Gujarat's Agri Sector Sees Potential in Biochar to Reduce Pollution & Boost Farmer Income

The residue, which is a major headache for farmers, may now be transformed into biochar, which has a wide range of applications. JAU has invented a system that can produce biochar from this garbage, and the technique has been granted a patent.

Biochar is similar to charcoal in that it is made from resources such as wood, food waste, and so on. However, the carbon content of biochar, in particular, must be determined.

JAU's system can process 500 kg of trash per hour and creates biochar from agricultural leftovers with an 80% carbon content. According to JAU experts, crops such as wheat, cotton, castor, and sesame generate around 780 million metric tonnes of agriculture residue in India.  Instead of becoming ash, this waste can be transformed into biochar, which can supplement farmers' income.

"We have developed a batch-type biomass pyrolyzer machine," stated PM Chauhan, head of JAU's department of renewable energy engineering (REE). This results in biochar, which has a variety of agricultural and industrial applications. Farmers can use it to boost soil fertility, increase plant growth, and improve crop nutrition. Its use in conjunction with fertilizer increases agricultural yield. According to Chauhan, activated biochar can also be used in industry.

There is a scientific method for converting biochar into activated biochar. Activated charcoal is utilised in oral health care products like as teeth whitening, toothpastes, shampoo, water purifiers, air filters, and so on."Biochar produced by this machine emits no greenhouse gases and can be used for agricultural soil amendments, industrial applications, and cosmetic production."

"This eliminates the need for farmers to burn agricultural waste, which reduces pollution and allows them to earn additional revenue," Chauhan explained. According to JAU officials, the patent will be distributed to qualified enterprises in the near future for large-scale commercial production of this equipment.