With extensive research, real-world examples, and hands-on applications, this go-to guide offers a comprehensive look at the principles and practices of biochar—and all of its world-changing uses. Like many human discoveries, biochar has likely been invented, lost, and reinvented multiple times. It can be found in the rich terra preta soils of the Amazon and in the ancient “dark earths” dotting Africa, Asia, and Europe. However, biochar isn’t just an archeological curiosity. In The Biochar Handbook, author Kelpie Wilson argues that the simple process of burning organic material in a low-oxygen, low-emission environment could be one of the most powerful tools we have to restore degraded soils and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. In accessible and authoritative prose, Wilson demonstrates that biochar is a low-tech but effective means of reducing wildfire risks, restoring soil carbon, managing manure, weaning farms off of toxic inputs, and producing the best compost ever made. In this book, you’ll also find: A pocket history of biochar Step-by-step instructions on making biochar for yourself Applications for soil water retention, pest deterrence, compost enhancement, and more Inspiring examples of ecosystem restoration and improved forest management Low-cost recipes, including Cultured Biochar and Sustainable Potting Soil Wilson makes a compelling case that biochar is both simple to make and a potent solution to a host of knotty problems, both global and close to home. Whether you’re a gardener, homesteader, rancher, commercial farmer, permaculturalist, or forest manager, this book will show you how to put biochar to work, making you and your community more resilient as a result.

With extensive research, real-world examples, and hands-on applications, this go-to guide offers a comprehensive look at the principles and practices of biochar—and all of its world-changing uses. Like many human discoveries, biochar has likely been invented, lost, and reinvented multiple times. It can be found in the rich terra preta soils of the Amazon and in the ancient “dark earths” dotting Africa, Asia, and Europe. However, biochar isn’t just an archeological curiosity. In The Biochar Handbook, author Kelpie Wilson argues that the simple process of burning organic material in a low-oxygen, low-emission environment could be one of the most powerful tools we have to restore degraded soils and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. In accessible and authoritative prose, Wilson demonstrates that biochar is a low-tech but effective means of reducing wildfire risks, restoring soil carbon, managing manure, weaning farms off of toxic inputs, and producing the best compost ever made. In this book, you’ll also find: A pocket history of biochar Step-by-step instructions on making biochar for yourself Applications for soil water retention, pest deterrence, compost enhancement, and more Inspiring examples of ecosystem restoration and improved forest management Low-cost recipes, including Cultured Biochar and Sustainable Potting Soil Wilson makes a compelling case that biochar is both simple to make and a potent solution to a host of knotty problems, both global and close to home. Whether you’re a gardener, homesteader, rancher, commercial farmer, permaculturalist, or forest manager, this book will show you how to put biochar to work, making you and your community more resilient as a result.

*2022 GardenComm Media Awards Gold Medal of Achievement The first and only complete guide to sourcing and using woodchip—an abundant, inexpensive, and ecologically sustainable material—for savvy growers and landscapers at any scale, from farm to garden to greenhouse. The Woodchip Handbook is the essential guide to the many uses of woodchip both in regenerative agriculture and horticulture. Author Ben Raskin, Head of Horticulture and Agroforestry at the Soil Association, draws on his extensive practical experience using woodchip, provides the latest research from around the world, and presents inspiring case studies from innovative farmers. The book explores and unlocks the tremendous potential of woodchip to enhance soil health and plant growth: As a natural mulch for weed suppression, temperature buffering, and water conservation As a growing medium for propagating plants As a decomposing source of warmth for hotbeds in the greenhouse or hoop house As a carbon-rich compost ingredient that supports beneficial fungi and microorganisms As a powerful soil health booster, when applied as small-sized ramial chipped wood As an ideal substrate for growing many kinds of edible or medicinal mushrooms As a sustainable, versatile, and durable material for foot paths and ornamental landscaping Some of these techniques, like mulching—or the renewable harvest potential from coppicing and pollarding trees—have been around forever. Yet there is always new science to be discovered, such as the role that salicylic acid from willow woodchip can play in preventing tree diseases or promoting livestock health when used as a bedding material. Whether you are a commercial grower or farmer, a permaculture practitioner, or a serious home gardener producing your own fruit and vegetables, The Woodchip Handbook will show you how to get the most out of this readily available and renewable material.

Interest in biochar among soil and environment researchers has increased dramatically over the past decade. Biochar initially attracted attention for its potential to improve soil fertility and to uncouple the carbon cycle, by storing carbon from the atmosphere in a form that can remain stable for hundreds to thousands of years. Later it was found that biochar had applications in environmental and water science, mining, microbial ecology and other fields. Beneficial effects of biochar and its environmental applications cannot be fully realised unless the chemical, physical, structural and surface properties of biochar are known. Currently many of the analytical procedures used for biochar analysis are not well defined, which makes it difficult to choose the right biochar for an intended use and to compare the existing data for biochars. Also, in some instances the use of inappropriate procedures has led to erroneous or inaccurate values for biochars in the scientific literature. Biochar: A Guide to Analytical Methods fills this gap and provides procedures and guidelines for routine and advanced characterisation of biochars. Written by experts, each chapter provides background to a technique or procedure, a stepwise guide to analyses, and includes data for biochars made from a range of feedstocks common to all presented methods. Discussion about the unique features, advantages and disadvantages of a particular technique is an explicit focus of this handbook for biochar analyses. Biochar is primarily intended for researchers, postgraduate students and practitioners who require knowledge of biochar properties. It will also serve as an important resource for researchers, industry and regulatory agencies dealing with biochar.

