Biochar Production. -  Oral Presentation
A Review of Biochar R&D at Butte College from 2011-2022 and Subsequent Field Applications of On-Site Biochar Production in Butte County to Reduce Forest Biomass Waste after the Camp Fire
Stephen Feher
Executive Director, Sustainable Community Development Institute (SCDI) Associate Faculty Engineering (Retired) at Butte College, Board Member of Butte County and Paradise Ridge Fire Safe Councils, also member of Regenerate Paradise

A brief review will be made of the over 10 years of applied research and development on biochar at Butte College in Northern California. It was organized in 2011 by the MESA (Math Engineering Science Achievement) program for undergraduate students under the direction of Stephen Feher, a former aerospace engineer and associated faculty at the college. The project consisted of small-scale production, laboratory analysis and agricultural field applications of biochar. The project was awarded a $15,000 EPA-P3 Phase I Grant during the fall of 2016, followed by a $75,000 Phase II grant in 2018. The project was also supported by a $50,000 gift to the Butte College Foundation from Pacific Gas and Electric Company in 2017. In 2018, after the Camp Fire, the project focused on converting biochar forest waste biomass left over from the Camp Fire to produce biochar on-site with the help of technology developed by Kelpie Wilson. The use of her Oregon Kilns and Ring of Fire biochar kilns were demonstrated in several biochar burns made over the past five years in Butte County communities, including Paradise, Magalia and Concow with the assistance of the Butte County and Paradise Ridge Fire Safe Councils.

Keywords: biochar education, wildfire, forests