Biochar Implementation at World Scales; Australia Usage.

Biochar technology has been advocated for long-term carbon storage and other potential benefits in soil. The application of biochar to soil has been reported to enhance agricultural productivity, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve soil properties, and control the availability of organic and inorganic contaminants in soils. Despite the multiple potential benefits of biochar from its soil application, the adoption of biochar technology in the agriculture sector has been slow. There are a number of constraints in the adoption of biochar technology, such as the production cost of biochar, availability of sustainable biomass and uncertainty of agronomic benefits from biochar application to soil. Despite these constraints, interest in the biochar technology has remained strong and several new applications of biochar have emerged in the recent years. The production of biochar to solve waste management problems, the use of biochar in growth media and restoration of acid sulfate soils are some of the emerging applications. Additionally, technologies are emerging to produce nutrient enriched and composite biochars, which have potential to substitute inorganic fertilizers. This presentation will review current constraints and potential opportunities in the implementation of biochar technology in the Australasian context.