Vinnova Project: Biochar systems analysis for climate change mitigation

Between 2017 and 2021, the Vinnonva-funded research project was carried out at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. The project was called Biochar - systems analysis for climate change mitigation. The project evaluated the energy, climate and environmental implications of deploying biochar technologies in Sweden.

In January 2022, the project was concluded with a PhD dissertation and a synthesis day. Recordings of these events are available below.

Doctoral Thesis & Dissertation

Elias Azzi defended his PhD thesis in Industrial Ecology, on January 14th, 2022, at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, with the title Biochar systems across scales in Sweden: an industrial ecology perspective.

  • The thesis is available on KTH's DiVA portal
  • A recording of the dissertation is available on this page and on Youtube

  • In December 2022, the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry (Kungliga Skogs- och Lantbruksakademien) awarded the 2023 prize for outstanding doctoral work with high scientific level and results of great value to the arable industries as well as to society in general.

Project Synthesis Day


On January 26th 2022, a biochar synthesis day was held to close the research project. Two recordings from this synthesis day are made available:

  • Practical research insights: This recording gathers research insights about biochar production & use, from the perspective of life cycle assessment & industrial ecology. It provides practical insights by biochar stakeholders like energy utilities, biochar product developers, farmers, municipalities or other decision-makers.

  • Biochar projects in Sweden up to 2021: several biochar stakeholders in Sweden are presenting their past, current & future activities. It includes both biochar producers, biochar product developers, as well as some biochar-product consumers.

The synthesis day gathered 90+ participants from Sweden and abroad. Several areas of future work and new projects were presented, including the 4-year project funded by the Swedish Energy Agency on biochar stability, and the 3rd phase of the Rest till Bäst project.

All project participants noted the very rapid development of the biochar sector in Sweden between 2017 and 2022.

About this website

This website is the last deliverable of a 4-year research project (2016-03392) funded by Vinnova , the Swedish innovation agency. The project evaluated the energy, climate and environmental implications of deploying biochar technologies in Sweden.

The purpose of this website is to share the insights gained from various case studies, in Sweden and beyond, but also to present methodologies, data and models for studying biochar systems.

The target audience includes students, researchers, municipalities, consultants, and industrials, regardless of their prior level of knowledge on biochar or environmental systems analysis.

The website is currently maintained by the Bioenergy systems research group at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). The contents are meant to be updated, with new case studies, data, and models. Contributions are welcome: either reach out to us with suggestions, or check the GitHub contribution guide.

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