The impact of climate change is being felt not just in India, but all across the world. As food prices escalate, our favourite fruits and vegetables are becoming increasingly expensive. Further, growing food now means taking several factors into consideration, including the ever-changing weather conditions. But can you imagine that food could actually play a role in regulating climate change? Believe it or not, a new report by AFP suggests that our most-loved chocolate can help tackle climate change, thanks to a by-product from the cocoa beans used in the process of chocolate production.
The black powder is termed 'biochar' or 'biocoal' and is produced by heating cocoa husks in an oxygen-free room at 600 degrees Celsius in a process called pyrolysis. This product can be used to produce green concrete and has the potential to remove greenhouse gases and remove carbon from the Earth's atmosphere. Further, a certain volume of biogas is also produced while biochar is extracted, which can be used as fuel. According to the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), biochar could help capture 2.6 billion of the 40 billion tonnes of CO2 currently produced by humanity each year.
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Biochar can even be used as a fertiliser. Photo Credit: Pixabay
Interestingly, biochar was already being used by indigenous populations in America as a fertiliser before being rediscovered by scientists. The sponge-like structure increases the absorption of water and nutrients by plants, thus reducing the load on natural resources used in farming. David Houben, an environmental scientist at the UniLaSalle Institute in France, told AFP, "One tonne of biochar -- or bio coal -- can stock "the equivalent of 2.5 to three tonnes of CO2." As per the biochar industry federation, the production of this powder is set to double this year to 90,000 tonnes vis-a-vis 2022.
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