The IOWA State University engineers initiated a forum comprising 33 members nationwide representing universities, federal agencies and non-governmental agencies met in Chicago for a Carbon Negative Economy.
Biochar can be added to farm fields to sequester carbon and boost soil fertility.
This forum is to develop an intellectual test bed for this field of science and pool in the research that is being done. The carbon negative economy refers to the removal of carbon from the atmosphere and re-utilizing the same in a more commercial sense thereby sustaining the human economic activity.
As per science, the carbon in the atmosphere is reused by growing switch grass and water medium micro algae, which turn into biomass. This biomass is thermo chemically reduced to bio fuels, which can find application in the day to day energy requirements. This reduction also has a by product called Biochar, which like charcoal is rich in carbon. This Biochar when applied in the soil acts like a carbon sequestering agent boosting soil fertility for crop cultivation.
This forum is stated to meet twice annually where in it would discuss research whitepapers on Carbon Negative Economy presenting the same in science journals, convergence of these ideas between the federal agencies with the private institutions thereby enhancing the collaboration, which is this forum’s main objective. The IOWA state university for Carbon Negative Economy project has received a grant of $500,000 from the College of Engineering over the next three years.
Source: http://www.iastate.edu