The Case for Burying Charcoal: Research shows that pyrolysis is the most climate-friendly way to consume biomass.

The Case for Burying Charcoal: Research shows that pyrolysis is the most climate-friendly way to consume biomass.
Tyler Hamilton, Technology Review, April 26, 2007

Burning one ton of wood pellets emits 357 kilograms less carbon than burning coal with the same energy content. But turning those wood pellets into char would save 372 kilograms of carbon emissions. That is because 300 kilograms of carbon could be buried as char, and the burning of byproducts would produce 72 kilograms less carbon emissions than burning an equivalent amount of coal.