If incorporating biochar into soil can reliably deliver the environmental benefits outlined in
3.1.2, the carbon-equivalent saving resulting from conversion of biomass using pyrolysis can
be increased further, relative to the production of energy only (i.e. combustion).
Globally, there is an estimated 15x109 ha of cropland (Ramankutty et al., 2008). On the basis
of calculations by Gaunt (2008), the application of biochar once every ten years to this land
area would result in a CO2 -equivalent gain of 0.65 GtC yr-1.