The Biochar Podcast

ANZBIG celebrates Water Week by focusing today's episode on Biochar in Water: Enhancing Water-Holding Capacity for Economic Growth and Healthy Ecosystems.

Cluster Manager Sam Zagami is joined by Wendy Timms from Deakin University, where they explore biochar's water-holding capacity and its role in promoting healthy ecosystems and driving economic growth. They also delve into its positive impact on soil moisture and carbon storage, its contributions to drought resilience and food security, and more.

Wendy brings over 30 years of experience in water and porous earth engineering projects, research, and training. As a Chartered Engineer (Civil/Environmental) and environmental scientist, she has worked in consulting, government, and academia. Wendy currently serves as a Professor of Environmental Engineering at Deakin University, where she teaches waste-to-resources engineering, water engineering, and geology. She leads a dedicated research team in areas such as water and energy below ground, carbon sequestration, and biochar.

You can connect with Wendy through ANZBIG at anzbig.org or reach out to her directly at [email protected]

Join us as Craig Bagnall, Director of SEATA Group and Catalyst Environmental Management, as well as an Executive Board Member of ANZBIG, speaks with Sam Zagami, ANZBIG Cluster Manager. Together, they delve into the compelling potential of biochar in displacing fossil carbon. In this enlightening podcast episode, Craig explores both soil and non-soil applications of biochar, presenting global examples that showcase its diverse usage. Discover how biochar can effectively draw down carbon and learn about the instrumental role the Australian Biochar Industry 2030 Roadmap plays in propelling biochar into the mainstream in Australia and New Zealand.

We are back! Our last podcast in 2022, ANZBIG was fundraising for the Biochar Summit and the world-first Biochar Roadmap. In June this year 2023, we launched the Australian Biochar Industry 2030 Roadmap. For our first episode back after a little hyatis Cluster Manager Sam Zagami speaks with ANZBIG CEO Don Coyne giving a snapshot of what ANZBIG has been doing over the past year: The journey from the Biochar Summit last year, ANZBIG international events, launching the Roadmap in June this year and the plan moving forward for ANZBIG.

To get read the roadmap and get involved head to our website https://anzbig.org/biochar-industry-2030-roadmap/

Philip Link and Michael Hallam from EnergyLink Services discuss the key changes to the Puro.earth biochar carbon removal methodology, the implications and opportunities of these changes, market dynamics, the role of verification and how they see the market evolving on the supply and demand side.

To find out how your project can be Puro.earth verified reach out to Philip at EnergyLink Services.

Contact Details: E: [email protected], W: https://www.energylinkservices.com.au

On today's episode we discuss the testing requirements for biochar to meet ANZBIG’s Code of Practice for the new sustainable production and use of biochar in Australia and New Zealand. To help us discuss the topic we have Graham Lancaster, Senior Manager - Commercial & Research Operations, at Environmental Analysis Laboratory / Analytical Research Laboratory at Southern Cross University. 

Graham shares:

On today's episode we will be discussing a scientific paper just out entitled How biochar works and when it doesn't: A review of mechanisms controlling soil and plant responses to biochar

We discuss: 

Our guest today is Annette Cowie from NSW DPI & Univ New England. Annette has a background in soil science and plant nutrition, with particular interest in sustainable resource management. She contributes to development of climate change policy and GHG mitigation in the agriculture sector, including GHG accounting for emissions trading at state, national and international levels. Annette was a lead author in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Climate Change and Land, and is a lead author in the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report.

In this episode we discuss the role of Life Cycle Assessments for biochar projects and the role they will play in technology roll out and scaling. We will discuss the various components of the Life Cycle Assessment including the keys to open carbon markets. 

Philip Link, Managing Director of Energy Link Services joins us as our guest to discuss the topic. Philip has 15 years experience in management consulting, advisory and assurance across a number of vastly diverse interests within clean tech: from carbon management, energy efficiency, renewable energy and biofuels, sustainability and climate disclosure and economic and cost benefit analysis. 

EnergyLink Services is a multi-disciplinary consulting firm and project developer with specialist expertise in renewable energy, energy  efficiency and emissions. They are passionate about helping their clients reduce their energy consumption and to undergo energy efficiency upgrades and are the only puro.earth authorised auditor in Australia.

In this episode we discuss biochar’s role in renewable diesel production, the components of the pyrolysis and gasification process, its applications, the economics (including: job opportunities, a circular economy) and the keys to open carbon markets. 

Our guest is Jennifer Lauber Patterson, Managing Director of Frontier Impact Group. Jennifer is a pioneer in climate solutions with 30+ years experience in banking and energy companies, environmental markets (particularly carbon markets) and sustainable solutions. She pioneered one of the first green electricity deals 25 years ago, and started the first carbon markets business at ANZ bank in the early 2000’s. A key passion for Jennifer is to demonstrate how bioenergy can support the regeneration of the Australian landscape and present farmers with opportunity to diversify their income streams and develop a circular economy.

Recently Frontier Impact Group established a joint venture with Carnarvon Petroleum Ltd, to produce the first commercial-scale renewable diesel bio-refinery in Western Australia. A process to utilise waste biomass and produce renewable diesel, high-quality biochar and wood vinegar using a sustainable process that is carbon negative.

On this episode we discuss biochar’s role in protected cropping; growing plants in controlled environments. We discuss the various components of the pyrolysis and gasification process, their applications and the economics including the keys to open carbon markets. 

Our guest is Peter Burgess, Managing Director of Rainbow Bee Eater and ANZBIG's Vice Chair. Peter envisions the major roles for bioenergy and biochar. He has over thirty years of operational and commercial experience in industrial mining as an engineer, manager and leader.

Rainbow Bee Eater’s mission is to be a world-leading carbon sequestration and renewable energy business. ECHO2, the first commercial process that they have developed, produces low cost, hydrogen-rich Syngas and high-quality Biochar from organic residues such as agricultural crop and timber wastes that would otherwise be burned or land-filled.

The first commercial demonstration module was commissioned at Holla Fresh, a hydroponics herb grower in Mt Gambier, South Australia in 2019.  

ANZBIG's code of practice is currently in development. In this episode, we will look at the objectives of the code, common definitions used in the industry, feedstocks that can be used, best practices for production, handling and packing, the different grades under the code, and their uses as well as achieving ANZBIG certification. 

Our guest is Nigel Murphy, ANZBIG's Chair and Founder and Director Earth Systems and Cyclic Carbon. Nigel's companies have been actively innovating and commercialising technology in the Cleantech sector over the last 25 years including biochar. His biochar experience covers product development, IP protection, capital raising, commercialisation, and market development. With degrees in environmental and earth sciences and experience in working in Australia, China, S.E. Asia, Africa and the Pacific, he has provided technical advice to companies, government, financial institutions and the aid sector in environmental science, cleantech and environmental management. 

Nigel is an Honorary Life Member of the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand and was the foundation Chair of the Certified Environmental Practitioner Scheme for Australia and New Zealand (CEnvP). He is also the current Chair of the Victorian Cleantech Cluster.