biochar

noun

bio·​char ¦bī-(ˌ)o-¦chär How to pronounce biochar (audio)
: a form of charcoal that is produced by exposing organic waste matter (such as wood chips, crop residue, or manure) to heat in a low-oxygen environment and that is used especially as a soil amendment
… the US could convert huge amounts of logging and agricultural leftovers into biochar, and even grow crops just for that purpose.Josh Harkinson, Mother Jones, November/December 2008
biochar holds such promise as an inexpensive and highly effective way to sequester carbon in soil.Al Gore, Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis, 2009

Word History

First Known Use

1995, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of biochar was in 1995

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Cite this Entry

“Biochar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biochar. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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