Saving on stable bedding
Many farms produce sufficient amounts of straw for use as stable bedding. However, some farms are unable to meet their own needs and have to buy in straw. The costs are sometimes considerable.
Biochar helps to save costs in two ways.
Extension of the replacement interval
Biochar has a high specific surface area of up to 300 m² per gramme. This allows it to absorb liquids like a sponge.
When added to stable bedding, it absorbs moisture. As a result, the replacement interval of the bedding material is extended. By adding biochar, the amount of straw used can also be reduced.
Combined, these two effects lead to savings, which are shown in the following diagram.
As an example: If straw is available in sufficient quantity from the farm's own production, the costs can be reduced to 71% of the original level when using biochar.
If the need for bedding can only be covered through the external purchase of straw, this effect is amplified: Instead of spending 150% of the costs compared to straw from own production, the addition of biochar reduces the expenditure by 54 percentage points.
Comparison of bedding costs for in-house straw production, purchase straw and with and without the addition of biochar
- Straw cost price: 100 €/ton
- Straw purchase cost: 150 €/ton
- Biochar production costs: 92 €/m³
- Mixing ratio: 500 kg straw with 350 litres of biochar
Cascade use
When biochar is added to bedding, there is a cascade effect: On the one hand, costs for bedding are saved, while on the other hand, biochar can be spread on the fields via the manure without any additional costs.