Read a summary of the article below. 

Sri Lanka is one of the world’s leading tea producers. Dilmah Tea, a Sri Lankan company, is stepping away from large scale processing to smaller-scale farms with onsite picking and packaging of tea. Nevertheless, tea monoculture has large environmental impacts, especially on land and soil quality. To address these effects and assist with environmental conservation, Dilmah Tea created the Dilmah Conservation.

Soil degradation is a major concern in tea plantations as poor soil management has led to significant reductions in soil quality. To address these concerns, a Bio-remediation program was initiated in 2008, and is currently led by Dr. J.C. Krishnaratne of the Dilmah Conservation. The program is currently investigating the effects of biochar application to soil at the Palmadulla field and Nawalapitiya plantations. The team produced a wood-chip biochar onsite with an updraft pyrolyzer made from steel drums. Biochar of varying particle size was incorporated into the soil.

Findings from soil sampling:

Nine months after Biochar application, soil samples (from 15-20 cm depth) were tested in the laboratory. They found that the biochar-treated soils had higher amounts of organic matter, but lower pH than control samples. Microbial activity was measured through a simple cotton strip assay, where tensile strength of cotton is measured after an exposure period to soil. Microbial activity tests revealed a higher degree of microbial activity in the biochar-amended soils. The team is conducting further testing for a larger sample size before publishing their data.

“If biochar can be shown to have a consistent beneficial effect on soil microbial populations, increased plant growth, and the ability of the soil to withstand drought, the tea industry in Sri Lanka can benefit greatly; not only with larger production but also in decreased chemical fertilizer use and improved soil health.”

Findings from field observations and plant growth:

New leaf growth in the biochar treatment was a darker color green than that of the control, but no attempts at quantifying this effect were performed.  Because darker leaf color suggests a higher chlorophyll content, and would result in a more valuable manufactured tea, more data is needed to prove this effect. About six months after application to the root zone, biochar-treated crops showed an increase in new growth compared to control treatments. The sensitivity of tea to dry weather is a major concern; data recorded over a thirty day period of dry weather showed that the biochar treatment led to a difference of up to 83.27% crop yield increase against the control.

Future Work:

The team is setting up more in-depth trials to determine optimal usage and biochar particle size according to soil conditions. “The biochar requirements for the in-depth trials showcase the need for an industrial-scale pyrolyzer to make biochar on site.”  The team hopes to collect more data in the next 6-12 months, and is also looking to study the effects of biochar to increase soil carbon sequestration.

Once again, the use of biochar in the soil has demonstrated interesting positive effects on growth, quality, and tolerance to harsh conditions (drought). More research is needed, but it is encouraging to see that biochar treatments can be a simple way to simultaneously  improve crop production and ecological sustainability.

Read the full article for more details.

Good energy: Diacarbon wins twice at New Venture. From left, Michael Weedon, B.C. Bioenergy Network; Jerry Ericsson, president, Diacarbon; Bob de Wit, BCIC New Ventures Competition; and Dean Prelazzi, BCIC. Photograph by: Courtesy of Cory Permack, BURNABY NOW

Sept 15: Diacarbon was awarded two prizes from the BCIC New Ventures Competition.  We won the B.C. Bioenergy Network prize of $20,000 and tied for the second prize of $10000 in the Shildroth Agritech Innovation category.  For more on this exciting story click here.

These accomplishments, along with some media exposure, resulted in invitations to the following three business development opportunities:

Oct 5: Diacarbon attended the BCTIA TechBrew in Vancouver for an opportunity to network with talented and influential technology pioneers.  The Diacarbon team met numerous outstanding individuals and representatives from other established companies and organizations.

Oct 6-7: Diacarbon attended the Banff Venture Forum in Banff, Alberta, to meet with some high profile clean energy investors, government advocates, and entrepreneurs.  Diacarbon looks forward to utilizing the interest and connections generated for the development of strategic relationships.

Oct 24: Diacarbon attended the Technology Growth Initiative hosted by Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) in Vancouver.  The competition provided Diacarbon with coaching sessions and webinars, and the opportunity to compete for strategic assistance from the Department in accessing U.S. markets.

Aug 17: Diacarbon was featured in the Canadian Biomass magazine under torrefaction technology. (on pages 14 & 17)

Aug 15: Diacarbon was featured on the British Columbia Innovation Council‘s blog for progressing to the 3rd round of this year’s BCIC New ventures Competition. Read the blog article here.

June 27: We showcased our technology and solutions at the Canadian Innovation Commercialization Tradeshow, and Diacarbon has been selected to present at the Agri-Investment Symposium! We look forward to the upcoming Symposium on September 12-13.

