Driftwood has been piling up along Taiwan's east coast as a result of typhoons and earthquakes in the past year. Local researchers are turning the wood into biochar, which can be used to create biofuel, fertilizer and even artificial reefs.
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00:00In Hualien County on Taiwan's east coast,
00:03mountains of driftwood have been piling up along the shore.
00:07It's the result of a string of earthquakes and typhoons
00:10that have hit the region over the last year.
00:13The local government has encouraged the public
00:16to collect larger pieces of wood for use in furniture or art.
00:20But these smaller pieces,
00:22which normally could be turned into charcoal,
00:24present a special challenge.
00:31But Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute
00:35and Hualien's Donghua University
00:37have teamed up to tackle the timber turmoil.
00:40The driftwood is crushed and put into a gasifier
00:43where it can generate a flammable biofuel.
00:46The remaining charcoal material, known as biochar,
00:49can then be used as an ingredient in planting soil.
01:01Every piece of timber is restored to its original state.
01:05When it is combined with the remaining biochar,
01:09it has a great effect on the soil.
01:14Beyond the farm, the driftwood biochar can also be used on the shore.
01:18A combination of concrete and biochar
01:21can be 3D printed into artificial reefs.
01:31Because it contains carbon,
01:34carbon is also a necessary element for life.
01:39So maybe because of this,
01:41it's growing better now.
01:44Researchers have begun installing the biochar reefs
01:47off the shore of Hualien County.
01:49With the clever use of biochar on both land and sea,
01:53scientists in Taiwan are using innovation
01:56to turn the byproduct of natural disasters
01:59into fuel for natural solutions.
02:01Chris Ma and Chris Gorin for Taiwan Plus.