Biochar is the byproduct of burning wood or other biomass (eg cornstalks, blackberry, etc) in which the burning process is stopped before the biomass turns to ash: char. The char is then inoculated with a microbial solution to create a microbial environment: biochar. Since the beginning of civilization, people have been adding ash, char from cooking, food waste and human\animal waste to soil. These waste products combined and allowed to biodegrade over time is what creates naturally occurring biochar.
Benficial benefits of biochar include:
1. retaining water in your soil so that it requires less irrigation.
2. it houses microbes that feed the soil by breaking down minerals into food for plants.
3. provides stable carbon for compost so that it can mature faster, be more nutritionally dense and extend compost’s effects on the soil.
4. it accepts electrons from decaying matter and turns gases such as methane into more stable forms reducing greenhouse emissions.
A new book “The Biochar Handbook” by Kelpie Wilson is one wonderful source to learn more. She has included many citations for those who want to delve deeper. There is still much more to learn about biochar such as techniques to make it, understanding pH and the biomass you are utilizing and its relationship not only to compost but Purple Non-Sulphur Bacteria.