Biochar

This week, Leon County leaders voted to make permanent a test program under contract with the engineering company ReCap to turn yard waste into a carbon-negative material called biochar. Carbon negative means the product or process offsets more carbon, through carbon capture, sequestration, or avoidance, than it contributes to the environment. 

Biochar is essentially charcoal, or wood which has been partially burned at very high temperatures in anaerobic conditions to create a stable product which will sequester carbon for many years while rendering benefits to soil and plants.

Extension agents have been able to secure a large bag of the biochar which will be tested in the VegHeadz garden. We will add prescribed amounts to our mix of topsoil and compost. Biochar is said to benefit the soil in many ways including better water retention, balancing pH, immobilization of heavy metals, and providing a medium for increasing microorganism populations.

Additional information and resources are available in the left sidebar under Gardening Resources. These should be studied carefully as there are also some drawbacks. Biochar tends to increase soil alkalinity and can deplete nitrogen when applied. It should be used in small amounts and plants should be monitored to assess results. Once added to the soil, it cannot be removed.

The county resource management department intends to make biochar available to the public along with the currently available mulches and compost. Availability can be determined by calling the solid waste department.

Below are links to additional interesting reading reflecting the many ways in which waste is being recycled, repurposed, and managed by our county government:

Solid Waste Managment website: https://cms.leoncountyfl.gov/Home/Departments/Office-of-Resource-Stewardship/Solid-Waste

Leon County Resource Stewardship website (includes oversight of Sustainability, Solid Waste, Parks and Recreation, and UF/IFAS Leon County Extension): https://cms.leoncountyfl.gov/Home/Departments/Office-of-Resource-Stewardship

2023 report of Leon County Office of Resource Stewardship: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qy577JpdhTSEin3cIJ8vmCsCtH1FFOWA/view?usp=drivesdk