Daniel Rasse

Avdelingsleder/forskningssjef

(+47) 922 63 608
daniel.rasse@nibio.no

Sted
Ås - Bygg H7

Besøksadresse
Høgskoleveien 7, 1433 Ås

Sammendrag

Biochar has emerged as a promising carbon dioxide removal (CDR) solution that combines long-term carbon storage with benefits for soil health, waste management, and industrial applications. This report provides a comprehensive assessment of the current state of biochar across feedstocks, production technologies, material properties, and end-use pathways, with a particular focus on its role in climate mitigation. Drawing on scientific literature and international case studies, the report evaluates the carbon sequestration potential, environmental performance, and technological maturity of biochar systems. It distinguishes between applications that deliver durable carbon removal and those that primarily contribute to emission reductions. The report further examines deployment barriers, including feedstock availability, regulatory frameworks, market development, and safety considerations, and reviews the status of biochar implementation across Mission Innovation countries. Based on these insights, it outlines key opportunities and recommendations to support the responsible scale-up of biochar as a climate solution.

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Sammendrag

Biochar has emerged as a promising carbon dioxide removal (CDR) solution that combines long-term carbon storage with benefits for soil health, waste management, and industrial applications. This report provides a comprehensive assessment of the current state of biochar across feedstocks, production technologies, material properties, and end-use pathways, with a particular focus on its role in climate mitigation. Drawing on scientific literature and international case studies, the report evaluates the carbon sequestration potential, environmental performance, and technological maturity of biochar systems. It distinguishes between applications that deliver durable carbon removal and those that primarily contribute to emission reductions. The report further examines deployment barriers, including feedstock availability, regulatory frameworks, market development, and safety considerations, and reviews the status of biochar implementation across Mission Innovation countries. Based on these insights, it outlines key opportunities and recommendations to support the responsible scale-up of biochar as a climate solution.

Til dokument

Sammendrag

Soil degradation threatens global agriculture by compromising soil health, while sustainable agricultural management enhances soil functionality and carbon (C) storage, thereby contributing to climate change mitigation. This study estimates the feasible C sequestration potential of ten agricultural management practices across Europe, by applying practice‐specific emission factors and identifying areas suitable for additional implementation. For each management option, the implementation area was defined based on environmental and technical limitations and, if applicable, EU regulations. The objective of this study is to identify general patterns, relative magnitudes, and plausible ranges of carbon sequestration potentials across Europe. Considering soil C from 0 to 50 cm depth, biochar application shows the highest and most robust potential, contributing approximately 34%–47% of the total estimated annual C sequestration rate. This is followed by agroforestry, contributing 24%–45% (of which ~10% occurs in soils and ~90% in biomass), and zero tillage with 11%–15%. Optimised crop residue management (4%–6%), forage legumes and temporary ley rotations (4%–5%), and cover cropping (2%–3%) contribute comparatively smaller shares. Non‐inversion tillage and irrigation offered a marginal C sequestration potential. By implementing all non‐mutually exclusive management options, the greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation potential is estimated at approximately 20%–30% of current, annual, agricultural GHG emissions in Europe (740 Mt. CO 2 e yr. −1 ), including the land‐use, land‐use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector. For the EU‐27, this corresponds to a similar range of 20%–31% of annual agricultural GHG emissions (614 Mt. CO 2 e yr. −1 ), also including the LULUCF sector. Evaluating trade‐offs and synergies of each management option is essential for achieving sustainable soil management. The success of C sequestration efforts in European agriculture depends on scaling up improved management practices. Meanwhile, soil C stocks decrease and entrenched policy as well as economic and other adoption barriers suggest that even the conservative scenario may be overly optimistic.