Latest News & Developments

First Biochar Risk Assessment Framework (BRAF) Steering Group Meeting outcomes

The first Biochar Risk Assessment Framework (BRAF) steering group meeting (SGM) took place on Wednesday, March 21st, 2012, at the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation offices located in London.

Members from the Environment Agency (EA), the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the National Farmers Union (NFU), the James Hutton Institute, Rothamsted Research, the University of Newcastle, and the UK Biochar research Centre (UKBRC) participated in the discussions that were planned as part of this meeting.

The following topics were addressed:

-Definition of biochar;

-Scope definition for BRAF;

-Hazards and risks related to biochar production and deployment;

-Regulatory and risk assessment approach;

-Testing methodologies to identify and quantify contaminants in biochar.

More details about the topics addressed and the outcomes of the discussions can be found in the project's blog available at:

http://biocharbraf.wordpress.com/

We would also like to bring to your attention two international initiatives to develop a biochar standard or certificate – one by the International Biochar Initiative (IBI), the other by the De-Linat Institute in Switzerland together with the Biochar Science Network.  We are currently reviewing both these documents and intend to learn from and build-upon them as and where appropriate. We will provide our reactions to them, and their relevance to BRAF, in the next several weeks.

Your input is highly appreciated!

 

27 April 2012

First International Biochar Summer School

In association with the new Biochar COST Action in Europe, the ATB Potsdam is organising the first International Biochar Summer School on 9th to 16th September 2012 to be held in Potsdam, a beautiful city close to Berlin, in Germany. The summer school is aimed at early career researchers and PhD students. The  application deadline has been extended to 15 April.  Please find more information  (including how to apply) on the Website

http://www.atb-potsdam.de/BiocharSummerSchool2012.

 

05 April 2012

Biochar Risk Assessment Framework project launched!

UKBRC has launched the Biochar Risk Assessment Framework (BRAF), generously supported by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. BRAF is a collaboration with the Environment Agency (EA), the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the National Farmers Union (NFU), and a wide group of UK scientists and academics.

The purpose of  BRAF is to identify and analyse the potential risks of biochar production from different types of biomass feedstocks (bioenergy crops, agroforestry residues, biodegradable waste, etc.) and its deployment in farming. In addition to developing new risk assessment methodologies for biochar, BRAF will also recommend strategies for risk reduction in order to comply with UK and EU regulations.

The objective is to generate a knowledge-based framework that works as a prelude to the development of a Publicly-Available Standard (PAS) and/or a Quality Protocol (similar to PAS 100 or 110 and the Compost Quality Protocol) that can subsequently be used by public or private companies interested in producing and deploying biochar in a safe and effective way.

We believe that this project will be of great interest to the waste management, agriculture, and bioenergy sectors and will help in the development of a sustainable biochar industry.

If you are interested in knowing more and/or in participating, please let Rodrigo Ibarrola (rodrigo.ibarrola@ed.ac.uk) know, or visit the project's blog available at:

http://biocharbraf.wordpress.com/

Your input is highly appreciated.

17 February 2012

Prof Stuart Haszeldine has been awarded an OBE for services to Climate Change Technologies

Our very own Prof. Stuart Haszeldine has been named in the  New Year Honours List - awarded an OBE for services to Climate Change Technologies. More can be found HERE.

04 January 2012

Calling All Gardeners: The Big Biochar Experiment Needs You!

BBE is the first large-scale experiment on the use of biochar in British allotments and gardens. It aims to gather quantitative data on above- and below-ground productivity, and qualitative data on plant and soil health of widely used fruit and vegetable varieties in Britain. Combined with existing information on weather and soil quality, this data will be used to assess the effects of biochar on the productivity of soils across Britain.

BBE needs hundreds of gardeners and allotment owners around the UK to sign up to the experiment, set up their experimental plots, and send in their data before November 2012. All participants receive a FREE bag of biochar to set up their plots, and the satisfaction of contributing to the UK's biggest ever participatory biochar experiment!

For more information, please visit: www.bigbiocharexperiment.co.uk

13 December 2011