Charcoal Carbon Sequestration & and Carbon Trade Christoph Steiner The University of Georgia, Dep. Bio & Ag Eng.

Avoid Carbon Emissions About 22% of the world’s total energy are utilized just in the United States, which has only 4.5% of the world’s population (USCB 2007) North Americans consume more than twice as much energy (per capita) than Europeans (7,943 and 3,773 kg of oil equivalent respectively

Each year, the USA population uses three times more fossil energy than the total solar energy captured by all the plants in the USA per year (Pimentel et al. 2009) In the USA, only 1% to 2% home heating is achieved with wood (USCB 1990). How Much Biomass is Available? FAO, The State of Food and Agriculture 2007

“Waste Biomass Example Galveston, Tx

Preserve Carbon Stocks in Vegetation and Soil Picture: Christian Fischer

Sequester Carbon

What is Sustainable Biomass? Example Slash and Char 1.31 Pg yr -1 (billion tons) of biomass is cleared in all secondary forests (fallow vegetation) (Fearnside 2000, Climatic Change) Is secondary forest re-growing biomass? Should forest re-grow and increase the stock in living biomass? Can living biomass be utilized for biochar carbon sequestration? Under which conditions? Alternative to fire?

Biochar Production emissions of PIC 1 Emission factors are given in gram species per kilogram dry matter burned. (Andreae and Merlet, 2001)

Biochar Production emissions of PIC

How much recalcitrant carbon is in biochar? Proximate Analysis 50 C/min to 950C and held for 7 mins 30 – 35% Keith Harris,

TGA aliphatic content ( °C) PN Char = 4.6 % PC Char = 3.4 % How much recalcitrant carbon is in biochar? Keith Harris,

Half-life of biochar? Keith Harris,

Trade in Emissions Reducations Is biochar different? Is the carbon value of biochar more than that of charcoal used to substitute fossil fuel? Additionality? Is biochar additional as it will always compete with charcoal?

How to provide access to carbon credits for small scale projects (small farmers)? Photo: Biocharfund

How to provide access to carbon credits for small scale projects (small farmers)? Aggregated transaction costs are currently averaging about $200,000 per project. (UNDP, CDM User’s Guide)