Biochar offers significant benefits for crops in general and for olive groves in particular, but one of its most well-known features is its water retention capacity, an attribute backed by numerous scientific studies. The use of biochar in crop soils increases water availability due to its porous structure, thereby reducing the need for frequent irrigation. In times of drought, such as the present, this ability to act as a “sponge” makes biochar a compound that the sector should strongly consider.
Álvaro Espuny, manager and founder of Carboliva—a biochar production company—highlights that although biochar is highly valued and used in other European countries, it is still not well known in Spain, “despite its excellent qualities for crops.” “This compound is an organic material that, in Carboliva’s case, is produced by indirectly heating olive biomass, pits, or pulp in a pyrolytic kiln in the absence of oxygen, so the only things it generates are water vapor and biochar,” Espuny reports.
In addition to water retention, biochar offers other important benefits, such as improving soil fertility by retaining essential nutrients and releasing them slowly, or improving soil structure, which allows for aeration and drainage, promoting an ideal environment for root growth. It is also notable for carbon sequestration, as biochar stores carbon stably in the soil for hundreds of years, helping to mitigate climate change by reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Furthermore, it increases the activity of beneficial microorganisms for plants, which leads to an improvement in their immune systems.
Biochar is therefore a powerful tool for restoring degraded soils and transforming agriculture toward more sustainable practices. Its effectiveness is such that it only needs to be incorporated into the crop soil once, as its effects last for hundreds of years.
Carboliva is the only Spanish company that produces Biochar from olive biomass, pits, and pulp; therefore, it not only utilizes olive byproducts but also provides numerous benefits to the crop and helps the environment.