Routledge, a New York City-based publishing company, has published the second edition of its comprehensive biochar book called Biochar for Environmental Management: Science, Technology and Implementation. The book remains the most comprehensive collection of current knowledge of biochar and a go-to reference in the field, according to the publisher.
The publisher notes that the first edition of the book, published in 2009, was the definitive work on reviewing the expanding research literature on the topic. Since then, the rate of research activity has increased at least ten-fold, and biochar products are now commercially available as soil amendments, Routledge notes.
The recently published second edition, edited by Johannes Lehmann and Stephen Joseph, includes not only substantially updated chapters, but also additional chapters on environmental risk assessment; new uses of biochar in composting and potting mixes; a new and controversial field of studying the effects of biochar on soil carbon cycles; traditional use with recent discoveries that biochar was used not only in the Amazon, but also in Africa and Asia; changes in water availability and soil water dynamics; and sustainability and certification. The book represents the most comprehensive compilation of current knowledge on all aspects of biochar, the company says in a press release.
Biochar is the carbon-rich product that occurs when biomass is heated in a closed container with little or no available air. It can be used to improve agriculture and the environment in several ways, and its persistence in soil and nutrient-retention properties make it an ideal soil amendment to increase crop yields. In addition to this, biochar sequestration, in combination with sustainable biomass production, can be carbon-negative and can be used to actively remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, with potentially major implications for mitigation of climate change. Biochar production also can be combined with bioenergy production through the use of the gases that are given off in the pyrolysis process.
Tim Flannery, climate change activist and author of The Weather Makers: The History and Future Impact of Climate Change, says “With its careful evaluation of every aspect of biochar, this book represents a cornerstone of our future global sustainability…. If it finds a wide enough readership, it will change our world forever, and very much for the better.”
