KAXE's Tuesday Morning Show strives to take an in-depth look at some natural resource-based issues important to Northern Minnesota. Producer Mark Jacobs and hosts Heidi Holtan and John Latimer discuss the problems and highlight some creative solutions.
The char czar
Biochar - a shortening of "biological charcoal" - is an ancient technology, but it has caught the attention of farmers, climatologists, and ecological restoration experts.
Harry Groot, an engineer, has emerged as an expert on biochar's applications and history - his colleagues at Dovetail Partners refer to him as the “Biochar Czar.” He joined KAXE’s Tuesday Morning show to talk about what biochar is, how it’s made, and why it’s been produced and valued by humans for thousands of years.
Biochar basics
Biochar is created by burning woody material and quenching it just when white ash starts to form on the surface of the coals. Biochar has an extremely large surface area to volume ratio, which makes it valuable for several applications, including soil enhancement.
South American civilizations used biochar for intensive agriculture at least 8,000 years ago, and recent research shows that some of it is still in the soils. Advantages of biochar include increased water and nutrient retention in soils, reduction in the use of chemical fertilizers, and long-term carbon storage.
Harry shared his biochar knowledge on the Morning Show and let us know about his involvement in potential local biochar projects. Listen above to learn more, and check out other episodes in the Forest and Carbon series here!
What do you want to learn about next? Let us know: email us at comments@kaxe.org or text us at 218-326-1234.
Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).