Is Biochar one of the solutions for Our Sustainable Development Goals?
Biochar, “the black gold”, is produced from processing biomass through pyrolysis process, where people supplying the heat into the biomass under limited oxygen condition. Instead of burning into ash, this process will convert biomass into carbonized material which is rich of carbon nutrient and very stable. Biochar can be applied as soil amendment which are reported provide beneficial impact for the soils. Besides as soil amendment, biochar can also act as a carbon removal method from the atmosphere. Biochar can store carbon and store it in the soil for hundred years.
Biochar campaign is potential solution to the Sustainable Development Goals, principally:
a) SDG 2: End Hunger, Achieve Food Security, and Improved Nutrition, and Promote Sustainable Agriculture
• Improving soil fertility, enhancing nutrient availability, maintaining water content in the soil, and improving soil quality, especially at degraded land;
• Increasing crop productivity;
• Repairing degraded land means providing more area for productive farming activity;
• Promoting sustainable agriculture approach.
b) SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
• Circular economy approach: removing biomass burning activity, instead converting leftover biomass into biochar which can be utilized as soil amendment to improve the soil fertility.
• Innovation in rural area: biochar is not produced using high and expensive technology but utilizing low cost and easy technology: Kon-Tiki kilns, to ensure ease of scale-up
c) SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
• Introducing sustainable and circular agriculture for future farming technology in the communities
d) SDG 13: Climate Action
• Biochar is an accepted carbon removal method to capture the carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the soil for hundred years.
• Biochar application means reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air and participating in the global climate change campaign, to prevent the Earth to getting hotter by 1.50C.
e) SDG 17: Partnership for the Goals
• Knowledge Transfer: this biochar campaign is the bridge of biochar knowledge between the global leaders in this technology like Europe or Japan and general practice on the farm, especially in Indonesia. This campaign is responsible for biochar consultation and accessible training for local farmers.
• In the future, biochar is an alternative income stream for the farmers to enhance his financial.
Besides these goals, biochar has alternative usage to answer others goals, like:
A. SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Technology: During biochar production using pyrolysis, syngas is also generated as by-product. This syngas can be recovered to generated steam or electricity. The syngas recovery has been performed under high technology and utilized as energy source.
B. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation: Besides as soil amendment, biochar can be upgraded into activated carbon. The activated carbon can be applied in water industry to purify the water.
In conclusion, biochar can be the solution of some Sustainable Development Goals. Biochar has multi benefits for modern farming as well as tackling global climate challenge. Considering its benefits, we believe that we have to “Dream Big and Start Small”, starting the biochar project today, especially for smallholder farmers.
Leave a Reply