Biochar and renewable resources forum to take place on October 6

A forum to be held in Manjimup on October 6 where farmers and producers will be able to learn about biochar production and agricultural applications, with a panel of speakers who will be discussing green waste and biomass. Professor Stephen Joseph, co-founder of the International Biochar Institute and co-author of Biochar for Environmental Management, will be the keynote speaker of the forum. The forum will have presentations from representatives of different green waste and biochar groups, including Chun-Zhu Li from Renergi, a pyrolysis unit operating in Collie specialising in processing green waste and plantation residue, Dr Steve Meerwald, who will describe a eucalyptus distilling operation from company Kochii and their plans for utilising the biomass waste. The day aims at focusing on farmer experience, providing supplementary research input. The forum will also look into biochar and the on-farm use of renewable energy, with Dr David Galloway outlining the long-running decarbonisation efforts of the Augusta-Margaret River Clean Community Energy group, and their work with wind and biodigestion and current operations. Biochar refers to organic matter, containing carbon such as wood waste or the residue of crops, that are heated at high temperatures in the absence of oxygen in a process called pyrolysis, with the resulting charcoal-like material ending up as a useful soil amendment, with the qualities of the biochar having the potential to help build soil fertility and plant resilience. A biochar production workshop will take place on a Manjimup farm, prior to the forum, on October 5, using low-cost kilns to demonstrate four different techniques to produce a biochar that becomes a fertiliser. The process can be adapted to meet individual needs of soils and crops, and the workshop will allow participants with a great opportunity to raise specific questions with Stephen Joseph, who has several years of international research experience to draw upon.