Biochar from animal manure pyrolysis for soil amendment and nutrient management
A sustainable biochar technology produced from poultry litter and pig manure through pyrolysis. This soil amendment improves water retention and delivers nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to crops, offering a partial substitute for commercial fertilizers while recycling agricultural waste.
Overview
This solution converts poultry litter and pig manure into biochar through pyrolysis, creating a value-added soil amendment from agricultural waste streams. Laboratory analyses have shown that the resulting biochar contains meaningful quantities of essential plant nutrients—nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium—and improves their availability in soil. By enhancing water adsorption and nutrient retention, the biochar can partially replace commercial fertilizers, reducing input costs for growers and diverting animal manure from environmental liabilities into productive use.
Technical specifications
- Feedstocks: poultry litter and pig manure sourced from livestock operations
- Process: pyrolysis conducted at multiple temperatures and residence times to optimize yield and nutrient profile
- Characterization standards: proximal and elemental analyses following European standards UNE-CEN/TS 14780, 15104:2005, UNE-EN 14774-3, 14775, and 15290
- Surface and structural analysis: BET surface area, pore size distribution, and functional group characterization to evaluate nutrient adsorption capacity
- Fertilizer quality metrics: buffering capacity, acidity, salinity, microbial activity, phosphatase level and activity, and germination response
Technology readiness level
The technology is currently at laboratory validation stage. Feedstocks have been pyrolyzed under varied conditions, yields quantified, and biochar products characterized for nutrient content, surface properties, and agronomic indicators. The next planned step is field validation across three soil types with one or two short-rotation vegetable crops over a one-year period, measuring soil properties and crop yields to confirm performance under real growing conditions.
About University of Concepción
University of Concepción is a comprehensive research university serving southern Chile through campuses in Concepción, Chillán, and Los Ángeles. Industry engages through a research and technology park that co‑locates companies with faculty groups, a business incubator that supports venture formation, and contract research units equipped for prototyping and validation. The university’s position in the Biobío region—Chile’s major logistics and manufacturing hub with direct access to deep‑water ports—enables efficient pilots, field trials, and supply‑chain collaboration. Research is supported by Chilean national research and innovation agencies and competitive international sponsors. A dedicated technology transfer office manages IP, licensing, and streamlined industry agreements, with established pathways for contract research and spinouts.
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