Biochar for Environmental Management: Science and Technology

ISBN 10: 184407658X / ISBN 13: 9781844076581

Published by Earthscan Publications Ltd., 2009

About this Item

Hardback. No dust jacket. Cover edges are in good shape. Cover corners are bent. Spine is tight. Pages are clean, no markings, notes or stains. Ships from Friends bookstore to benefit Beaverton (Oregon) library.

Seller Inventory # mon0000083480

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Biochar for Environmental Management: Science and Technology
• Publisher: Earthscan Publications Ltd.
• Publication Date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 184407658X
• ISBN 13: 9781844076581
• Binding: hardcover
• Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis

The unique properties of black carbon-rich soils have only recently been recognized and international efforts have significantly increased to utilize this knowledge to improve agriculture and the environment in several ways.

Biomass-derived black carbon, charcoal or "biochar", as it is nowadays called, can be used as a soil amendment to improve nutrient retention and availability and therefore increase crop yields. Such a use of biochar is a significant advance over conventional organic matter management, as the biochar is more stable in soil and is better able to retain nutrients. In combination with sustainable biomass production, such a biochar sequestration can be carbon negative and therefore be used to actively remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, with obvious significance for mitigation of climate change. Biochar production can also be combined with bioenergy production through the use of the gases that are given off in the pyrolysis process. This book is the first to synthesize the expanding research literature on this topic. This is all the more important at this juncture in the development of a biochar technology, as it requires an interdisciplinary approach involving engineering, environmental sciences, agricultural sciences, economics, and policy. The book provides a comprehensive overview of current knowledge of the science and technology of biochar.

About the Author

Johannes Lehmann is associate professor of soil biogeochemistry and soil fertility management at Cornell University, USA, Co-founder and Chair of the Board of the International Biochar Initiative, and member of the editorial boards of Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems and Plant and Soil. Stephen Joseph is a visiting professor at the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of New South Wales, Australia, and Vice Chairman and Co-founder of the International Biochar Initiative.