Biochar farming: defining economically perspective applications

Biochar refers to the high-carbon, black fine-grained product of biomass pyrolysis. Independent studies repeatedly confirmed that its incorporation into arable land is a reliable carbon sequestration method that significantly improves soil quality. The latest development leads to a reduction in the production cost (− 10 to 30 USD t⁻¹); however, the use of biochar in commercial agriculture remains scarce. The reason is that biochar can substitute lower-quality charcoals (150–300 USD t⁻¹). Therefore, farmers tend to sell their biowaste for energy purposes, respectively, preferring a quick profit over the forgotten soil-improving practices, which hold long-term benefits. A review of the current state of the art was performed in order to search directions toward the most profitable biochar farming applications. There are indications that a promising direction might be its on-farm production followed by on-farm use and nutrient recycling, or more precisely, special fertilization applications.