Integrated Biochar Research: A Roadmap

This roadmap proposes a coordinated, long-term, multisite research program to advance biochar as a scalable climate mitigation and agricultural resilience strategy. The authors outline an integrated framework combining mechanistic science (biochar production and soil processes) with systems-oriented field research across roughly 20 regional sites, including cropland, forest, rangeland, and waste-management contexts. The program emphasizes standardized biochars, life-cycle and techno-economic modeling, and site-specific trials using local feedstocks to evaluate impacts on soil health, crop productivity, greenhouse gas emissions, and farm profitability. Expected outcomes include improved predictive models, validated carbon drawdown potential, and regionally optimized biochar practices. The roadmap argues this coordinated approach is essential to reduce uncertainty, guide policy and commercialization, and support rural economies while addressing climate change, ecosystem health, and resource management. The proposed effort would also train practitioners and researchers, building capacity for a future biochar-based bioeconomy.