This proposed Conference is the third of the series, following the very successful Bio-Char I (Alba, Italy, 2017) and Bio-Char II (Cetraro, Italy, 2019).
When organic materials (woody or agricultural materials, organic residues, sewage sludge, digestate,…) are thermally decomposed in the absence of oxygen, one of the resulting products is bio-char, a solid compound rich in carbon and inorganic elements. Incorporated into the ground, bio-char is a porous soil enhancer that can lock up carbon, supply minerals, prevent nutrients leaching and water contamination and retain soil moisture. As a result, bio-char can be used as an efficient material to enhance soil properties while sequestering carbon. However, bio-char’s porous properties make it also suitable for a variety of value-added applications (adsorption of pollutants, filler for composites, catalysts, material for electronic applications, ….). Bio-char properties depend on the biomass feedstock used as well as the operating conditions used for its production. Moreover, they can be manipulated by pre- and post-processing. By understanding and controlling these factors it is possible to create value-added “designer bio-chars” for specific applications.
The interest in bio-char has been booming all over the world. A number of companies have jumped into production and the user community is looking for carbon-negative applications. As a result, it is imperative to review the existing knowledge as well as to stimulate research and development activities to bring clarity to this field, ranging from feedstock selection and properties, to production and upgrading processes, from identification of applications to economics, from characterization to products standardization and policies and carbon dioxide offset credits.
The conference aims to create a forum where the current knowledge as well as the future directions are openly reviewed and discussed.
