© 2009 Macmillan Publishers Limited.
All rights reserved.
feature
72 nature reports climate change | VOL 3 | JUNE 2009 | www.
nature.
com/reports/climatechange
The bright prospect of biochar
J
im Fournier wants to help save the
planet, though in a most...
More
© 2009 Macmillan Publishers Limited.
All rights reserved.
feature
72 nature reports climate change | VOL 3 | JUNE 2009 | www.
nature.
com/reports/climatechange
The bright prospect of biochar
J
im Fournier wants to help save the
planet, though in a most unlikely
way: by burning biomass.
At the
forefront of a carbon-sequestration
technology that proponents say offers
a rare ‘win-win-win’ environmental
opportunity, Fournier’s company Biochar
Engineering in Golden, Colorado,
manufactures machines that turn biomass
into charcoal, or biochar.
Spread on soil, biochar can keep CO2
out of the atmosphere while improving
soil fertility and boosting productivity.
In addition, gases released in the
charcoal-making process can be used to
make biofuels that are more sustainable
than those currently on the market.
“Char happens to be the one thing that
represents a solution to all of these factors
together.
It’s a unique opportunity,”
Fournier says.
But while enthusiasts are pushing
to have bi
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