Can charcoal help with greenhouse gas emissions?

Everyone is looking for new ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions and find a way to salvage the environment. While some people are changing to solar energy, researchers are also looking for ways to reduce gas emissions. Several studies have been done on greenhouse gas emissions and many are finding that with a little work on our part we can substantially reduce the emissions.

About 12 percent of the human-caused greenhouse gas emissions can be offset by using charcoal. How can this work? Charcoal has a biochar reaction which helps to cut the gas due to its plant-like properties. One of the studies done on greenhouse gas emissions found that the biochar can improve food production by helping with the soil. Having fertile and nutritious soil is important for proper plant growth to occur. In countries where plant growth is vital to helping people survive, producing biochar is a wonderful way to help produce healthy plants and foods. Third world countries have the most to gain with biochar as they are in need of foods for their poor regions that are not getting proper nutrition.

So how can biochar be created and placed into the soil to make it fertile? It's actually made naturally as plants, wood, and other organic materials go through their normal decomposing process. By speeding this up by increasing the heat, the materials will decompose faster. Oxygen must be eliminated from the area in order for the decomposing process to work correctly and for biochar to be produced.

The downside is that no matter how hard researchers try, there isn't a way to speed up biochar. Researchers are finding that it's taking about 10-20 years or longer for the entire process to work. The upside is that biochar will release carbon into the atmosphere and it will "eat" the greenhouse gas.

Biochar actually hangs onto the carbon for several years, helping to purify the air for a longer period of time. This means the work researchers are doing now will be able to help purify the air years down the road, making the earth a healthier place for our children.

In addition to cleaning the air, Biochar has also been found to improve the soil by helping it to hold onto water and to also hold onto nutrients, which plants need in order to grow correctly. The right nutrients will provide healthier plants, which have more flavors and also provide you and your family with better foods that nourish your body.

How long has this process been around? The earth has naturally been doing this for many years with regular decomposition of wood and other materials. Researchers have been working on it more effectively since the early 1990's as they are seeking new ways to counteract the dangerous greenhouse gas emissions.

You are actually doing things to help create biochar in your own yard. Whenever you gather up your corn stalks and other things from the vegetable garden and you take them to be throw into decomposition piles, they will start to generate biochar. Grass trimmings also help to create biochar and it's a very simple way to start doing your part to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are out there.

While researchers are still working on perfecting biochar and to find ways to make the earth healthier and safer, biochar is definitely something to pay attention to. Reducing the dangerous chemicals and gases we produce and place into the environment are starting to really take their toll on the environment. Helpful researchers like those working with biochar are looking for natural solutions we can use that will make the earth healthier again and a safe place for our children to grow up.