CarboPlex - Development of C-rich biochar-mineral complexes for soil amendment, C sequestration and beyond
- Key Staff:
- Prof. Ondřej Mašek
- Timescale:
- 01/04/2015 - 31/03/2017
- Funding:
- EU Horizon2020 Marie Curie Fellowship
The overall aim of this project is to investigate and exploit the potentials of a new material termed biochar-mineral composite (or complex) BMC. The simple yet ground-breaking idea is to use common organic and mineral waste streams to produce BMCs with distinct properties for sophisticated applications.
Primary target is the use of BMCs as soil amender, especially in soils, where the delicate but crucial structure of organo-mineral complexes is threatened or already destroyed by unsustainable soil use or climate change. Where pure biochar is known to face its limits, BMCs because of their mineral part are assumed to allow much higher functionality (i.e. water and nutrient storage), increased stability and faster integration in the soil matrix.
On the long term, developing soil-specific BMCs could improve the soil effects even further. It is only recently that the potential of BMCs started to be recognized, and only marginal research on BMCs has been conducted. To provide evidence-based information on production, properties and soil effects, this projects intends to carry out the first comprehensive and systematic study on BMCs.