An ECI Conference Series
May 23 - 27, 2027
Cetraro (Calabria), Italy
About This Conference
This Conference is the fifth of the series, following the very successful Biochar I (Alba, Italy, 2017), Biochar II (Cetraro, Italy, 2019), Biochar III (Tomar, Portugal, 2023), and Biochar IV (Santa Marta, Colombia, 2025).
When organic materials (woody or agricultural materials, organic residues, sewage sludge, digestate) are thermally decomposed in the absence of oxygen, one of the resulting products is biochar, a solid and highly porous compound rich in carbon and inorganic elements. Incorporated into the ground, biochar is a soil enhancer, supplies minerals, reduces nutrient leaching and water contamination and retains soil moisture. As a result, biochar can be used as an efficient material to enhance soil properties while withdrawing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. However, biochar’s porous properties make it also suitable for a variety of value-added applications (adsorption of pollutants, filler for composites, catalysts, material for electronic applications, additive for food and feed). Biochar properties depend on the biomass feedstock used as well as the operating conditions used for its production. Moreover, they can be manipulated by pre- and post-processing. By understanding and controlling these factors it is possible to create value-added “designer biochars” for specific applications.
The interest in biochar has been booming all over the world and rapidly escalating in the last two years. Several companies have jumped into production, and the user community is looking for carbon-negative applications. As a result, it is imperative to review the existing knowledge as well as to stimulate research and development activities to bring clarity to this field, including on topics such as feedstock selection and properties, production and upgrading processes, identification of applications, economics, characterization, products standardization and policies and carbon dioxide offset credits.
The conference aims to create a forum where the current knowledge as well as the future directions are openly reviewed and discussed.
Conference Organization
Maria Rosaria Acocella, University of Salerno, Italy
Naomi Klinghoffer, Western University, Canada
Johannes Lehmann, Cormell University, USA
Ondrej Masek, University of Edinburgh, UK
Scientific Organizing Committee
Maria Rosaria Acocella, University of Salento (Italy)
Franco Berruti, ICFAR, Western University (Canada)
Tristan Brown, SUNY (USA)
David Chiaramonti, Politecnico di Torino and RE-CORD (Italy)
Sara Duarte, The Next 150 and ILBI (Mexico)
Anthony Dufour, CNRS (France)
Silvia Fiore, Politecnico di Torino (Italy)
Manuel Garcia-Perez, Washington State University (USA)
Mauro Giorcelli, Politecnico di Torino and ICHAR (Italy)
Paola Giudicianni, CNR (Italy)
Farid Chejne Janna, Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Colombia)
Naomi Klinghoffer, Western University (Canada)
Luisa Marin, IBI (USA)
Ondrej Masek, University of Edinburgh (UK)
Tom Miles, USBI and TR Miles Consulting (USA)
Maria del Pilar Noriega, Daabon (Colombia)
Andrea Maria Rizzo, RE-CORD (Italy)
José Dilcio Rocha, Embrapa Territorial, Campinas (Brazil)
Hamed Sanei, Aarhus University (Denmark)
Kristin Trippe, USDA (USA)
Rian Visser, TNO (Netherlands)
Liang Wang, SINTEF (Finland)
Conference Themes
- History and long-term performance of biochar: what can we learn from the past? Long-term monitored field studies. Biochar as a solution to address climate change
- Sustainable feedstocks for biochar production: characterization, pre-processing and suitability/response to thermal processing
- Biochar production processes
- Biochar reactor technologies
- Biochar characterization: relationships among feedstock, production technology and characteristics; analytical services for characterization and certification
- Co-products of biochar production: a biorefinery approach
- Biochar physical and chemical post-processing (grinding, functionalization, activation)
- Engineered biochars for specialty applications (PFAS, pharmaceuticals, hormones,…)
- Biochar applications: soil amendment, adsorbent, catalyst, filler for polymer and cement composites, electronic applications, anaerobic digestion, applications in steel and cement manufacturing, utilization in food/feed, health and cosmetics,
- Biochar blending (co-composting, biochar-based fertilizers, combination with enhanced rock weathering)
- Biochar handling, storage, markets and commercialization
- Biochar use sequences: integration of value chains in agricultural models and forestry
- Mathematical modelling
- Biochar policies, regulations, standardization, sustainability assessment and carbon offset credits
- Case studies: success stories, failures, industrial implementations and lessons learned
Previous Conferences in This Series
Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications
August 20-25, 2017
Alba, Italy
Conference Co-Chairs:
Franco Berruti, Western University, London, Canada
Ondrej Masek, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
Raffaella Ocone, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK
Biochar II: Production, Characterization and Applications
September 15-20, 2019
Cetraro (Calabria), Italy
Conference Co-Chairs:
Franco Berruti, Western University, London, Canada
David Chiaramonti, RE-CORD, University of Firenze, Italy
Ondrej Masek, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
Manuel Garcia-Perez, Washington State University, USA
Biochar III: Production, Characterization and Applications
September 17-22, 2023
Tomar, Portugal
Conference Co-Chairs:
Franco Berruti, Western University, London, Canada
David Chiaramonti, RE-CORD, University of Firenze, Italy
Silvia Fiore, Politecnico di Torino, Italy
Ondrej Masek, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
Manuel Garcia-Perez, Washington State University, USA
Biochar IV: Production, Characterization and Applications
May 18-23, 2025
Santa Marta, Colombia
Conference Co-Chairs:
Franco Berruti, Western University, London, Canada
David Chiaramonti, RE-CORD, University of Firenze, Italy
Farid Chejne Janna, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, sede Medellín, Colombia
Johannes Lehmann, Cornell University, USA
General Information About ECI
Engineering Conferences International (ECI) is a not-for-profit, global engineering conferences program, originally established in 1962 that provides opportunities for the exploration of problems and issues of concern to engineers and scientists from many disciplines.
The format of the conference provides morning and late afternoon or evening sessions in which major presentations are made. Poster sessions will be scheduled for evening discussion as well. Available time is included during the afternoons for ad hoc meetings, informal discussions, and/or recreation. This format is designed to enhance rapport among participants and promote dialogue on the development of the meeting. We believe the conferences have been instrumental in generating ideas and disseminating information to a greater extent than is possible through more conventional forums.
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