As part of their class gift to Conway, the Class of 2011 recently launched an effort to manage invasive plant species on campus. Following student presentations in November, several members of the class constructed a pit for converting pulled and dug bittersweet and honeysuckle into Biochar.
The Biochar pit on the Conway property was designed in four stages. The drawings at right outline the steps:
- A pit approximately 1 foot deep was dug, and the soil mounded around the edges.
- The bottom of the pit was layered with logs and woody material.
- Vegetation to be burned was placed above the logs.
- A cover allows small amount of oxygen in and traps heat to create the biochar when the piled is burned.
A sign created by our Class of ’11 volunteers, and posted by the pit explains:
This temporary installation is an experimental Biochar trench. As part of a project targeted at documenting, removing, and monitoring invasive species on campus, the biomass from these undesirable plants will be turned into a useful product: Biochar.
- Sean Walsh ’11, Peter Monro ’86, and Ahron Lerman ’11 dig the pit
What is Biochar?
Biochar is the product of burning biomass in a high temperature low-oxygen environment. This process releases all of the volatile compounds while retaining structural carbon in a stable form.
Biochar benefits:
- Carbon sequestration in soil, not released into atmosphere
- Soil amendment – fosters microbial soil life, improves tilth, and prevents nutrient run-off
While it remains to be seen if biochar will be the wonder solution to atmospheric carbon problems that some proponents claim it to be, the purpose of this project is to find elegant, creative uses for what might otherwise be viewed as waste. The problem is the solution!
