This Code of Practice sets out industry best practice for the sustainable production and use of biochar. Biochar is currently used for many different applications, including soil conditioning and improvement, compost and fertiliser additives, animal feed supplement and as a material for industrial applications. The list of potential uses continues to expand.
As the number of applications for biochar increases, so too does the number of manufacturers. This leads to new challenges in ensuring the quality and sustainability of biochar. It is important to ensure biochar is being produced from a sustainably sourced and supplied feedstock, is not contaminated and is safe for its intended end-use application. The production should not infringe environment, health and safety laws and regulations.
It is critical to consider the quality and properties of biochar for different applications. For example, biochar used in animal feed must be high quality and uncontaminated due to the potential risk of impurities entering the human food chain by secondary consumption. Conversely, in some industrial applications such as asphalt or concrete additives, biochar with a certain degree of contamination may be acceptable. Lower quality biochar still has many applications and is an important means of utilising lower quality biomass resources that may otherwise end up as landfill.
One of the main attributes of biochar is its unique ability to sequester carbon. However, if its production involves high levels of greenhouse gas emissions, other noxious emissions or unsustainable feedstock sources, it should not be considered a sustainable product. The overall production of biochar should, if possible, be a carbon negative (climate positive) process and completed with minimal emissions, meaning the process is clean and more carbon is sequestered by the biochar than is released by its production and use.
This Code of Practice provides guidelines suitable for Australia and New Zealand for the sustainable production of biochar and its end use applications. The Code builds upon information provided in the International Biochar Initiative (IBI) Biochar Standard and the European Biochar Certificate (EBC) Guidelines for a Sustainable Production of Biochar.
It does not replace the legal requirements of the operating jurisdiction but provides guidance on the production and utilisation of biochar products.
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