Treehouse California Almonds and Sitos Group have produced the first load of biochar at their commercial facility in Delano, California, turning almond shells from nut processing into a soil amendment instead of waste.
Biochar is a charcoal-like material made by heating organic matter with little oxygen, a process called slow pyrolysis. The carbon is held in a stable form that can stay in the soil for many years instead of returning to the air when the material rots or is burned. The 25,000-square-foot Delano plant uses several slow-pyrolysis units with emissions controls.
Mixed with compost and spread on fields, biochar can improve soil structure, help soil hold moisture for longer, which matters in drought-prone regions, and support beneficial soil organisms, the companies say. Using the shells also cuts waste going to landfill and the fire risk of stockpiled organic material.
"Biochar has the potential to store significant amounts of carbon for the long term," said Jessica Bronner, director of business operations at Sitos Group.
Mark Masten, president of Treehouse California Almonds, said California growers face the state's goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030, and that the technology gives "a new purpose for an otherwise costly by-product" and a way for hullers to cut their carbon footprint. "We hope other hullers throughout the Central Valley will soon join us in the effort," he said.
Photo: Vbenjou / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Source: Farms.com
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