Benefits and limitations of biochar amendment in agricultural soils: A review

Kavitha, B.; Reddy, P. Venkata Laxma; Kim, Bojeong; Lee, Sang Soo; Pandey, Sudhir Kumar; Kim, Ki‐Hyun

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.08.082

Cited by 355 publications

(166 citation statements)

References 110 publications

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“…Thus, there is a critical need to produce food with the quality and quantity of nutrients that promote human health (Martin et al, 2011), which may be impacted by biochar amendments to soils. While biochar can have positive effects on the amount of a crop available by increasing yields (Jeffery et al, 2011), especially for tropical soils (Jeffery et al, 2017), the potential role of biochar in affecting the nutrient quality should be further evaluated to optimize its desirable traits and minimize any undesirable characteristics such as absorbing plant nutrients (Kavitha et al, 2018). In addition to evaluating factors such as feedstocks, pyrolysis temperature, and particle size when ''designing'' a biochar for a specific application (Novak and Busscher, 2012;Novak et al, 2014), researchers should also consider potential impacts on plant nutrients important for human health.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biochar Affects Essential Nutrients of Carrot Taproots and Lettuce Leaves

Olszyk¹,

Shiroyama²,

Novak³

et al. 2020

horts

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Essential nutrient concentrations in crops can affect human health. While biochar has the potential as a soil amendment to improve crop yields, it may also affect the concentrations of nutrients such as Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, and Zn in edible portions of crops. To better characterize effects of biochar on important human nutrients in food crops, we evaluated the effects of biochar on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. cv. Black-Seeded Simpson) leaf and carrot [Daucus carota subsp. sativus (Hoffm.) Schübl. cv. Tendersweet] developing taproot nutrients. Plants were grown in pots in a greenhouse using sandy loam (Coxville, fine, kaolinitic, thermic Typic Paleaquults) and loamy sand (Norfolk, fine-loamy, kaolinitic, thermic Typic Kandiudults,) series soils, amended with biochar produced from four feedstocks: pine chips (PC), poultry litter (PL), swine solids (SS), and switchgrass (SG); and two blends of PC plus PL [PC/PL, 50%/50% (55) and 80%/20% (82) by weight]. Biochar was produced at 350, 500, and 700 °C from each feedstock. Lettuce leaf and carrot taproot total nutrient concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma analysis. Biochar (especially at least in part manure-based, i.e., PL, SS, 55, and 82 at nearly all temperatures) primarily decreased nutrient concentrations in lettuce leaves, with Ca, Mg, and Zn affected most. Carrot taproot nutrient concentrations also deceased, but to a lesser extent. Some biochars increased leaf or taproot nutrient concentrations, especially K. This study indicated that biochar can both decrease and increase leaf and taproot nutrient concentrations important for human health. Thus, potential effects on nutrients in plants should be carefully considered when biochar is used as a soil amendment with vegetable crops.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biochar Affects Essential Nutrients of Carrot Taproots and Lettuce Leaves

Olszyk¹,

Shiroyama²,

Novak³

et al. 2020

horts

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“…Various soil decontamination techniques have been used to reduce the content of heavy metals (Wuana & Okieimen, 2011), copper (Tomczyk, Boguta, & Sokołowska, 2019), or pesticides (Marican & Durán‐Lara, 2018). One decontamination method proposed is biochar application (Chen et al., 2018; Kavitha et al., 2018; Shaaban et al., 2018; Varjani, Kumar, & Rene, 2019). It has already been shown that biochar has a positive effect on the physical and chemical properties of soil (Atkinson, Fitzgerald, & Hipps, 2010; Lehmann, Gaunt, & Rondon, 2006; Usowicz, Lipiec, Łukowski, Marczewski, & Usowicz, 2016) and can significantly affect the growth and development of plants (Kavitha et al., 2018; Latawiec et al., 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One decontamination method proposed is biochar application (Chen et al., 2018; Kavitha et al., 2018; Shaaban et al., 2018; Varjani, Kumar, & Rene, 2019). It has already been shown that biochar has a positive effect on the physical and chemical properties of soil (Atkinson, Fitzgerald, & Hipps, 2010; Lehmann, Gaunt, & Rondon, 2006; Usowicz, Lipiec, Łukowski, Marczewski, & Usowicz, 2016) and can significantly affect the growth and development of plants (Kavitha et al., 2018; Latawiec et al., 2017). Biochar can be produced in various conditions using a variety of organic substrates (Bian et al., 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of soil incorporation of biochar on environmental radioactivity

