On December 15th, 2021 BDDC's Plant Agriculture PhD student Tara Allohverdi successfully completed her thesis defense titled, "Soil enhancement and effect of biochar on the plant growth: The case of soybean, Glycine max L."

Her thesis discusses the use of a common “cash crop” in Ontario, biochar. She writes; "biochar production is a technology that traps atmospheric-carbon, made from food and industrial waste. When added to soils, it creates carbon sinks. Biochar endures in soils and helps mitigate climate change. Biochar can be derived from sources like agricultural waste, forest by-products, and industrial/ municipal waste".