Biochar as a carbon dioxide removal strategy in integrated long-run mitigation scenarios

Bergero, Candelaria; Wise, Marshall; Lamers, Patrick; Wang, Yong; Weber, Maridee

doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ad52ab

Title: Biochar as a carbon dioxide removal strategy in integrated long-run mitigation scenarios

Journal Article · 11 July 2024 · Environmental Research Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad52ab· OSTI ID:2396978

^[1];

^[2];

^[3]; Wang, Yong ^[3];

^[2]

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Joint Global Change Research Institute; Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Joint Global Change Research Institute
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Limiting global warming to under 2 °C would require stringent mitigation and likely additional carbon dioxide removal (CDR) to compensate for otherwise unabated emissions. Because of its technology readiness, relatively low cost, and potential co-benefits, the application of biochar to soils could be an effective CDR strategy. We use the Global Change Analysis Model, a global multisector model, to analyze biochar deployment in the context of energy system uses of biomass with CDR under different carbon price trajectories. We find that biochar can create an annual sink of up to 2.8 GtCO₂ per year, reducing global mean temperature increases by an additional 0.5%–1.8% across scenarios by 2100 for a given carbon price path. In our scenarios, biochar's deployment is dependent on potential crop yield gains and application rates, and the competition for resources with other CDR measures. We find that biochar can serve as a competitive CDR strategy, especially at lower carbon prices when bioenergy with carbon capture and storage is not yet economical.

View Journal Article

Cite

Export

Save

Research Organization:: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO); USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308; AC05-76RL01830

OSTI ID:: 2396978

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2369652; OSTI ID: 2407009; OSTI ID: 2447599

Report Number(s):: NREL/JA-6A20-89438; PNNL-SA-173823; MainId:90217; UUID:bffb1552-4d61-444a-b98f-b0a30a0bbbf7; MainAdminId:72280

Journal Information:: Environmental Research Letters, Vol. 19, Issue 7; ISSN 1748-9326

Publisher:: IOP PublishingCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (49)

