Benefits of Biochar in Animal Feed

For more than a century, activated carbon has demonstrated its strong ability to adsorb bacterial toxins, providing a remedy for digestive disorders in both humans and animals.

In Europe, 90% of all the biochar produced, is used in animal farming.

Farmers and animal owners around the world are using biochar enhanced feed, for its positive effect on animals, including improving feed intake to calming animals. Biochar is a highly valuable and economic solution to improving animal health and is seen as a proactive health measure for animals of all ages.

Traditional animal feed can harbour harmful disease and bacteria, including Salmonella and E. coli, causing illness to animals. Fungi and other hazardous toxins in these feeds, produce mycotoxins (mould-derived toxins) and bacteria such as Clostridium perfringens. These toxins cause food chain and human transmission concerns, through contaminated animal products. Biochar absorbs these mycotoxins and helps to alleviate bacteria causing illness and improve the health of animals and thus, the quality of their produce.

How Does Biochar Work?

Biochar works by effectively binding to various harmful substances in the gastrointestinal tract, including mycotoxins, bacterial pathogens (Salmonella and E. coli), heavy metals, and other toxic metabolites.

Biochar’s high surface area and porous structure, facilitate the adsorption of harmful compounds and their bioavailability, this prevents toxins from infiltrating the bloodstream and causing illness, organ issues and death.

Reducing the negative effect of toxins and bacteria, whilst improving gut microflora by promoting the absorption of essential nutrients and vitamins, facilitates the production of a healthy and balanced microbiome, enhancing the productivity of livestock.

Biochar can also act as a preventative measure against poisoning and infection-related diarrhoea.  

The table below shows the effects of Activated Charcoal and Biochar in Animal Feed

Category	Benefit	Explanation
Digestive Health	Improved rumen function	Biochar provides a porous surface that can support beneficial rumen microbes.
	Improved gut health and microbiome balance	Biochar’s porous structure provides a large surface area and micro-habitats to support the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. It helps to balance the gut microbiome by suppressing pathogenic gram-negative bacteria, contributing to a healthier digestive system.
	Stabilizes rumen pH	Helps buffer acidity and manage the risk of subacute rumen acidosis (SARA), by stabilising the rumen function and reducing methane.
	Reduces intestinal toxins	Adsorbs microbial toxins, metabolites, and gases in the gut.
	Reduced bloat risk	Improved gas adsorption may help lower bloat incidence in some conditions.
Animal Health & Welfare	Reduced diarrhoea	Biochar’s adsorption of toxins/pathogens will improve stool consistency, and reduce diarrhoea.
	Improved vitality	Detoxification of the digestive tract and pathogenic gram-negative bacteria suppression, improves the gut microbiome’s balance. Reducing the effects of negative toxins and enhancing the absorption of essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals, increases growth and improves health and productivity.
	Decline in mortality rate	Improvements to gastrointestinal health, prevent disease and strengthen the immune system of animals.
	Lower pathogen load in gut	Biochar surfaces bind harmful bacteria, reducing their activity.
	Immune system support	Improved gut environment indirectly supports immunity.
Feed Efficiency & Performance	Improved feed conversion ratio (FCR)	Better nutrient utilization, less energy lost to metabolism of toxins.
	Increased weight gain	Small but measurable increases reported at typical inclusion rates.
	Improved feed palatability when mixed well	Fine biochar can help reduce dustiness of some rations. Biochar is odourless and tasteless, increasing its acceptance among animals.
Manure & Farm Management	Reduced manure odour	Biochar binds ammonia and volatile compounds.
	Higher nutrient retention in manure	Less nitrogen loss via ammonia volatilization.
	Improved manure consistency	Can reduce wetness or looseness of manure.
	Improved udder health	Increase in milk production, proteins and fat. Decrease in somatic cell counts in milk, improving milk quality.
	Better composting/manure value	Biochar-enriched manure improves soil health, moisture retention and adsorption.
Environmental Benefits	Reduced methane emissions	Biochar feed reduces methane production in ruminant animals.
	Reduced ammonia emissions	Adsorption of ammonia in the gut and manure.
	Carbon sequestration	Biochar eaten by cattle passes through into manure and ultimately soil, storing carbon long-term.
	Reduced nutrient runoff	Biochar-enriched manure leaches fewer nutrients when land-applied.
Safety / Farm Practicality	Binds mycotoxins	Helps animals tolerate feeds contaminated with moderate levels of aflatoxin or other moulds.
	Low inclusion rates	Typical doses 0.5–2% of ration dry matter — easy to mix.
	Certified feed is recognized as safe	Feed-grade biochar is stable, non-reactive, and non-toxic when produced correctly.

The Importance of a Healthy Gut Microflora

Rumiant’s unique multi-chambered stomach makes the role of a healthy, functional gastrointestinal tract and its complex microbiome even more critical for ruminant productivity. Digestive diseases pose a challenge for economically oriented livestock farming, effecting animal productivity and health. Ruminants lack the enzymes needed to break down cellulose, rumen microbes ferment plant fibre into volatile fatty acids that supply most of the animal’s energy, synthesize microbial protein from non-protein nitrogen, and produce essential vitamins such as B vitamins and vitamin K. a well-balanced gastrointestinal tract and diverse microbial community enable these animals to convert fibrous, low-quality feed into high-value products.

This microbiome also supports immune function by protecting against pathogens and maintaining gut stability, which in turn improves growth, milk yield, and overall feed efficiency.

Maintaining gut eubiosis (balanced gut microbiota) in cattle is becoming increasingly difficult due to intensive production systems, the natural effects of biochar are more useful than ever.

*If medication is being administered, use of biochar should be suspended to prevent the binding of active substances in the medication. Follow dosage instructions on feed packaging. Always consult a veterinarian if symptoms persist or worsen.