BIOSAT

BIOSAT stands for Biochar based Organic Soil amendment technology.

Biochar is a natural soil amendment that increases the soil fertility over a period of time.Soil scientists have proved the following benefits of applying Biochar to soil:

• Increase in microbial activity
• Increase in water retention capacity of soil
• Reduction in nutrient leaching
• Better uptake of nutrients by roots
• Increase in PH of acidic soils
• Alters soil texture & structure
• Reduces the need for chemical fertilizers
  
  

All these benefits translate to an increase in yield of crops over a period of time. Although all biochars are not equal & the exact increase in yield depends on numerous factors. Increases in yields of 20-400% have been observed after the application of Biochar.

Biochar as a source of Renewable energy

Upto 50 % (by wt) of the original biomass is converted into biochar after pyrolysis while the remaining being converted into by-products such as syngas & bio-oil. These by-products can be further treated & can be used as a source of fuel & energy.

Biochar as a carbon sequestration & climate change tool

Biochar is essentially organic matter in a stable form that does not decompose for hundreds of years. Organic matter in its natural form decomposes in a few years that results in release of carbon emissions & other greenhouse gases. Various scientists have proposed to use biochar as carbon sequestration method. Soils act as carbon sinks. Lab & field trials are underway globally to scientifically verify these claims.

Biochar as a waste management technique

Farmers’ burn most waste biomass at the farm level by a technique called as slash & burn. This farm waste can be collected to produce biochar. This would prevent the harmful release of greenhouse gases at the same time it would be ecology clean & efficient way to manage waste related problems.

How to Apply

• Application rates over a period of time.
• Most soil scientists recommend an application rate of 3-5 tons/hectare/year
  
  

Frequency

Biochar can be applied annually to the soil during the soil preparation stage. It is observed that soil fertility increases over the years due to regular application of biochar.

One of the field experiments was conducted on capsicum plants at a farm in Nahsik District of Maharashtra. The field result showed that the plants grew taller, flowered more, had greener leaves, had healthier and thicker roots and also sprouted more capsicum nodes. This was the result compared to the same crop treated with fertilizer in the same farm.