So what the heck is biochar? And why do we think it’s so incredible?

In short, biochar is organic carbon that has been solidified and stabilized through a process called pyrolysis – basically heating in a low oxygen environment.  Picture a tree limb.  Then think back to your elementary school science class.  The carbon in the limb, that the tree sucked out of the air as CO2 and used to grow, will go back into the air through the natural process of decay.  But instead, when reCap makes biochar, we in effect stop the decay process.   That keeps the carbon from polluting by locking it up for hundreds or thousands of years.

Stopping decay and unfunking our air is pretty cool on its own, but there’s even more incredible opportunity with biochar.  Even though you may never have heard about it, biochar has been around for thousands of years.  And there are thousands and thousands of scientific studies that demonstrate its amazing benefits.  

First and foremost, biochar is great for dirt.  It can help grow bigger, stronger plants with greater yields, while using less water and fertilizer, whether it’s in your backyard garden or on a commercial farm.  And it does it all organically.  In fact, reCap biochar is OMRI-certified.

But that just scratches the surface.  Biochar is so versatile, it can strengthen concrete and asphalt, replace petroleum-based colorants, insulate buildings, filter water, decontaminate abandoned oil wells and mines, and the research continues every day.  Project Drawdown, a non-profit that studies the viability of carbon sequestration products, estimates the potential to grow biochar uses by 17,000x by 2050!  

Incredible? Indeed!