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Pure Biochar 1L Pouch

PURE BIOCHAR 1L POUCH

Our Pure Biochar is made responsibly from maintenance, felling, and forestry arisings from within the Kinneil Woods.

Biochar has been shown to improve soil structure, aeration, fertility, plant health, and crop yield.

It will remain in your soil for thousands of years, acting like a ‘storage sponge’ – collecting and storing more nutrients and water – which it will slowly release to your plants as they need it.

1L of biochar …

…has stopped the release of approx. 2.02 kgCo2e into the atmosphere!

…has a surface area more than 3 times the size of the Hampden Park pitch!

…should be used at an application rate of between 2-10% by volume of soil!

…will provide a safe haven for beneficial soil microorganisms for decades, centuries, and millennia to come!

1L Pouch = £14.99

What Is Biochar?

Over their lifetime, trees do an amazing job of taking in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere which is stored in the structure of the wood itself. However, if the tree is chopped down and sent to landfill, or falls naturally and is left to decompose in the forest, then as it decays the tree will release all of the carbon it has collected back into the atmosphere.

However, if we convert it to biochar – a stable form of carbon that is obtained from ‘baking’ organic matter in an oxygen limited environment – then it helps to lock up the carbon that the wood has stored. For every tonne of wood we convert to biochar, we stop the release of approx. 3 tonnes of carbon dioxide and the carbon itself is locked into a stable form which will resist decay for up to 5000 years.

After locking away the carbon, the biochar can be utilised for a variety of agricultural, ecological, and environmental uses, with its most prominent current use being as a soil amendment.

Biochar has many names and terms, which can get confusing, so we have simplified a few things to help you out. Biochar can either be:

• Pure Biochar
This is biochar straight from the kiln – No changes or additions, just pure biochar!

• Charged Biochar
Pure Biochar can be used to soak up water and nutrients, ‘charging’ it with all the helpful resources you need for strong, health plants.

• Activated Biochar
Pure Biochar, or even sometimes the materials used to make it, can be thermochemically changed allowing us to tailor the structure and characteristics of the biochar itself, ‘activating’ it for a specific intended use. We are currently developing Activated Biochars with our University Partners which can be used to tackle nutrient pollution, reduce toxic algal blooms, and improve food security.

What is biochar

Biochar Helps Soil

Biochar has been used to help soil for over 2500 years, most notably in the Terra Preta soils in the Amazon basin. Their technique of mixing biochar with organic matter and broken pottery resulted in a uniquely fertile soil, characterized by higher phosphorus content, higher cation exchange capacity, pH and base saturation than the surrounding soils.

Research has shown that biochar improves soils and vastly increasing crop yield and plant growth whilst reducing the need for fertilisers. Adding biochar to soil results in long term improvements to the soil structure – allowing the soil to hold up to 5 times more nutrients and water than it can naturally – resulting in stronger, healthier, and more bountiful plants. The biochar’s porosity also makes the soil more resilient – helping to mitigate climate change effects, particularly in areas prone to drought or flooding – and provides spots within the soil which can house and encourage beneficial soil organisms, stopping them from being washed away during periods of heavy rainfall.

Biochar helps soil

Instructions For Using Pure Biochar In Soil

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The Potential Of Biochar

Using biochar in soil is only one of its many potential uses, as its characteristics can be optimised to help tackle a range of social, ecological, and environmental issues.

One problem we are aiming to solve is that of nutrient pollution, where fertilisers applied to agricultural land run off and pollute waterways leading to toxic algae blooms, which are harmful to humans and pets and severely damage the health and ecology of the water body.

With the help of our academic partners – the University of the Highlands and Islands, North Highland College (home to the Environmental Research Institute) – we are optimising our biochar to increase its ability to collect and remove these nutrients, whilst improving the water quality by filtering the algae and reducing particulates in the water.

The additional benefit is that the biochar can be collected and re-circulated, using it as a soil amendment within agriculture, helping to return the nutrients to the soil, restoring soil carbon, as well as increasing the soil fertility, crop yield and water retention. In our case, the biochar will aid our food growing projects, helping to increase the amount of fruit and vegetables we can donate to local services tackling food poverty.

Our research is strengthened by our PhD Studentship with the University of Strathclyde, focused on exploring the circular economy that we are creating around biochar, maximizing the benefits that can be achieved when optimising it for multiple uses and environments.

Through other academic and industrial partnerships, we are also exploring the potential for biochar to be used in several other key areas, such as:

  • Removal of pharmaceuticals and other contaminants from wastewater
  • Composting Accelerant
  • Biochar concrete
  • Gas filtration
  • Use as a delivery mechanism
  • Use as a feed additive for livestock
  • Direct CO2 capture
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Instructions For Using Pure Biochar In Soil

Biochar is a very versatile soil amendment and can be used in a number of ways, depending on your desired outcome and the time of year. Below is a quick guide to biochar and some tips and tricks on how to use it!

Biochar Quick Guide

Golden Rule! – Avoid putting Pure Biochar directly onto established plants, biochar is highly active within the soil and will out compete your plants for the available water and nutrients.

It’s best to use Pure Biochar in the colder months, allowing it to absorb the decomposition fluids in your growing system, turning it into Charged Biochar for use the following Spring and Summer.

When using Pure Biochar during the growing season, we recommend that you add it to soil, compost, or manure for at least a week prior to adding it to your plants.

The recommended application rate of biochar is between 2 – 10% by volume of soil. I.E. Put 1L of Pure Biochar in with a 50L bag of compost! (2%)

Biochar Tips and Tricks

  • In Autumn and Winter: (Sept – Mar)
    • Add Pure Biochar to your compost pile
    • Add Pure Biochar to your growing area at the end of the season
    • Use Pure Biochar as part of a green manuring cycle

Biochar is perfect for collecting the decomposition materials at the end of the growing season, so use it like a ‘sponge’ to store helpful nutrients for when you’re planting in the Spring!

 

  • In Spring and Summer: (Mar – Aug)
    • Add Pure Biochar to a bag of compost – water it heavily and turn it through – wait for at least a week so it can get accustomed to the soil, then:
      • Use it in seed beds for germination and propagation
      • Put a layer below the roots when transferring out plants
      • Use it as a top dressing for mature plants

 

Biochar can be added in many ways, so get creative and see incredible results!

 

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