Biochar in European Soils and Agriculture: Science and Practice

This user-friendly book introduces biochar to potential users in the professional sphere. It de-mystifies the scientific, engineering and managerial issues surrounding biochar for the benefit of audiences including policy makers, landowners and farmers, land use, agricultural and environmental managers and consultants, industry and lobby groups and NGOs.

The book reviews state-of-the-art knowledge in an approachable way for the non-scientist, covering all aspects of biochar production, soil science, agriculture, environmental impacts, economics, law and regulation and climate change policy. Chapters provide ‘hands-on’ practical information, including how to evaluate biochar and understand what it is doing when added to the soil, how to combine biochar with other soil amendments (such as manure and composts) to achieve desired outcomes, and how to ensure safe and effective use.

The authors also present research findings from the first coordinated European biochar field trial and summarize European field trial data. Explanatory boxes, infographics and concise summaries of key concepts are included throughout to make the subject more understandable and approachable.

Simon Shackley is a Lecturer in the School of GeoSciences at the University of Edinburgh, UK.

Greet Ruysschaert is a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Belgium.

Kor Zwart has recently retired as Senior Researcher at Alterra Wageningen-UR, Netherlands.

Bruno Glaser is Professor of Soil Biogeochemistry at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany, and Managing Director of Biochar Europe UG.