| Science News Archives |
|
|
|
|
These archives contain research reports on issues relative to biochar, emissions, energy, food security, and deforestation and land use change in the tropics. April 10, 2008. 'Black gold argriculture' may revolutionize farming, curb global warming . Fifteen hundred years ago, tribes people from the central Amazon basin mixed their soil with charcoal derived from animal bone and tree bark. Today, at the site of this charcoal deposit, scientists have found some of the richest, most fertile soil in the world. Now this ancient, remarkably simple farming technique seems far ahead of the curve, holding promise as a carbon-negative strategy to rein in world hunger as well as greenhouse gases. At the 235th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, scientists report that charcoal derived from heated biomass has an unprecedented ability to improve the fertility of soil — one that surpasses compost, animal manure, and other well-known soil conditioners.
March 23, 2008. Black carbon pollution emerges as major player in global warming Soot from biomass burning and diesel exhaust has 60 percent of the effect of carbon dioxide on warming but mitigation offers immediate benefits. |
