Biochar (Charcoal): Is it Useful for Agricultural Cultivation?

Biochar is a solid carbon material produced from the incomplete combustion process of organic matter containing lignin in high proportions. This material is known as charcoal by people. Biochar can be made from a variety of materials, such as wood, bamboo, coconut shells, young coconut waste, corn stalks and cobs, rice straw, palm skins, brown skin, coffee skins, and solid livestock manure. Charcoal is generally used as fuel by satay maker and blacksmiths or as an orchid growing media. Does biochar have other benefits in agricultural cultivation?

Not many people know that biochar has an important role in agriculture. This role arises because of the physical and chemical properties possessed by Biochar. Physically, biochar has the ability to absorb and hold water and nutrients. In addition, the chemical properties of biochar enable it to be used as a soil enhancer because it contains available nutrients such as ammonium, nitrate, phosphate, and potassium and to improve soil pH through a similar effect on liming. These characteristics cause biochar can be used to improve soil quality, especially for soils on sub-optimal land, for example sandy soils, soils with too high clay content, and soils classified as acid. The use of biochar can be done on paddy fields and dry fields. The addition of biochar to cultivated soils in doses of 20-30 tons per hectare is widely publicized to improve the ability of soils in supporting plant growth characterized by the increase of  growth and yield of plants.

Biochar is also potentially used as a carrier for fertilizer and biological agent microbes. As a carrier, biochar can be mixed with chemical and organic fertilizers and biological agents that act as biological fertilizers or biological pesticides. Biochar can also be formulated in granule form so able to reduce the amount of nutrient loss from fertilizer after its application to soil. Biochar formulations with microbial biological agents can also provide a protective effect on these microbes so that the viability of microbes during the storage period can be extended.

The absorption effect also causes biochar capable to reduce the production of methane gas in livestock manure waste if biochar mixed in animal feed. Reducing methane gas emissions from livestock manure potentially  reduce the greenhouse effect. Mixing biochar with livestock manure in the composting process also often done to reduce the compaction of livestock manure during the drying period and producing loose compost.

Various important roles of the biochar if used properly will help improve soil quality, fertilizer efficiency, and reduce pollution due to deposition of solid organic matter. Therefore, the use of biochar needs to be socialized so that it is more widely known and can be utilized by the wider community.