et al. 2020

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Biochar (charcoal made from biomass in the pyrolysis process) has found broad application in agriculture. It helps to improve both the physical and chemical properties of soil through decontamination of heavy metals and pesticides. This work examines the potential for biochar application to improve the radiological condition of soil. We investigated the activity concentration of natural and anthropogenic radionuclides in soil samples collected from fields treated with various doses of biochar (in 1–100 Mg ha−1). In addition, we directly measured radon emission rate at the experimental fields. The analyses were performed using gamma spectrometry and an active method for radon emission using an AlphaGUARD instrument equipped with an accumulation box. The results of activity concentration assessments for six radionuclides, five natural and one anthropogenic, show that the only effect of biochar application into the soil is associated with the reduction of soil bulk density by this material. The radon emission rate increased by 6 mBq m−1 s−1, on average, depending on the biochar dose (from 1 to 100 Mg ha−1). Our results demonstrate that application of biochar into soil kept without vegetation had a limited influence on the radioactivity in the environment.

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“…As a consequence of these ameliorating properties, biochar amendments can have a positive effect on crop yield, especially on marginal soils (Agegnehu et al, 2017). However, the long‐term stability of biochar in soil and possible positive and negative environmental effects of biochar application are still being discussed (Kavitha et al, 2018; Kuppusamy et al, 2016; Mukherjee and Lal, 2014). An increasing amount of field trials with biochar as soil amendment have been initiated (Agegnehu et al, 2017), but an effective method to detect and characterize the spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of biochar in soil is still missing.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Spectral Induced Polarization of Biochar in Variably Saturated Soil

Gao

Haegel

Esser

et al. 2019

Vadose Zone Journal

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Core Ideas Water retention and spectral induced polarization were measured for biochar in sand. Water retention curves could be fitted by using a dual porosity model. Residual water content was found to increase with the addition of biochar. The polarization of sand–biochar mixtures was much larger than that for sand. Spectral induced polarization may be suitable for monitoring biochar in the field. Biochar is considered a promising soil amendment, but an effective method to detect and characterize the spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of biochar in soil is still missing. The aim of this study is to investigate the ability of the spectral induced polarization (SIP) method for the noninvasive detection of biochar in unsaturated sandy media. In particular, a pure sand and two sand–biochar mixtures with 1 and 2% biochar made from pine (Pinus spp.) wood by pyrolysis at 800°C were investigated. The measured SIP spectra as a function of saturation were interpreted by fitting a Cole–Cole model to the low‐frequency part of the SIP measurements. The porous nature of the biochar particles strongly affected the SIP response of the partially saturated sand–biochar mixtures. Due to the high residual water content of the biochar in a dry background, the relationship between bulk electrical conductivity and water saturation was nonlinear in a log–log representation. This nonlinear behavior could adequately be explained with a dielectric mixing model that considered the drainage of the biochar particles. Both the measured phase and chargeability of the sand–biochar mixtures showed a complex dependence on water saturation. This was attributed to the decrease in polarization strength of the biochar particles with desaturation and the simultaneous increase in phase of the sand background. Overall, the results of this study suggest that field SIP measurements may be a promising tool for the characterization and monitoring of biochar amendments to agricultural soils.

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Benefits and limitations of biochar amendment in agricultural soils: A review

Cited by 355 publications

References 110 publications

Biochar Affects Essential Nutrients of Carrot Taproots and Lettuce Leaves

Biochar Affects Essential Nutrients of Carrot Taproots and Lettuce Leaves

Impact of soil incorporation of biochar on environmental radioactivity

Spectral Induced Polarization of Biochar in Variably Saturated Soil

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