2. What is biochar?
‘Carbon-rich form of
charcoal that can be
applied to agricultural
land as part of
agronomic or
environmental
management.’
(Department of Agriculture, Fishery
and Forestry 2011)
4. How will Biochar help the Region’s
environmental concerns?
Water Availability
Biochar’s porosity helps retain water
for long periods and releases it to
crops when soil becomes hot and
dry.
5. Yield Loss Yield Prosperity
The region’s yield loss is caused by Biochar additions to soil can
minimal water availability and poor produce yields greater then either
soil quality. fertiliser or biochar alone.
6. Potential for Biochar in the Murrumbidgee Region
The Murrumbidgee Region
= This amount of waste has the
producers over 60, 000 tonnes of ability to produce 121, 520
agricultural waste annually. tonnes of biochar annually.
Editor's Notes
PowerPoint Slide 1 – Vision of the concerns Murumbidgee Region is currently facing. Script It is time therefore to turn our attention to Biochar. As mentioned earlier, we, as a region, are currently facing a time of stricken drought seasons directly resulting in a shortage a water availably and yield loss, not to mention the ever increasing concern of the phenomenon know as ‘global warming’. ( Point to presentation) What we are dealing with now are just murmurs of what our region will have to face in the future. It is common knowledge that we as human beings are not in charge of nature’s rules, however, we are in charge of the way we comply with these rules. To be able to do this we need to actively change our circumstances and we, as a region, can get started through the use of Biochar. The use of sustainable Biochar throughout the Murumbidgee Region could present an affordable and easy answer to improve soil characters in order to overcome urgent environmental concerns that our regions is facing at this resent time. In fact, the report released yesterday by the Department of Agriculture, Fishery and Forestry titled, ‘Biochar: Implications for Agricultural Use’ (2011) provides much needed information in which gives our region hope for the future.
PowerPoint Slide 2 – Visuals of the report released by the Department of Agriculture, Fishery and Forestry as well as the product itself. Script The term ‘Biochar’ is referred to in the report as a stable, carbon-rich form of charcoal that can be applied to agricultural land as part of agronomic or environmental management. This substance has been used for thousands of years in the Amazonian Basin where it was referred to as ‘black soil’. Reference Department of Agriculture, Fishery and Forestry 2011, Biochar: implications for agricultural productivity , viewed 31 August 2012, http://adl.brs.gov.au/data/warehouse/biochar9abcm001/biochar9abcm00101/TR.2011.06_Biochar_v1.0.0.pdf
PowerPoint Slide 3 – Visuals of the Pylrolysis process for the audience to visually understanding how the process works. As well as a visual of the machines in which the process takes place Script Biochar is a product of an energy conversion process known as pyrolysis which takes place in a pyrolysis machine. The process heats organic matter such as wood chips, manure or crops in the absence of oxygen and as a result forms a highly stable form of carbon which can remain stable in soil for hundreds of years. Reference Department of Agriculture, Fishery and Forestry 2011, Biochar: implications for agricultural productivity , viewed 31 August 2012, http://adl.brs.gov.au/data/warehouse/biochar9abcm001/biochar9abcm00101/TR.2011.06_Biochar_v1.0.0.pdf
PowerPoint Slide 4 – Visuals of the Murumbidgee Irrigation Area and also how crops will look during a drought period as a result of Biochar. Script Currently, (click x 2) 90 per cent of our agricultural sector relies of the use of irrigation which, during drought periods, forces almost 30 per cent of our farmers to access the region’s exceptional circumstances provision of water. The report makes evident that through the use of Biochar we are able to decrease the use for irrigation which will take the stress of our water supply. (click) This is possible as Biochar’s porosity helps retain water for long periods of time and (click) releases it through the plants in drought seasons where soils becomes hot and dry In fact, Biochar’s retention ability can reduce the plants need for water by up to 30 percent. By implementing the use of Biochar it will not only help with the concern about water availability but also help meet the key objectives set out by the Murumbidgee Irrigation Ltd’s Sustainable Business Strategy. Reference Department of Agriculture, Fishery and Forestry 2011, Biochar: implications for agricultural productivity , viewed 31 August 2012, http://adl.brs.gov.au/data/warehouse/biochar9abcm001/biochar9abcm00101/TR.2011.06_Biochar_v1.0.0.pdf Queensland Irrigation District 2010, Murrumbidgee community profile , viewed 30 August 2012, http://download.mdba.gov.au/AppendixC_Murrumbidgee_community_profile.pdf Vuthis Technologies 2011, Biochar as a soil amendment and carbon sequesting tool , viewed 01 September 2012, http://vuthisa.com/2011/01/09/biochar-as-a-soil-amendment-and-carbon-sequestering-tool/
PowerPoint Slide 5 – Visuals of what farmers throughout the Murrumbidgee Region have been experiencing. The second visual is of yield prosperity which may result if Biochar is added to the crop’s soil.. Script Our region currently faces yield loss due to both water availability, mentioned above, and poor soil quality. This will be a situation of the past as Biochar can improve the physical and biological characteristics of soil to enable it to maintain a consistent level of nutrient supplies to plants. Biochar enhances a soils ability to retain these nutrients in order to sustain productivity rates over a period while reducing the need for chemical nutrient fertilisers and increasing a plants resistance to a number of harmful diseases Evidence gathered from both glasshouse and field trials indicates that Biochar additions to poor soils, combined with fertiliser application, can produce yields greater than either fertiliser or Biochar alone. To be exact, through the use of Biochar we can improve our crop yields by 20 – 200 per cent. In terms of its use throughout the Murrumbidgee Region, I am pleased to inform you that a report written by CSIRO Land and Water Researcher Wendy Quayle, concludes that, throughout the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area there is over 60, 000 tonnes of agriculture waste produced each yeah that is viable for Biochar production. If this substance is used to combat our environmental issues then our region has the ability to produce 121,520 tonnes of Biochar which is enough to treat approximately 3000 ha/y of land. Reference Biochar Central 2012, Overview of Biochar , viewed 01 September 2012, http://www.linkedin.com/company/biochar-central Quayle, W 2010, Biochar potential for soil improvement and soil fertility , viewed 02 September 2012, http://www.irec.org.au/farmer_f/pdf_182/Biochar%20_a%20means%20of%20storing%20carbon.pdf
PowerPoint Slide 6 – Visuals of the Murrumbidgee Region and piles of biochar to reflect the 121, 520 tonnes that could be produced in the region. Script In terms of its use throughout the Murrumbidgee Region (click), I am pleased to inform you that a report written by CSIRO Land and Water Researcher Wendy Quayle, concludes that, throughout the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (click) there is over 60, 000 tonnes of agriculture waste produced each yeah that is viable for biochar production. If this substance is used to combat our environmental issues then our region has the ability to produce (click) 121,520 tonnes of biochar which is enough to treat approximately 3000 ha/y of land. Although further research is required to measure the environmental sustainability potential of Biochar, I have complete confidence that it may, in fact, save this Region’s soils. Right now, the region has everything to gain so it would be negligent if we did not opt to give this substance the chance to help combat the urgent environmental issues that are affecting our agricultural produce. Reference Quayle, W 2010, Biochar potential for soil improvement and soil fertility , viewed 02 September 2012, http://www.irec.org.au/farmer_f/pdf_182/Biochar%20_a%20means%20of%20storing%20carbon.pdf
