Biochar

Mycorrhizal growth extending into biochar pores

Biocharis a special charcoal product made from the slow burning of vegetable matter in a very low-oxygen environment to create almost pure carbon that, when buried in soils, provides many benefits for biodiversity and plant, soil health and human health.  It has many tiny pores that store nutrients, water, microbes, and carbon captured from the atmosphere for hundreds or thousands of years, thus helping to address global warming.  In this scanning electron microscope image, fungal threads are attaching to the biochar. See How Biochar Helps the Soil.