BIOCHAR ACTIVITIES IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS WITH RESPECT TO MINE RECLAMATION

HARLEY, Andrew D., R Squared Incorporated, 5555 DTC Parkway, Suite A-4000, Greenwood Village, CO 80111, andrewharley@r2incorporated.com

Biochar has been widely promoted in tropical and temperate environments for agricultural soil remediation and fertilization. There has been no published research regarding the use of biochar in mine reclamation or for work in the arid and semi-arid environments typical of mine reclamation in the in the Rocky Mountains. Biochar however has several promising qualities in mine reclamation including ameliorating physical, nutritional and toxicity issues. The paper will review the theoretical considerations regarding the use of biochar in mine reclamation and provide a summary of several trials that have been established in Colorado in 2010, with monitoring to be undertaken in the Fall, 2010. While the results are unlikely to be conclusive at this stage, it will provide a basis to begin understanding some of the challenges of using biochar in the reclamation of mined land in high-altitude conditions. Limitations to the application of biochar and potential feedstocks will be discussed.

Session No. 62

T54. Pyrogenic Black Carbon, or Biochar, in Soils and Sediments, Its Characterization and Fate—Its Effects On the Carbon Cycle and Carbon Sequestration, and Its Effects on Soil Properties

Sunday, 31 October 2010: 1:30 PM-5:30 PM

Room 601 (Colorado Convention Center)

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 42, No. 5, p.158

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