Objective In the context of climate change mitigation, technologies for removing the CO2 from the atmosphere are key challenges. The transfer of carbon from the atmosphere into useful carbon deposits is currently one promising option.Transferring biomass to carbon-rich materials with potential mega-scale application is an option to sequester carbon from plant material, taking it out of the short-term carbon cycle and therefore binding CO2 efficiently and even in a useful, productive, way into longer term non-atmospheric carbon pools. EuroChar will investigate carbon sequestration potentials that can be achieved by transforming plant biomass into charcoal (or Biochar) and add that to agricultural soils. Biochar production will be demonstrated using thermochemical (TC) or hydrothermal carbonization processes (HTC) that can produce energy and store 15 to 20% of the Carbon originally contained in the biomass. Detailed ISO-accredited whole Life Cycle Assessment will be carried out according to the International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD) Handbook on LCA, for both TC and HTC production systems to evaluate the net Carbon sequestration capacity associated to Biochar production. Physico-chemical properties of Biochar will be analysed in a series of laboratory studies that will use standardized analytical protocols, and a specific phyto-toxicity test will be made using molecular approaches involving a model plant. Part of the study will also address the short versus long-term stability of Biochar using recently produced and aged charcoal samples coming from archaeological sites. Specific investigations will also be made to assess Biochar decomposition using CO2-efflux measurements from 13C labelled Biochar. Three large-scale field experiments will be made in Italy, France and UK to analyse “realistic scale” application of Biochar. Upscaling will be considered by scenario analyses that will both consider the potential C-sequestration actually achievable at the european scale and the climate warming balance associated to carbon sequestration and potential changes in the mean surface albedo, due to massive use of Biochar as soil amendant. A number of stakeholders will be involved to review project’s activities. For this the EuroChar Stakeholder Committee will be created and met periodically during annual project meetings. Dissemination activities will be implemented to make project’s results available to a wider audience and the media. Fields of science natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencessoil sciencesedaphologynatural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changesagricultural sciencesagricultural biotechnologybiomass Programme(s) FP7-ENVIRONMENT - Specific Programme "Cooperation": Environment (including Climate Change) Topic(s) ENV.2010.3.1.8-1 - Development of technologies for long-term carbon sequestration Call for proposal FP7-ENV-2010 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme CP-FP - Small or medium-scale focused research project Coordinator CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE Address Piazzale aldo moro 7 00185 Roma Italy See on map Region Centro (IT) Lazio Roma Activity type Research Organisations Administrative Contact Antonio Raschi (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window EU contribution € 518 000,00 Participants (7) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all UNIVERSITE PIERRE ET MARIE CURIE - PARIS 6 France EU contribution € 413 000,00 Address Place jussieu 4 75252 Paris See on map Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Elena Billi-Rizza (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window MARTIN-LUTHER-UNIVERSITAT HALLE-WITTENBERG Germany EU contribution € 198 500,00 Address Universitatsplatz 10 6108 Halle See on map Region Baden-Württemberg Stuttgart Stuttgart, Stadtkreis Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Sigrid Köhne (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON United Kingdom EU contribution € 413 500,00 Address Highfield SO17 1BJ Southampton See on map Region South East (England) Hampshire and Isle of Wight Southampton Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Yan Qiao (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window CS Carbon Solutions Deutschland GmbH Germany EU contribution € 192 300,00 Address Albert-einstein-ring 1 14532 Kleinmachnow See on map Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Administrative Contact Volker Zwing (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window LIBERA UNIVERSITA DI BOLZANO Italy EU contribution € 251 500,00 Address Piazza universita 1 39100 Bolzano See on map Region Nord-Est Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano/Bozen Bolzano-Bozen Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Giustino Tonon (Prof.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Advanced Gasification Technology Italy EU contribution € 184 200,00 Address Via g. cesari 1/a 26100 Cremona See on map Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Administrative Contact Alessandro Pozzi (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINE United Kingdom EU contribution € 327 900,00 Address South kensington campus exhibition road SW7 2AZ London See on map Region London Inner London — West Westminster Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Brooke Alasya (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window
