Potential Of Biochar Derived From Crop Residues In Soil Remediation And Controlling Air Pollution Due To Stubble Burning

The burning of agricultural waste (stubble) in open fields (locally known as Parali) by the Indian farmers in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and other nearby states during last four-five years has drawn attention of the Central and State Governments, Hon’ble Supreme Court of India and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) alongwith the common public because it is alleged to be one of the reasons for creating exceptionally high air pollution and smog in Delhi during months of September to November every year. One of the novel and feasible solutions to this problem may be converting the agro-waste into a useful product, biochar, which can be applied back to the fields for remediation of contaminated soil, improvement in soil properties as well as for reducing the entry of harmful gases into the environment. A novel method of producing biochar has been developed by the authors wherein the crop residues can be converted into biochar by an individual farmer on field itself without much investment and technical skills. Many researchers have studied the factors involved in the production and use of biochar for soil amendment; but in India, not much work has been carried out yet, as it is relatively a new concept in terms of using crop residues for biochar production. Therefore, in this paper, it has been tried to summarize the research done so far alongwith a critical assessment of various studies and their findings to help decide upon the future course of research and action, especially in Indian context where agricultural waste is produced in large quantities and its disposal creates environmental air pollution when burnt in open fields. There is a need to create awareness among the farmers about this novel approach of biochar production and application.