Sustainable Agriculture Using Biochar Soil Application: A Life Cycle Assessment Approach

Abstract

Biochar has emerged as a promising solution in sustainable agriculture, offering soil enhancement, improved water retention, and long-term carbon sequestration benefits. This study applies a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach to evaluate the environmental performance of a biochar production system utilizing sugarcane bagasse as feedstock at the biochar plant in West Java, Indonesia. The life cycle impact assessment applied SimaPro software and the ReCiPe impact method was chosen for analysis. The functional unit was defined as one ton of biochar and the system boundary was cradle-to-grave. Results show a cradle to grave carbon footprint of 0.196 t CO2 eq t?¹ biochar, versus the recent global mean of 2.68 t CO2 eq t?¹ for comparable systems—an order of magnitude reduction. Mechanical drying and pyrolysis were the highest contributors to emissions. These results highlight the environmental feasibility of biochar production in tropical agricultural systems and provide strategic insights for enhancing sustainability. This study bridges a critical gap in tropical-region LCA research and reinforces the role of biochar as a viable tool for waste valorization and climate change mitigation.