Combustion of biomass as a global carbon sink

TL;DR

This paper emphasizes the significant role of black carbon from biomass burning in the global carbon cycle, suggesting that burning practices influence atmospheric carbon levels and that black carbon could be a long-term carbon reservoir.

Contribution

It highlights the importance of black carbon in the carbon cycle and suggests that biomass burning practices impact atmospheric carbon and long-term carbon storage.

Findings

Black carbon may serve as a significant long-term carbon reservoir.

Suppression of soot production could increase atmospheric carbon.

Biomass burning practices influence the global carbon cycle.

Abstract

This note is intended to highlight the important role of black carbon produced from biomass burning in the global carbon cycle, and encourage further research in this area. Consideration of the fundamental physical chemistry of cellulose thermal decomposition suggests that suppression of biomass burning or biasing burning practices to produce soot-free flames must inevitably transfer more carbon to the atmosphere. A simple order-of-magnitude quantitative analysis indicates that black carbon may be a significant carbon reservoir that persists over geological time scales.