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Terra Preta or dark soil is a unique form of soil that was created by human activity. This anthropogenic soil has some unique properties; As well as being incredibly fertile and maintaining this fertility for hundreds of years, Terra Preta is also a form of carbon sequestration. Both of these traits have led to widespread interest in Terra Preta around the world, with some people even proposing that it could be used to create a carbon-negative fuel, using a power-generation technique called gasification.
Before we delve into all of the Terra Preta claims, it might be helpful to understand what exactly it is. Many early explorers noted dark soils in the Amazon Basin, and as early as the mid-19th century, people wondered where these soils came from. They were noticeably richer than neighboring soils and clearly had distinct properties that were identifiable even in this age of science. Research revealed that Terra Preta was heavily mixed with biochar, or charcoal, and some people theorized that it came from volcanoes.
In fact, a closer look at the components of Terra Preta indicates that it was made by people, possibly the same pre-Columbian civilization that shaped vast tracts of rainforest. In addition to biochar, Terra Preta also contains plant remains, manure, pottery shards, and fish remains. In a sense, Terra Preta is a glorified compound, but it is extremely rich in minerals and very deep in many parts of the Amazon.
To make Terra Preta, people used a technique called slash and char, in which patches of forest were cut down and burned in low-intensity, partially smothered fires to generate charcoal. That carbon, in turn, became trapped in carbon instead of releasing it into the atmosphere, which explains why people are excited about the prospect of using Terra Preta as a carbon sequestration tool. In addition, the content of the Terra Preta mix makes it very rich, stimulating the growth of beneficial bacteria and fungi.
In theory, Terra Preta could be produced anywhere and could end up being a valuable tool for correcting severely damaged soils. The widespread use of harsh chemical fertilizers around the world could be replaced by Terra Preta, which would also help repair soils damaged by these chemicals. Additionally, Terra Preta could be burned in gasification engines, potentially sequestering carbon while creating power. Gasification is an ancient technique for generating energy from the burning of biomass under controlled conditions that transforms it into gas; this can of gasoline and has powered a variety of vehicles.