My comment on article at Technology Review

Instead of allowing the residue to escape into the atmosphere and add carbon dioxide during the process of creating bio-char, the captured gases and oil can create 9-14 times more energy than that required to produce it. There are machines available today that can drive to farms and convert farm waste, including manure into charcoal which can be utilized in the farm soil. The gas and oil produced is used as a fuel for these vehicles. If this process is taken further with larger machines, turning organic garbage and sewage sludge into bio-char would clean our water supply, reduce the amount taken to landfills and stop the pollution of our oceans. Buried in the soil of farms and forests the charcoal will last for thousands of years.The Amazon farmers have proven this when they used charcoal 1000 years ago! And it is still there! It will help the bacteria  in the soil to produce more nutrients for the plants they feed, act as a filter to reduce ground water pollution, and sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually. The oil and gases could be used to create electricity and reduce our use of fossil fuels. With all this industry it would create many jobs, reduce poverty and illnesses ( if combined with the regeneration of our topsoil by the addition of rock dust). Second and third class agricultural land could be brought into production and if done worldwide would go far to reduce or even reverse global warming. When the oil runs out, which it will, we will have a readily available fuel created by humans!
The whole article is at---- http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/energy/25593/#comment-224881