A step-by-step guide to creating resilient and prosperous households introduces permaculture as a practical way to live well with less money, convert waste into wealth, and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

Create abundance through this unique approach to low-maintenance, high-yield, sustainable food production A food forest is a productive landscape developed around a mix of trees and perennials. Rooted in permaculture principles, this integrated approach to gardening incorporates a variety of plants such as fruit and nut trees, shrubs, vines, and perennial herbs and vegetables. Food forests can help increase biodiversity, protect valuable habitat for beneficial insects, and promote food security and resilience, all while providing an abundant harvest. The Food Forest Handbook is a practical manual for the design and management of a home-scale perennial polyculture garden. Simple, straightforward instructions guide the reader through: Getting started - site assessment and planning Tending the forest garden – maintaining soil health, succession planning, , mulching, pruning and more The fruits of your labor – crop profiles, harvest, storage, nutrition and recipes. This timely book makes the concept of food forests accessible to everyone. Focusing on the potential of perennial polyculture to enhance local food systems, The Food Forest Handbook shows the reader how to mix and match plants in unique combinations to establish bountiful landscapes and create genuine self-reliance in years to come. Darrell Frey is the owner and manager of Three Sisters Farm, a five-acre permaculture farm, solar greenhouse and market garden located in Western Pennsylvania. He has been permaculture teacher for thirty years, and is the author of Bioshelter Market Garden: A Permaculture Farm . Michelle Czolba is co-owner of Pittsburgh Permaculture and co-founded the Hazelwood Food Forest. She has extensive experience in the design and maintenance of perennial polyculture.

This handbook discusses the latest developments in biorefinery technologies for waste-to-energy conversion. The growing global population and the accompanying increase in consumption and waste production make it urgent to find the best possible use of our resources. A sustainable waste management under the biorefinery concept has great potential to support a sustainable circular economy and green energy production. This handbook is divided into four parts. First, the reader is introduced to the fundamentals and recent trends of waste-to-energy technologies. The second part describes in detail the current status, challenges, and potential of the different feedstocks used for waste-to-energy conversion. Here, municipal solid waste, sewage sludge, oils and greases generated during food preparation, industrial wastewaters, and agricultural wastes, to name a few, are introduced. In the third part, numerous waste-to-energy technologies are discussed in detail, including anaerobic digestion, composting, gasification, plasma technology, thermal cracking, and others. Advantages and optimization potentials of these technologies for efficient residue management, quality and yield are highlighted. Finally, the handbook discusses social, environmental and economic aspects of waste-to-energy biorefinery technologies. Readers will learn more about the major bottlenecks and solutions in bioenergy commercialization, the logistics of biomass supply and the carbon footprint of waste biorefineries. The ideas and technologies presented in this book contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of "Affordable and Clean Energy". This book is a useful reference for postgraduate students and researchers interested in biorefinery and biofuel technologies, both in academia- and commercial laboratories. Early career scientists can use it to fast track into the field. Advanced scientists will find it helpful in gaining a broader overview of the field beyond their area of specialization.

Land is fundamental to the human life. The upper layer of land is a non-renewable resource, and source of food. Therefore, land health is essential to long-term food security and to promote sustainable livelihoods. On account of urbanization, industrialization and population growth, land pollution is one of the major issues worldwide. As a result, land pollution is continuing across the world, and has been linked with a wide range of potentially toxic contaminants at rates that deteriorate land quality. Land pollution can result either anthropogenic activities or natural activities. The major contaminants of land pollution are metalloids, petroleum hydrocarbon, radioactive elements, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), Pesticide, other organic pollutants, etc. that comes from different types of sources. In urban and peri-urban areas, irrigation of agricultural land with polluted water is also a reason of land pollution. Therefore, land security is an important issue for future sustainability. Its remediation and management are important issue worldwide to protect land quality and functions. Land pollution means degradation of earth's surface. Polluted land comes under the category of degraded land. Hence, the remediation of polluted land is essential for regaining biodiversity and ecosystems services and thereby achieving United Nations-Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs).This fact showed the need to develop research into land remediation. Bio-inspired land remediation has undergone a huge development. Therefore, Biomanagement has a lot of potential to secure upper earth’s surface through the land remediation programs targeted during the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030). This book explores the remediation of land pollution that includes Phytoremediation, Bioremediation (bacterial remediation and fungal remediation), Vermiremediation, Biochar-based remediation and other Bio-inspired remediation. This book will be a remarkable asset for research scholars, environmentalists, ecological scientist, agriculturist, practitioners, policy makers, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders alike.

The book on “Forestry Technologies – A Complete Value Chain Approach” has been designed to cater to the needs of the stakeholders by judiciously incorporating the recent technologies and research outputs available in various sectors of institutions. The book has four major themes viz., basic and strategic technology, production technology, processing and value addition technology and consumption technology. The basic and strategic technology incorporated seven chapters which include basic information and the recent scientific applications such as: nano technology and urban forestry technology. The production technology incorporated 16 chapters that includes all the recent developments such as: mini clonal technology, high yielding short rotation variety, land development and precision silvicultural technology, and multifunctional agroforestry. Processing and value addition technology incorporated 11 chapters and the consumption technology incorporated five chapters which include the recent developments in processing, value addition and the associated supply chain process. In a holistic perspective, the current book will serve as a readymade reference material to the practicing foresters, scientific professionals, wood based industries, policy makers, forestry students, financial and other academic and research institutions.