Project Framework

Forest maintenance operations are the gold standard in wildfire prevention. However, these operations generate huge amounts of residual forest biomass (RFB) that cannot be legally disposed in land and further require suitable management.

RFB includes highly flammable plants, such as gorse, broom, invasive species (e.g. acacia), which proliferation and accumulation promotes the occurrence of wildfires. Besides deleterious impacts on the rural and forestry economy, wildfires are also a driver for desertification and soil degradation of its quality.

Valorisation of this RFB in rural areas linked to proper management of forest areas, as well as alternative uses for RFB are urgent to develop, thus providing economic and environmental benefits by decreasing of the fuel load.

Since the composition of this biomass does not make it suitable for thermochemical conversion processes (e.g. combustion) for energy production due to ash fouling problems, biochar production by RFB pyrolysis is a potential alternative to generate added-value products (soil amendments). Additionally, enhancing the energetic sustainability of the process and minimizing the environmental impacts resulting from emission of gaseous pollutants are aspects of major relevance.

The BioValChar project seeks to answer these challenges related to valorisation of low quality RFB through production of biochar by pyrolysis – energetically and environmentally sustainable – which can return back to forest and rural soils to improve nutrient content and productivity, thus reducing fertilisation demand with associated economic gains.

This approach will provide both carbon and nutrient recycling and synergies within forestry management, wildfire prevention, improvement of soil quality and rural development, under the Circular Economy principle.