As the effects of climate change become more severe and the science behind global warming becomes undeniable, academics across many disciplines and professionals from diverse fields are all examining ways to mitigate the negative impacts to Earth and to mankind. Graduate student Nataliya Kulyk is among those, and she’s helping to bridge the gap between academic research, hands-on practice and government regulation.
Kulyk is a second-year student in the Master of Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Center for Public Policy and Administration (CPPA). She has been working with professors in the anthropology, public policy, chemistry and economics departments, as well as with staff at the New England Small Farm Institute and members of the Pioneer Valley Biochar Initiative, to explore the potential applications of biochar and its policy implications.
This carbon-rich product is created by slowly heating organic matter such as wood, leaves or manure, with little oxygen. Biochar’s primary function is as a soil additive. The porous charcoal-like substance helps water and nutrients stay in the soil. In addition, biochar sequesters carbon in the earth, which ultimately plays a role in minimizing greenhouse gas emissions.
“You’re taking carbon from the atmosphere and putting it into the ground. It’s like coal mining in reverse,” says Richard Stein, an emeritus professor of chemistry at UMass who has been working closely with Kulyk, the Pioneer Valley Biochar Initiative and the New England Small Farm Institute.
Farming cultures have used biochar for centuries, and modern scientists have studied it for decades. Only recently, however, has biochar started receiving widespread attention in the United States and other developed countries as a soil fertility method and as a potentially significant part of mitigating global warming.
Stein admits that the scientific research on biochar is far ahead of the market studies and economic models. Enter Kulyk. For several months now she has been studying local farmers’ awareness of and attitudes toward biochar, in addition to exploring the policy implications of a robust biochar industry. Stein says he hopes that Kulyk and others will be able to provide substantial background research on the economics of producing biochar, as well as the demand from area farmers for the substance. With strong quantifiable data, Stein says, others can start marketing and selling biochar successfully — and producing it sustainably.
Given the eventual potential for large-scale sales, Kulyk warns that a mature biochar industry would need to be closely monitored. “It is crucial for the policy community to take a proactive stance on biochar and provide practitioners with a solid biochar regulatory framework,” says Kulyk.
Her research this semester and beyond could help lay some important foundation stones for this emerging industry.