Soil carbon sequestration and biochar as negative emission technologies Smith, Pete Global Change Biology, Vol. 22, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13178	journal	January 2016
Optimal bioenergy power generation for climate change mitigation with or without carbon sequestration Woolf, Dominic; Lehmann, Johannes; Lee, David R. Nature Communications, Vol. 7, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms13160	journal	October 2016
Insight into biochar properties and its cost analysis Ahmed, Mohammad Boshir; Zhou, John L.; Ngo, Huu Hao Biomass and Bioenergy, Vol. 84 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2015.11.002	journal	January 2016
Biochar effects on methane emissions from soils: A meta-analysis Jeffery, Simon; Verheijen, Frank G. A.; Kammann, Claudia Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol. 101 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2016.07.021	journal	October 2016
Feedstock choice, pyrolysis temperature and type influence biochar characteristics: a comprehensive meta-data analysis review Ippolito, James A.; Cui, Liqiang; Kammann, Claudia Biochar, Vol. 2, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1007/s42773-020-00067-x	journal	September 2020
The SSP4: A world of deepening inequality Calvin, Katherine; Bond-Lamberty, Ben; Clarke, Leon Global Environmental Change, Vol. 42 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2016.06.010	journal	January 2017
Diverse carbon dioxide removal approaches could reduce impacts on the energy–water–land system Fuhrman, Jay; Bergero, Candelaria; Weber, Maridee Nature Climate Change, Vol. 13, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01604-9	journal	March 2023
Contribution of the land sector to a 1.5 °C world Roe, Stephanie; Streck, Charlotte; Obersteiner, Michael Nature Climate Change, Vol. 9, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0591-9	journal	October 2019
Greenhouse Gas Inventory Model for Biochar Additions to Soil Woolf, Dominic; Lehmann, Johannes; Ogle, Stephen Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 55, Issue 21 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c02425	journal	October 2021
Biochar stability in soil: meta-analysis of decomposition and priming effects Wang, Jinyang; Xiong, Zhengqin; Kuzyakov, Yakov GCB Bioenergy, Vol. 8, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12266	journal	June 2015
Does biochar improve soil water retention? A systematic review and meta-analysis Razzaghi, Fatemeh; Obour, Peter Bilson; Arthur, Emmanuel Geoderma, Vol. 361 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2019.114055	journal	March 2020
Soil carbon increased by twice the amount of biochar carbon applied after 6 years: Field evidence of negative priming Blanco‐Canqui, Humberto; Laird, David A.; Heaton, Emily A. GCB Bioenergy, Vol. 12, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12665	journal	April 2020
Sustainable biochar to mitigate global climate change Woolf, Dominic; Amonette, James E.; Street-Perrott, F. Alayne Nature Communications, Vol. 1, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms1053	journal	August 2010
Hydochar and biochar: Production, physicochemical properties and techno-economic analysis Kumar, Adarsh; Saini, Komal; Bhaskar, Thallada Bioresource Technology, Vol. 310 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2020.123442	journal	August 2020
Optimising water holding capacity and hydrophobicity of biochar for soil amendment – A review Adhikari, Sirjana; Timms, Wendy; Mahmud, M. A. Parvez Science of The Total Environment, Vol. 851 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158043	journal	December 2022
Potential of Land‐Neutral Negative Emissions Through Biochar Sequestration Werner, C.; Lucht, W.; Gerten, D. Earth's Future, Vol. 10, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1029/2021EF002583	journal	July 2022
A scientometric review of biochar research in the past 20 years (1998–2018) Wu, Ping; Ata-Ul-Karim, Syed Tahir; Singh, Bhupinder Pal Biochar, Vol. 1, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1007/s42773-019-00002-9	journal	March 2019
Biochar boosts tropical but not temperate crop yields Jeffery, Simon; Abalos, Diego; Prodana, Marija Environmental Research Letters, Vol. 12, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa67bd	journal	April 2017
Can biochar link forest restoration with commercial agriculture? Sessions, John; Smith, David; Trippe, Kristin M. Biomass and Bioenergy, Vol. 123 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2019.02.015	journal	April 2019
Accumulation of century-old biochar contributes to carbon storage and stabilization in the subsoil Fouché, Julien; Burgeon, Victor; Meersmans, Jeroen Geoderma, Vol. 440 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2023.116717	journal	December 2023
Estimating profitability of two biochar production scenarios: slow pyrolysis vs fast pyrolysis Brown, Tristan R.; Wright, Mark M.; Brown, Robert C. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining, Vol. 5, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1002/bbb.254	journal	December 2010
Integrated biochar research: A roadmap Amonette, James E.; Blanco-Canqui, Humberto; Hassebrook, Chuck Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Vol. 76, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.2489/jswc.2021.1115A	journal	January 2021
Biochar effects on crop yields with and without fertilizer: A meta‐analysis of field studies using separate controls Ye, Lili; Camps‐Arbestain, Marta; Shen, Qinhua Soil Use and Management, Vol. 36, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1111/sum.12546	journal	December 2019
Enhancing plant N uptake with biochar-based fertilizers: limitation of sorption and prospects Rasse, Daniel P.; Weldon, Simon; Joner, Erik J. Plant and Soil, Vol. 475, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-022-05365-w	journal	March 2022
Pyrogenic carbon capture and storage Schmidt, Hans-Peter; Anca-Couce, Andrés; Hagemann, Nikolas GCB Bioenergy, Vol. 11, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12553	journal	September 2018
Multifunctional applications of biochar beyond carbon storage Bolan, Nanthi; Hoang, Son A.; Beiyuan, Jingzi International Materials Reviews, Vol. 67, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1080/09506608.2021.1922047	journal	May 2021
Global soil organic carbon changes and economic revenues with biochar application Han, Mengjie; Zhao, Qing; Li, Wei GCB Bioenergy, Vol. 14, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12915	journal	December 2021
Negative emissions—Part 2: Costs, potentials and side effects Fuss, Sabine; Lamb, William F.; Callaghan, Max W. Environmental Research Letters, Vol. 13, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aabf9f#erlaabf9fbib310	journal	May 2018
