Switch

grassB

ar

waste

Net = - 864

Net = - 793

Net = - 442

Net = + 36

Net = - 885

Switch

grassA

(b)


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Economic Analysis


-120 -80 -40 0 40 80 120 160 200cost ($ t

-1dry feedstock)

+$35

-$17Late

stover

Switch

grassA

Yard

waste

Switch

grass

B

+$8

-$18

-$28

-$30

+$69

+$16

(a)

-120 -80 -40 0 40 80 120 160 200cost ($ t

-1dry feedstock)

+$35

-$17Late

stover

Switch

grassA

Yard

waste

Switch

grass

B

+$8

-$18

-$28

-$30

+$69

+$16

(a)biomass collectionpyrolysisbiochar application

tipping fee

biochar P & K contentcarbon value

biomass collectionpyrolysisbiochar application

tipping fee

biochar P & K contentcarbon value

biomass transport

biochar transport

lost compost revenue

avoided compost cost

biochar improved fertilizer usesyngas heat

biomass transport

biochar transport

lost compost revenue

avoided compost cost

biochar improved fertilizer usesyngas heat


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Sensitivity Analysis


Biomass collection energy sensitivity:


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Sensitivity Analysis


Distance (km)

0 200 400 600 800 1000

NetGHG(

kgCO2et-1

drystove

r)

-1000

-800

-600

-400

-200

0

Netenergy(MJt-1

drystover)

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

Revenue($

t-1

drystover)

-90

-60

-30

0

30

60

Net energy

Net revenue

Net GHG

(b)

Distance (km)

0 200 400 600 800 1000

NetGHG(

kgCO2et-1

drystove

r)

-1000

-800

-600

-400

-200

0

Netenergy(MJt-1

drystover)

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

Revenue($

t-1

drystover)

-90

-60

-30

0

30

60

Net energy

Net revenue

Net GHG

(b)

Transportation distance

Late stover scenario

High revenue


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Cook Stoves Lower indoor pollution=lower respiratory+ eye infections

Torre


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Cook Stoves - ExamplesWorldStoves Project - Burkina Faso, Burundi

Mulcahy


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Cook Stoves - ExamplesGOOD STOVES AND BIOCHAR COMMUNITIES PROJECT - India

Sai Bhaskar Reddy


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Emission Reductions with Biochar Cookstoves

Whitman and Lehmann, Environmental Science and Policy12, 1024-1027


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Emission Reductions

Whitman et al., unpublished

MRT of BC 600yrsFraction of passive BC: 0.85

Fraction of crop residue used: 25%Fraction converted to BC: 0.6Systems dynamics modeling (Vensim)

Case Study Western Kenya preliminary data


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Time since conversion (years)

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

Maizegrain

yield(tha-1)

2

4

6

8

10

12

Biochar

Sawdust

Manure

Tithonia

LSD0.05

Soil and Crop BenefitsCase Study Western Kenya

Kimetu et al., 2008, Ecosystems11: 726-739

Biochar applied eachseason

Kenya (n=3)


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Biochar Systems Waste ManagementPoultry Manure: low value, risk of pathogen contamination,

disease development in chicken

West Virginia Poultry Farm

99,000 chickens125-600 t/yr poultry litter

Pyrolysis of 300 kg/hr dry litter(at 500C)Off-sets 114,000L propane gasUS$66,000 /yr

25-120 t/yr biochar


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Biochar Systems Waste Management

Wasatch-Cache National Forest, UtahUSDA Forest Service - Ogden Archive, USDA Forest Service


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Biochar Systems Waste Management

Flottwick

Canada


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Integrated Biomass Systems with Biochar


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Energy

Production

Soil

Improvement

Mitigation of

Climate Change

Social, Financial Benefits

Biochar Systems What systemsbenefits have tobe harnessed?

Waste

Management


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Energy

Production

Soil

Improvement

Mitigation of

Climate Change


Biochar Systems

Waste

Management


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Energy

Production

Soil

Improvement

Mitigation of

Climate Change


Biochar Systems How manyopportunitiesexist?

Waste

Management


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Biochar The Way Forward

Not WHETHER, but WHERE/HOW


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Biochar The Way ForwardInformed by solid science

Taking a systems perspective (alsotogether with other approaches)

Implementation with R&D support wherewe know enough

Documents

Lehmann Biochar 2009