	Introduction

Biochar—a charcoal produced under high temperatures using crop residues, animal manure, or other organic material—has the potential to offer multiple environmental benefits. Biochar

Biochar is a soil supplement that sequesters carbon in the soil and thus may help to mitigate global climate change. It has the potential to curtail greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental hazards in the near term and to benefit agricultural producers as a soil amendment and source of renewable energy. Biochar is similar in appearance to potting soil or to a charred substance, depending on the feedstock ( Figure 1 ). Potential Advantages

Whether used as a soil amendment or burned as an energy source (e.g., for cooking and heating), biochar provides numerous potential environmental benefits, some of which are not quantifiable. Large amounts of carbon may be sequestered in the soil for long time periods (hundreds to thousands of years at an estimate), but precise estimates of carbon amounts sequestered as a result of biochar application are scarce. Potential Disadvantages

Recognizing that biochar technology is in its early stages of development, there are many concerns about the applicability of the technology in the United States. Three issues are feedstock availability, biochar handling, and biochar system deployment. Energy costs for a producer's operation may be reduced by using the energy generated from the biochar production system. Additionally, some assert that the use of biochar results in higher crop yields. Some asserted that the legislation addressed research and development needs for biochar production. Noted research areas include biochar production and use, co-production with bioenergy, soil enhancements, and soil carbon sequestration.
Biochar is a charcoal produced under high temperatures using crop residues, animal manure, or any type of organic waste material. Depending on the feedstock, biochar may look similar to potting soil or to a charred substance. The combined production and use of biochar is considered a carbon-negative process, meaning that it removes carbon from the atmosphere.
Biochar has multiple potential environmental benefits, foremost the potential to sequester carbon in the soil for hundreds to thousands of years at an estimate. Studies suggest that crop yields can increase as a result of applying biochar as a soil amendment. Some contend that biochar has value as an immediate climate change mitigation strategy. Scientific experiments suggest that greenhouse gas emissions are reduced significantly with biochar application to crop fields.
Obstacles that may stall rapid adoption of biochar production systems include technology costs, system operation and maintenance, feedstock availability, and biochar handling. Biochar research and development is in its infancy. Nevertheless, interest in biochar as a multifaceted solution to agricultural and natural resource issues is growing at a rapid pace both nationally and internationally.
Past Congresses have proposed numerous climate change bills, many of which do not directly address mitigation and adaptation technologies at developmental stages, such as biochar. However, biochar may equip agricultural and forestry producers with numerous revenue-generating products: carbon offsets, soil amendments, and energy.
This report briefly describes biochar, some of its potential advantages and disadvantages, legislative support, and research and development activities underway in the United States.