John Yap (MLA) visits Jerry at Diacarbon

June 14th: John Yap (MLA), Parliamentary Secretary for Clean Tech British Columbia, visited Diacarbon Headquarters to learn about biochar’s potential for use as a soil conditioner and as a source of carbon neutral energy. Pictures here.

May 8-11: Diacarbon attended the World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioprocessing in Toronto. This gathering of over 1,000 high profile scientists, executives, government officials and investors is the world’s largest event where policy, technological developments and innovation, and commercialization in biofuels, biobased products and renewable chemicals are discussed.

Diacarbon Energy Inc. was recently awarded $37000 from the BCIT Commercialization Fund as part of the BCIT Commercialization Assistance Program.  This money was awarded to help fund the design and engineering of Diacarbon’s second generation biomass conversion system.  With the first generation system currently undergoing testing,  Diacarbon is already looking forward to the next phase of development!

Click here for more information about the BCIT Commercialization Assistance Program.

“…biochar in soil will result in greater fertilizer efficiency: the crop can use a greater amount of the fertilizer added.”

Biochar may also increase beneficial microbial activity in the soil, which can contribute to higher crop yields. Moreover, adding biochar usually darkens the color of the soil, and since dark soils absorb more solar energy they may, depending on water content and plant cover, result in higher soil temperatures. This will affect rate processes, such as the nutrient cycling, and potentially prolong the growing season in seasonal environments. For example, in Japan it is a customary farming practice to apply charcoal to speed up snow melt.

Not all biochar is the same; the properties of the biochar will vary according to the type feedstock used (wood, animal waste, etc) and the temperature and duration of pyrolysis through which it is produced. This gives biochar the potential to be engineered for specific properties that would meet specific needs in different types of soil. All of the fertility benefits of biochar will also vary depending on original soil properties, type of crop, local climate and geography.

We are excited at Diacarbon to start producing biochar in the next couple of weeks. Our biochar will be available for both large scale industrial applications and as a high quality consumer product for household use.

References

Lehmann, Johannes. 2010. “Does Biochar Deliver Carbon-Negative Energy?” Stanford University. Online video clip.

Major, Julie. “Biochar: a new soil management tool for farmers and gardeners.” International Biochar Initiative. View online.

Sohi, Saran et al. 2009. “Biochar, climate change and soil: A review to guide future research.” CSIRO Land and Water Science Report 05/09. View online.

Biochar brings benefits to soils, boosting plant growth (Image from BBC)

The unique properties of biochar have created global hype about its three-fold potential. Biochar can mitigate catastrophic climate change through carbon storage, can reduce agricultural and forestry waste streams, and can help food production through agricultural applications. The benefits of this black, lightweight material have been tested and shown results, such as boosting crop yields, that have captured the attention of scientists, businesses, and the public. In the past few years biochar has appeared more frequently in the media.

Two BBC news articles highlight the applications, benefits, and limitations of biochar in providing solutions to these worldwide challenges. In Bingen, Germany, sewage waste is being converted to biochar and buried to lock the carbon underground and prevent it from returning to the atmosphere for thousands of years. Normally sewage treatment releases greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide. Burying biochar also improves soil fertility and plant growth by increasing the water and nutrient retention and attracting beneficial earth worms. This reduces the amount of fertilizer needed to grow crops and improves the health of the soil. Biochar as a soil amendment faces limitations because current financial systems favor energy production from biochar rather than soil treatment and carbon-storage. This is why scientists are focusing on research about the benefits of biochar in soil. Recent studies in Germany show that biochar can nearly double plant growth in poor soils, and new research in Australia suggests that biochar reduces emissions of nitrous oxide (a greenhouse gas) from soil. More incentives such as gaining carbon credits and recognition under international environmental agreements will promote the widespread use of biochar that is necessary for a substantial impact in increasing crop yields and reducing carbon tax costs.

Read the full BBC articles:
Biochar: Is the Hype Justified?
Biochar: Running the Numbers

In our dealings with the public, we have received a wide range of questions asking about the nature of pyrolysis and the products generated from Diacarbon’s biomass conversion process.  In particular, people wanted know more about how the process could be carbon neutral, how the products can be utilized, and how the emissions released by the process affect the environment.

In order to answer these questions, we have set up a brand new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.  We will update this periodically, so please keep sending us your questions and comments!  You can post comments right here on our blog, or send your questions and comments to the info@diacarbon.com email address.

Lehmann Biochar Lecture

President Jerry & The New Sign, In The New Lab

We have been in negotiations with the owners of our corporate HQ building in Burnaby, and we are excited to announce that our office space is getting a major upgrade!  Our new office space is about double of what we originally planned, which will give us plenty of room to expand in the immediate future.  We also are getting a new lab!  This will allow us to test and characterize our biomass products, and to conduct critical research and development.

The future is looking bright for Diacarbon!