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A new mobile biochar production unit capable of turning forestry residues and invasive weeds into a useful soil product is being trialled in by the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) in northern NSW, with researchers investigating its potential to support carbon storage and sustainable forestry.
The mobile unit was demonstrated recently during an open day at Boorabee State Forest near Kyogle, where around 60 people from government, industry and the local community gathered to see the technology in action.
Designed and built in Glen Innes by local engineering business Roundhill Engineering, the unit can be transported directly to where vegetation is being cleared or harvested. It converts material such as invasive weeds and forestry residues into biochar, a charcoal-like product that can be added to soil to help crops and trees grow while storing carbon in the ground.
Senior Research Scientist, Fabiano Ximenes said the NSW-built technology was showing how materials often treated as waste could be put to productive use.
“By converting forestry residues and invasive weeds such as lantana into biochar, the technology has the potential to improve soils, support tree growth and store carbon for the long term,” Dr Ximenes said.
“It is encouraging to see researchers, industry and local communities working together to explore practical solutions that could benefit regional industries and the environment.”
During the open day demonstration, the unit successfully processed lantana collected from the site. The technology could also reduce the cost of transporting low-value forestry residues and invasive weeds to processing facilities.
The biochar produced will be used in a forestry trial at Boorabee State Forest to investigate whether it can improve tree growth, boost soil health and increase the amount of carbon stored in soil across Blackbutt, Spotted Gum and Gympie Messmate plantations.
Researchers will compare biochar produced from lantana and plantation forestry residues, assess the costs and logistics of using a mobile production system, and measure changes in soil carbon over time.
The trial was partially supported through the On-farm Carbon Advice project, a joint initiative of the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. The project was funded through the Primary Industries Productivity and Abatement Program.
