Ahead of Earth Day, Saturday 22^nd April, North-West-based Positive BioCarbon has today announced it is seeking local authorities across the UK to partner with them to help fight climate change and hit net zero targets through the use of an ancient farming method.   Biochar was first practised by indigenous tribes in the Amazon thousands of years ago and is an easily accessible and usable product that can capture carbon and re-fertilise poor, low-quality soil for crop growth.

According to the Office of National Statistics, 66% of people feel it is imperative businesses do more to help customers reduce their own impact on climate change. In addition, 95% of UK local authorities have declared a climate emergency, and two-thirds of councils in England are actively working to be carbon neutral by 2030 but emphasise that net zero targets can only be achieved if every household, businesses, and communities work together.

Biochar is a charcoal-like substance made through a controlled process called pyrolysis that converts organic biomass waste into stable soil carbon. For every tonne of Biochar, three tonnes of atmospheric CO₂ are captured, and carbon is permanently stored when sequestered in soils or building materials. Biochar effectively stores carbon for hundreds of years in the ground, and today is one of the most promising near-term commercially viable carbon removal approaches.

This ancient technology, first used by indigenous tribes in the Amazon basin to make the soil fertile, is based around charcoal utilising a material often referred to as ‘char’ – a process where organic material is carbonised under high temperatures, without oxygen.

James MacPhail, a Biochar consultant for Positive BioCarbon, said, "Industry and academia have been applying biochar to a huge variety of soils, crops, agroforestry, and substrates applications for years. As such, Biochar is generally viewed as a soil improvement tool that can sequester carbon whilst improving soil health by retaining nutrients and water.”

Positive BioCarbon is already working with Lancashire County Council at two separate sites in the North-West of England: Chisnall Hall, near Chorley, and Midgeland Farm, near Blackpool. A total of six hectares of farmland will be used throughout the pilot programme. In just 10-13 years, these sites could lock as much CO₂ into the ground as a broadleaf woodland of the same size could in 50 years.

“Every country, every business, and every local governing authority has carbon reduction targets to meet - Biochar could be a powerful tool in climate action to achieve these goals.”

For more information on how to work with Positive BioCarbon, contact sales@positivebiocarbon.com