Biochar industry development in China

Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2017 21:56:30 +0800
From: "Tom Miles" <tmiles@trmiles.com>
To: "'Discussion of biomass cooking stoves'"
        <stoves@lists.bioenergylists.org>
Subject: Re: [Stoves] Air pollution in cities

"China is making a substantial effort to reduce air pollution. We have just completed the "2nd China-Asian Workshop on Biochar Production and Application for Green Agriculture -From Technology to Viable Systems" at Nanjing University and the International Biochar Initiative Asia-China center. Scientists and companies from around the region attended. We visited plants converting straws, manure, and biosolids to biochar and biochar fertilizers. China has invested in many biochar plants in Northern China, primarily to reduce air pollution, improve yields and soil fertility, and sequester carbon. They are currently building about 50 biochar plants. They have located a biochar plant in each of several provinces. They have tested the biochar fertilizer products in the field at more than 300 sites with impressive results. They have set up farmer coops and businesses to collect and densify crop residues at harvest. The pellets are used to store the straw and improve the efficiency for the process used to make the biochar, recover oils and vinegars, and convert the biochar into fertilizers that can be used by local for fertilizers. They have methods to account for the sequestered carbon. They grow more food with less fertilizer while reducing air pollution and sequestering carbon. Last year they converted 200,000 tons of crop residues to biochar. This year they expect to convert 800,000 tons of crop residues to biochar and biochar products. That is expected to grow to three million tons within five years. It is profitable for the farmers and for the biochar fertilizer companies.

Organizations through the region will be working with the International Biochar Association to demonstrate ways to reduce are pollution from crop residues by converting part of the residue to biochar and biochar products to smallholders and large crop producers."

Tom (Miles, IBI Chairman)