Modifying carbon feedback by transforming arctic soil into biochar

Taewoo Lee, Hoyeon Cha, Jee Young Kim, Hyeseung Choi, Jaewon Lee, Seunggwan Yun, Yoo Kyung Lee, Jechan Lee, Ji Young Jung and Eilhann E. Kwon

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2025, vol. 216, issue C

Abstract: The escalation of global temperatures has heightened uncertainties in the Arctic, particularly regarding the potential release of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, through permafrost thawing. This phenomenon is primarily driven by positive carbon feedback, leading to 3.3 times faster Arctic warming rate than the global average. To address this challenge, this study proposes a proactive strategy for substituting Arctic underground soil with biochar to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions. Particularly, utilising carbon dioxide (CO2) as a reactive feedstock to the pyrolysis system opens up opportunities to produce the functionalized biochar for adsorbing CO2, simultaneously enhancing energy recovery from other pyrogenic products, such as syngas and biocrude. Moreover, a comprehensive techno-economic analysis allowed to determine optimized pyrolytic conditions for biochar production. Despite the necessity of high reaction temperatures, the utilisation of carbon dioxide demonstrated superior performance in terms of energy recovery and carbon dioxide mitigation. The biochars produced represent a potential of offsetting CO2 emission, with an estimated decrease rate of 51.6 Gt CO2 yr−1 by 2100 over the next 75 years. Therefore, this study introduces a strategic approach to mitigate positive carbon feedback and slow global climate change by incorporating CO2 for the biochar production.

Keywords: Global warming; Positive carbon feedback; Arctic soil; Carbon dioxide; Biochar (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2025.115712

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