The physical and chemical characteristics of biochar, particularly it’s charged, and high surface area make it ideal for treating pond and lake water, much like the way activated carbon filters are used in drinking water. Biochar is great at adsorbing pesticides and fertilisers to help keep your water ways free from harmful compounds (1) (2).
As explained in our blog what's all the fuss over biochar the biochar houses countless bugs which process and purify nutrients and pesticides that may otherwise accumulate, which can lead to algal blooms, oxygen depletion, acidic water and hydrogen sulphide (rotten egg gas).
Treating and managing wastewater can be costly and complex, and so cheap, low-input and sustainable solutions such as using biochar are real “game-changers”. A large evidence base shows that incorporating biochar into constructed wetland areas can maximise beneficial water treatment mechanisms and potentially reduce the cost and impact of more traditional water treatment.
If you discover any other interesting ideas or research regarding how biochar can be incorporated in farming systems or environmental management, we’d love to hear about it!
REFERENCES
(1) Mohan, D., Sarswat, A., Ok, Y.S. and Pittman Jr, C.U., 2014. Organic and inorganic contaminants removal from water with biochar, a renewable, low cost and sustainable adsorbent–a critical review. Bioresource technology, 160, pp.191-202.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Arvind_Singh56/post/What_is_remove_biochar_in_wastewater_treatment/attachment/59fb0fd94cde26d68ce667f3/AS:556225148719105@1509625817538/download/BRTReview.pdf
(2) Gupta, P., Ann, T.W. and Lee, S.M., 2015. Use of biochar to enhance constructed wetland performance in wastewater reclamation. Environmental Engineering Research, 21(1), pp.36-44. https://www.e-sciencecentral.org/articles/?scid=SC000014221
FURTHER READING
1). “Enhanced nitrogen removal of low C/N domestic wastewater using a biochar-amended aerated vertical flow constructed wetland”
Zhou, X., Wang, X., Zhang, H. and Wu, H., 2017. Enhanced nitrogen removal of low C/N domestic wastewater using a biochar-amended aerated vertical flow constructed wetland. Bioresource technology, 241, pp.269-275.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960852417307265
2). “Biochar in Constructed Wetlands”
http://ecoteam.com.au/biochar-in-constructed-wetlands/
3). “55 Uses of Biochar”
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257939693_55_Uses_of_Biochar