A Circular Economy for the Urban Forest: Wood Waste to Soil Wealth through Carbon Sequestering Biochar

This project addresses two major concerns for the City of Philadelphia: managing an excess of urban forestry wood waste and increasing the sustainability of Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) soils. Our project aligns with Topic 8.1 specifically climate mitigation and the development of value-added products from forest resources. Often seen as an inert waste product urban forestry wood waste presents an environmental and financial burden. Woody waste is commonly either incinerated releasing greenhouse gases or left to decay emitting methane and trace gases both of which are environmentally harmful and impose financial burdens on cities through tipping fees and waste management costs. Redirecting wood waste into municipal-scale biochar production creates a circular economy for Philadelphia by converting a waste stream into a high value product (biochar) for use in public works projects thereby reducing landfill costs enhancing soil health mitigating climate change and creating a new revenue source. As a horticultural soil amendment biochar sequesters carbon in a stable form enhances plant growth and reduces fertilizer and irrigation needs. Successful completion of this project will yield (1) a biochar manufacturer specification that balances carbon sequestration with soil enhancement; (2) a trial design specification for biochar-amended GSI soil; (3) a techno-economic assessment (TEA); (4) a technical planning package for municipal-scale biochar-production. We will create a replicable model for market development and standards implementation supported by lab-based analysis economic modeling and open-source specifications. For this project OLIN has partnered with USDA-ARS's Eastern Regional Research Center under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement.