Rice Biochar Group

Carbon sequestration and energy production through soil biochar amendment

Strong evidence suggests that amending soils with charcoal increases soil fertility, improves soil drainage, and helps manage nitrogen and phosphorus nutrient pollution. Adding charcoal to soils also sequesters carbon when this charcoal is made from biomass that would otherwise rapidly decompose to CO₂. A team of researchers at Rice has assembled to help apply this very promising C sequestration technique to the problem of greenhouse gas management in Texas.

 

Researchers:

Dr. Brandon Dugan, Dept of Earth Science

soil drainage and soil porosity response to soil biochar amendment
 

Dr. Bill Hockaday, Dept of Earth Science

chemical characterization of biochar; liason to local farms
 

Dr. Carrie Masiello, Dept Earth Science

C cycle and N cycle responses to soil biochar amendment
 

Dr. Jennifer Rudgers, Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

plant and microbial responses to soil biochar amendment
 

Dr. Kyriacos Zygorakis

chemistry of pyrolysis, biochar surface chemistry and particle porosity