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British Columbia Mine Reclamation Symposium
Environmental, social, and economic benefits of biochar application for land reclamation purposes Petelina, Elizaveta; Sanscartier, David; MacWilliam, Susan; Ridsdale, Reanne
Abstract
Biochar is a solid material produced by pyrolysis of biomass, which was shown to improve soil properties. On the other hand, there are a number of risks and uncertainties associated with its use in land reclamation. This case study is aimed to assess environmental, social, and economical benefits and limitations of biochar use for revegetation projects in northern Saskatchewan. Four revegetation options were examined, i.e. natural restoration, revegetation with peat application, and revegetation with application of commercially or locally produced biochar. The assessment methods included option screening by the expert panel, stakeholder opinion survey, and quantitative assessment (i.e. screening life cycle assessment and life cycle costing analysis). The study results suggest that biochar provides a number of environmental benefits and its on-site production can also provide social benefits and economic opportunities. On the other hand, biochar production and application is expensive and associated with technical risks, which can undermine overall project success. Nevertheless, positive trends in biochar production industry suggest that in the near future this material may serve as an affordable and technically reliable alternative to conventional soil amendments for land reclamation.
Item Metadata
Title |
Environmental, social, and economic benefits of biochar application for land reclamation purposes
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Creator | |
Contributor | |
Date Issued |
2014
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Description |
Biochar is a solid material produced by pyrolysis of biomass, which was shown to improve soil
properties. On the other hand, there are a number of risks and uncertainties associated with its use in land
reclamation. This case study is aimed to assess environmental, social, and economical benefits and
limitations of biochar use for revegetation projects in northern Saskatchewan. Four revegetation options
were examined, i.e. natural restoration, revegetation with peat application, and revegetation with
application of commercially or locally produced biochar. The assessment methods included option
screening by the expert panel, stakeholder opinion survey, and quantitative assessment (i.e. screening life
cycle assessment and life cycle costing analysis).
The study results suggest that biochar provides a number of environmental benefits and its on-site
production can also provide social benefits and economic opportunities. On the other hand, biochar
production and application is expensive and associated with technical risks, which can undermine overall
project success. Nevertheless, positive trends in biochar production industry suggest that in the near future
this material may serve as an affordable and technically reliable alternative to conventional soil
amendments for land reclamation.
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Subject | |
Genre | |
Type | |
Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2014-11-19
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0042676
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URI | |
Affiliation | |
Peer Review Status |
Unreviewed
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Scholarly Level |
Other
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Rights URI | |
Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada