Biochar

Top Lit Updraft (TLUD) Kiln for Biochar production

The TLUD is a multi-use micro-kiln / stove that is used to produce biochar and produce heat for cooking purposes. The kiln is a mobile, low-cost, manually operated stove that is an improved version from the original product as designed by the previous BUSH Project in Namibia.
Biochar is a lightweight black high-carbon residue that remains after the pyrolysis (oxygen-limited environment) or thermal decomposition of biomass in the absence of oxygen. Plant material from encroacher bush and crop residue including corn cob, rice husks and empty palm nut fruit brunches are used to produce biochar.

Biochar is a stable solid that is rich in pyrogenic carbon and can endure in soil for thousands of years; it contributes to carbon capture and storage thereby mitigating climate change due to its potential of sequestering carbon. It also increases the soil fertility of acidic soils and enhances agricultural productivity because the soil would have more nutrients, greater aeration and improved water filtration.

The application of biochar presents a good opportunity for farmers to not only counter bush encroachment, but also to advance agricultural productivity.

References

• Nyambo, P., Mupambwa, H.A. and Nciizah, A.D., 2020. Biochar enhances the capacity of climate-smart agriculture to mitigate climate change. Handbook of climate change management: research, leadership, transformation, pp.1-18.
• Wang, D., Jiang, P., Zhang, H. and Yuan, W., 2020. Biochar production and applications in agro and forestry systems: A review. Science of the Total Environment, 723, p.137775. 
• Danesh, P., Niaparast, P., Ghorbannezhad, P. and Ali, I., 2023. Biochar production: Recent developments, applications, and challenges. Fuel, 337, p.126889.
• Uchezuba, D.I., Mbai, S., Zimmermann, I. and Bruwer, J., 2019. Investigating wood pellet torrefaction investment and its economic feasibility in the Krumhuk, Khomas region of Namibia. SN Applied Sciences, 1(5), p.402. 
• Katakula, A.A.N., Gawanab, W., Itanna, F. and Mupambwa, H.A., 2020. The potential fertilizer value of Namibian beach-cast seaweed (Laminaria pallida and Gracilariopsis funicularis) biochar as a nutrient source in organic agriculture. Scientific African, 1