Biochar

It is a charcoal that is obtained from plant residues and biomass. We can place its origin in the Amazon, where the indigenous people burned and buried the forest residues. Thus, they created a soil with a high productivity called “black earth”, which, among other components, contained charcoal or biochar.

Currently, the biochar is a promising regenerative agriculture technique. In Polyfarming to make it, forest branches or trunks are used. The wood is subjected to high temperatures in oxygen absence through a process called pyrolysis.

The biochar is very stable in the soil and improves its physical properties, since it allows to absorb water and nutrients, it is a refuge for microorganisms and can buffer sudden changes in temperature.

In addition to the fertilizing properties, biochar contributes to the atmospheric carbon sequestration by storing it in the soil for hundreds or thousands of years.