Advances in biochar production in traditional Amazonian shifting cultivation fields as a technique for carbon removal
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Abstract
The production of biochar - using woody biomass from fallow trees in shifting cultivation as feedstock - and its subsequent application as a soil amendment has previously been identified as a promising technique for removing carbon [C] from the atmosphere. Field trials were conducted on traditional shifting cultivation plots of the Kichwa indigenous people in the Ecuadorian Amazon to evaluate the practical feasibility of this technique. Based on the results, previous concerns that, in the highly humid environment of the western Amazon, it would be difficult to sufficiently dry the feedstock to prevent excessive emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane [CH₄] were ruled out. The dry matter content of the raw material ranged from 78 to 81%, well above the recommended threshold of 75%. On average, 391 labor-hours were required per metric ton of carbon sequestered in biochar. Given Ecuador’s official minimum wage, this cost is relatively high compared to other methods for carbon removal. In many other countries where shifting cultivation is practiced, however, minimum wage levels are lower, which means that this technique could be not only technically but also economically feasible there. It was also found that the thickness of the feedstock had little effect on its dry matter content after drying, suggesting that the number of hours spent splitting the firewood could be reduced, thereby lowering production costs.
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