Biochar in Agriculture - Perspectives for Germany and Malaysia

International Biochar Symposium 2015
Biochar – Contribution to Sustainable Agriculture
28 – 29 May 2015, Seminaris SeeHotel Potsdam, Germany

During the last years the application of biochar to arable land has been suggested as a method to improve soil fertility and plant growth, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester carbon for decades or centuries. But holistic scientific research to identify environmental as well as economic potentials of biochar in the tropics and especially in the temperate zones is limited and needs to be improved. Furthermore, biochars may differ substantially in their chemical, physical and biological properties and therefore in their fate after soil application depending on the biomass material and conversion technology used. Hence, the identification of biochar properties responsible for positive (and negative) impacts on soil fertility, greenhouse gases and carbon sequestration is needed, followed by the development of methods to optimize these biochar properties and soil improvement. The projects “Biochar in Agriculture – Perspectives for Germany and Malaysia” (www.atb-potsdam.de/biochar) and APECS (Anaerobic Pathways to Renewable Energies and Carbon Sinks) (www.atb-potsdam.de/apecs) focus on these research questions. Within this symposium the results of both projects and related research results by other scientists shall be presented and discussed.

Invited Speakers: Dr. Silvia Baronti, BIMET-CNR, Florence Dr. Maria Luz Cayuela, CSIC, Murcia Prof. Dr. Annette Cowie, New South Wales Government Prof. Dr. Lars Elsgaard, Aarhus University Prof. Dr. Bruno Glaser, MLU, Halle-Wittenberg Prof. Dr. Henrik Hauggaard-Nielsen, Roskilde University, Denmark Prof. Dr. Johannes Lehmann, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY Dr. Ondrej Masek, University of Edinburgh Prof. Dr. Yong Sik Ok, Kangwon National University Hans-Peter Schmidt, Delinat-Institute Switzerland Dr. Saran Sohi, University of Edinburgh	Scientific committee: Dr. Rosenani Abu Bakar, UPM, Malaysia Prof. Dr. Frank Ellmer, Humboldt-Universität Berlin Dr. Tinia Mod. Ghazi, UPM, Malaysia Prof. Dr. Azni Idris, UPM, Malaysia Dr. Monika Joschko, ZALF, Müncheberg Prof. Dr. Martin Kaupenjohann, Technische Universität Berlin Prof. Dr. Claudia Kemfert, DIW, Berlin Dr. Jürgen Kern, ATB, Potsdam Dr. Peter Lentsch, ZALF, Müncheberg Dr. Andreas Meyer-Aurich, ATB, Potsdam Dr. Jan Mumme, ATB, Potsdam Dr. Stephan Wirth, ZALF, Müncheberg Organizing committee: Dr. Andreas Meyer-Aurich Dr. Jan Mumme Dr. Jürgen Kern Dr. Anja Sänger Helene Foltan
Conference language: The official conference language is English.
Deadline for Submission: 14 February 2015

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Leibniz-Institut für Agrartechnik Potsdam-Bornim
2010