Welcome to the UKBRC
Biochar is a specially designed charcoal which offers a bright future for organic resource management, soil improvement and energy production.
It contains a high proportion of extremely stable carbon, and so sustainable production of biochar can be a significant, viable Negative Emissions Technology for mitigating human-induced climate change. Find out more about biochar
Since 2009, the UK Biochar Research Centre (UKBRC) has led strategic, multidisciplinary investigations of biochar. It is based in the School of GeoSciences at The University of Edinburgh, in collaboration with Newcastle University and Rothamsted Research. Find out more about UKBRC.
UKBRC undertakes primary research into the production and use of biochar as well as engaging with relevant Governmental bodies.
Click here to access the report prepared by UKBRC and commissioned by the United Kingdom Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC): "An Assessment of the Benefits and Issues Associated with the Application of Biochar to Soil" (edited by Simon Shackley and Saran Sohi, published June 2010).
The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has issued an Interim Regulatory Position Statement on biochar - the first regulatory agency in the UK to develop a formal position on biochar regulation.
Latest News & Developments
Zoom into Soil webinar and recording
The British Society of Soil Science (BSSS) convened a webinar on the subject of biochar last week. If you missed it, there is a recording on the BSSS YouTube channel here. Saran and Hamish teamed up in a one-hour session.
23 January 2023
BEIS GGR and Black Bull Biochar update
Black Bull Biochar has launched its full website. The company was formed by Alex Clarke during 2022, to deliver a Phase 2 GGR Pilot Project with investment from BEIS. The project essentially implements the vision developed during Phase 1 in 2021/22. The University of Edinburgh (UKBRC) contributed academic input, particularly on biochar carbon longevity. Further deteils can be found on the Project page here.
01 January 2023
Greenhouse Gas Removal
We have been awarded funding by the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), to demonstrate the feasibility of using carbon capture technologies within UK infrastructure and agriculture projects to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. The full list of projects funded is on the BEIS website here.
26 May 2021
Green Carbon webinar series 2020
A new season of bi-weekly (free) webinars starts today! Topics range from lab-based research projects about biochar production to international field trials and non-governmental community projects. To find out more and to register, please click here.
16 April 2020
Green Carbon webinar series starts soon!
On 26th September 2019 we are launching a Green Carbon webinar series. The series will run online on Thursdays at 3 pm CET. Each session will feature 2 x 25-minute talks on current research in the field of advanced carbon materials. Click here for the registration page.
13 September 2019
Other Recent Content & Updates
Recent Publications
Re-use of sugarcane residue as a novel biochar fertiliser: Increased phosphorus use efficiency and plant yield
Authors: Bernardo Borges, Mathias Strauss, Priscila Camelo, Saran Sohi and Henrique Franco
Published in Journal of Cleaner Production
Read more..
Published: March 28 2020
Passive CO2 removal in urban soils: Evidence from brownfield sites
Authors: Ehsan Jorat, Mark Goddard, Peter Manning, Hiu Kwan Lau, Samuel Ngeow, Saran Sohi and David Manning
Published in Science of the Total Environment
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Published: November 18 2019
A comparative study on biochar properties and Cd adsorption behavior under effects of ageing processes of leaching, acidification and oxidation
Authors: Ruihai Chang, Saran Sohi, Fanqi Jing, Yuyan Liu and Jiawei Chen
Published in Environmental Pollution
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Published: August 28 2019