Green use for farm waste

NEW methods that turn agricultural waste into carbon-rich soil in a bid to tackle climate change are to be developed at a facility in Edinburgh.

The new unit at Edinburgh University will help researchers to produce biochar, a charcoal-like substance produced through the oxygen-free, slow heating of agricultural waste.

Researchers at the centre say biochar increases the carbon content in the soil, building a long-term store that counters excess carbon dioxide in the air and helps to reduce other greenhouse gas emissions.