Just or bust? Energy justice and the impacts of siting solar pyrolysis biochar production facilities

Biochar has seen an explosion of research over the past decade as an environmentally sustainable material for enhancing agricultural yields, treating wastewater, and sequestering atmospheric carbon. In contrast, there is a lack of research into the social and economic sustainability of biochar. To address this gap, we propose environmental justice (EJ) indicators as a proxy for social and economic considerations when siting biochar production facilities. Specifically, we develop a siting index for a biochar pyrolysis facility using low-cost, carbon-neutral solar energy. This siting index provides a framework for analyzing potential facility locations based on both technical and environmental and energy justice considerations. Results indicate that EJ analyses may influence the planning processes for industrial facility siting and that incorporating EJ into siting decisions would represent a commitment to environmental sustainability as well as the social and economic conditions of communities.