The aim of Residues to Best Use (Swedish: Rest till Bäst) is to develop solutions for managing society’s organic residues (park and garden waste, agro-biopellets, sludge, algae and seaweed) and create a beneficial product (biochar), while at the same time minimising the environmental and climate impact of the residues and establishing a carbon sink. The goal is to push towards a climate-smart, sustainable and circular society and a greener and healthier world.
Residues to Best Use is one of the first projects that has taken an overall approach of biochar – from the handling of organic residues and production of biochar through pyrolysis to the distribution and use of biochar, including life cycle analyses, certification and recommendations.
We have shown, among other things, that:
- Biochar can be produced from several different residues (park and garden waste, agro-biopellets, sludge, algae and seaweed).
- Cadmium can be removed from organic residues during pyrolysis by using elevated temperatures (700-800°C), potentially enabling the use of biochar from residues that contain high levels of heavy metals as well.
- Biochar is not one product, it is many products. The properties of a specific biochar are quite different depending on the organic residue used, the pre-treatment of the organic residue and the production procedure. It is thus important to describe the properties of each biochar in order to allow users to choose the appropriate biochar for their area of application.
- Biochar is a suitable soil amendment in several different urban environments, including pregrown sedum mats for green roofs, green walls, newly established and existing tree plantations, rain gardens and football fields.
- Each residue (park and garden waste, agro-biopellets, sludge, algae and seaweed) produces biochar with a clear climate benefit, although the sink size varies somewhat between different residues.
The current focus of the project is the optimisation and scaling-up of technologies previously developed within the project and the verification and dissemination of results. Furthermore, we are investigating the possibilities of developing efficient business models and sustainable biochar markets.
The project has run since May 2017. It has 27 partners – including universities, large companies, small enterprises and municipalities. Most are based in Sweden, but there are also a few international partners. The project will proceed until the summer of 2023. It is partially financed by Sweden’s innovation agency, Vinnova.
Read more at: www.biokol.org
Download our Biochar handbook – for users (currently available only in Swedish): https://biokol.org/handbok/
For more information, please contact project leader Markus Paulsson (markus.paulsson@lund.se), Lund Municipality, or associate project leaderAnn-Mari Fransson (annmari.fransson@lnu.se), Linnæus University.