Natural climate solutions Griscom, Bronson W.; Adams, Justin; Ellis, Peter W. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 114, Issue 44 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1710465114	journal	October 2017
Biofuels from Pyrolysis in Perspective: Trade-offs between Energy Yields and Soil-Carbon Additions Woolf, Dominic; Lehmann, Johannes; Fisher, Elizabeth M. Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 48, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1021/es500474q	journal	May 2014
Life Cycle Assessment of Biochar Systems: Estimating the Energetic, Economic, and Climate Change Potential Roberts, Kelli G.; Gloy, Brent A.; Joseph, Stephen Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 44, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1021/es902266r	journal	January 2010
Pyrolysis of switchgrass in an auger reactor for biochar production: A greenhouse gas and energy impacts assessment Brassard, Patrick; Godbout, Stéphane; Pelletier, Frédéric Biomass and Bioenergy, Vol. 116 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2018.06.007	journal	September 2018
How biochar works, and when it doesn't: A review of mechanisms controlling soil and plant responses to biochar Joseph, Stephen; Cowie, Annette L.; Van Zwieten, Lukas GCB Bioenergy, Vol. 13, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12885	journal	August 2021
Biochar in agriculture – A systematic review of 26 global meta‐analyses Schmidt, Hans‐Peter; Kammann, Claudia; Hagemann, Nikolas GCB Bioenergy, Vol. 13, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12889	journal	September 2021
Biochar as a tool to Reduce the Agricultural Greenhouse-Gas Burden – Knowns, Unknowns and Future Research Needs Kammann, Claudia; Ippolito, Jim; Hagemann, Nikolas Journal of Environmental Engineering and Landscape Management, Vol. 25, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.3846/16486897.2017.1319375	journal	June 2017
Ratcheting ambition to limit warming to 1.5 °C–trade-offs between emission reductions and carbon dioxide removal Holz, Christian; Siegel, Lori S.; Johnston, Eleanor Environmental Research Letters, Vol. 13, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aac0c1	journal	June 2018
Biochar stability in soil: Decomposition during eight years and transformation as assessed by compound-specific 14C analysis Kuzyakov, Yakov; Bogomolova, Irina; Glaser, Bruno Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol. 70 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2013.12.021	journal	March 2014
Microspectroscopic visualization of how biochar lifts the soil organic carbon ceiling Weng, Zhe; Van Zwieten, Lukas; Tavakkoli, Ehsan Nature Communications, Vol. 13, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32819-7	journal	September 2022
Biochar in climate change mitigation Lehmann, Johannes; Cowie, Annette; Masiello, Caroline A. Nature Geoscience, Vol. 14, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00852-8	journal	December 2021
Biochar, soil and land-use interactions that reduce nitrate leaching and N2O emissions: A meta-analysis Borchard, Nils; Schirrmann, Michael; Cayuela, Maria Luz Science of The Total Environment, Vol. 651 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.060	journal	February 2019
A quantitative review of the effects of biochar application to soils on crop productivity using meta-analysis Jeffery, S.; Verheijen, F. G. A.; van der Velde, M. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, Vol. 144, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2011.08.015	journal	November 2011
Land-Management Options for Greenhouse Gas Removal and Their Impacts on Ecosystem Services and the Sustainable Development Goals Smith, Pete; Adams, Justin; Beerling, David J. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, Vol. 44, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-101718-033129	journal	October 2019
Use of biochar as feed supplements for animal farming Man, Ka Yan; Chow, Ka Lai; Man, Yu Bon Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, Vol. 51, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1080/10643389.2020.1721980	journal	February 2020
Beyond 90% capture: Possible, but at what cost? Brandl, Patrick; Bui, Mai; Hallett, Jason P. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, Vol. 105 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2020.103239	journal	February 2021
Suppressing peatland methane production by electron snorkeling through pyrogenic carbon in controlled laboratory incubations Sun, Tianran; Guzman, Juan J. L.; Seward, James D. Nature Communications, Vol. 12, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-24350-y	journal	July 2021
Land degradation Climate Change and Land https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009157988.006	book	November 2022
Biomass residue to carbon dioxide removal: quantifying the global impact of biochar Lefebvre, David; Fawzy, Samer; Aquije, Camila A. Biochar, Vol. 5, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1007/s42773-023-00258-2	journal	October 2023
Combined effects of biochar and fertilizer applications on yield: A review and meta-analysis Bai, Shahla Hosseini; Omidvar, Negar; Gallart, Marta Science of The Total Environment, Vol. 808 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152073	journal	February 2022
Environmental Benefits of Biochar Ippolito, James A.; Laird, David A.; Busscher, Warren J. Journal of Environment Quality, Vol. 41, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq2012.0151	journal	January 2012

Similar Records

Global energy sector emission reductions and bioenergy use: overview of the bioenergy demand phase of the EMF-33 model comparison

Journal Article · 2018 · Climatic Change · OSTI ID:2396978

Bauer, Nico; Rose, Steven K.; Fujimori, Shinichiro; +20 more

Decarbonization Scenarios in the United States: Comparing Biofuels Growth in Two Models - GCAM and BSM

Conference · 2022 · OSTI ID:2396978

Atnoorkar, Swaroop; Vimmerstedt, Laura; Newes, Emily; +4 more

Food security under high bioenergy demand toward long-term climate goals

Journal Article · 2020 · Climatic Change · OSTI ID:2396978

Hasegawa, Tomoko; Sands, Ronald D.; Brunelle, Thierry; +4 more

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
biochar
bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS)
carbon dioxide removal
co-benefits
GCAM
pyrogenic carbon capture and storage (PyCCS)

Title: Biochar as a carbon dioxide removal strategy in integrated long-run mitigation scenarios

Citation Formats

References (49)

Similar Records

Related Subjects