Sustainable cultivation of raw materials for local biochar production – spatial distribution of potential cultivation areas in Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland

Biochar is defined as a porous carbonaceous solid produced by thermochemical conversion of organic materials in an oxygen depleted atmosphere, which has physio chemical properties suitable for the safe and long-term storage of carbon in the environment and, potentially, soil improvement.

At present, industrial scale biochar production in Finland is restricted to a few plants. However, new
production sites are evolving quickly and the demand for raw materials is increasing.

In this study we assess the spatial distribution of organic soils potentially suitable for the production of biochar raw materials. We also estimate the costs and environmental impacts caused by the transport of the raw materials.