Biochar: an improver of nutrient and soil water availability - what is the evidence?

Scott, H. L.; Ponsonby, D.; Atkinson, Carol

doi:10.1079/pavsnnr20149019

Cited by 41 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 129 publications

(272 reference statements)

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“…Lower temperatures (around 400 • C) tend to produce more solid char (slow pyrolysis) [122,156]. The properties of the biochar are dependent not only on the pyrolysis conditions, but also on the feedstock [157]. Biochar has been produced experimentally from brown seaweeds including Sargassum spp., and has different properties to ligno-cellulosic biomass with relatively low carbon content and surface area, but with a high content of essential trace elements and exchangeable cations, particularly potassium [158].…”

Section: Biocharmentioning

confidence: 99%

Golden Tides: Problem or Golden Opportunity? The Valorisation of Sargassum from Beach Inundations

Milledge

Harvey

2016

JMSE

166

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Abstract:In recent years there have been massive inundations of pelagic Sargassum, known as golden tides, on the beaches of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and West Africa, causing considerable damage to the local economy and environment. Commercial exploration of this biomass for food, fuel, and pharmaceutical products could fund clean-up and offset the economic impact of these golden tides. This paper reviews the potential uses and obstacles for exploitation of pelagic Sargassum. Although Sargassum has considerable potential as a source of biochemicals, feed, food, fertiliser, and fuel, variable and undefined composition together with the possible presence of marine pollutants may make golden tides unsuitable for food, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals and limit their use in feed and fertilisers. Discontinuous and unreliable supply of Sargassum also presents considerable challenges. Low-cost methods of preservation such as solar drying and ensiling may address the problem of discontinuity. The use of processes that can handle a variety of biological and waste feedstocks in addition to Sargassum is a solution to unreliable supply, and anaerobic digestion for the production of biogas is one such process. More research is needed to characterise golden tides and identify and develop commercial products and processes.

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Section: Biocharmentioning

confidence: 99%

Golden Tides: Problem or Golden Opportunity? The Valorisation of Sargassum from Beach Inundations

Milledge

Harvey

2016

JMSE

166

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“…To make biochar amendments more consistently beneficial, Novak et al [27,30] theorized that biochars could be engineered through single or multi-feedstock selection, blending feedstocks, choosing appropriate physical states (e.g., pellets and dust), and modifying pyrolysis temperatures, to produce biochar materials that target specific soil health characteristics. The theory was termed "designer biochar" and the concept was vetted through several journal publications [1,[79][80][81][82].…”

Section: Designing Biochar With Specific Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil Health, Crop Productivity, Microbial Transport, and Mine Spoil Response to Biochars

et al. 2016

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Biochars vary widely in pH, surface area, nutrient concentration, porosity, and metal binding capacity due to the assortment of feedstock materials and thermal conversion conditions under which it is formed. The wide variety of chemical and physical characteristics have resulted in biochar being used as an amendment to rebuild soil health, improve crop yields, increase soil water storage, and restore soils/spoils impacted by mining. Meta-analysis of the biochar literature has shown mixed results when using biochar as a soil amendment to improve crop productivity. For example, in one meta-analysis, biochar increased crop yield by approximately 10 %, while in another, approximately 50 % of the studies reported minimal to no crop yield increases. In spite of the mixed crop yield reports, biochars have properties that can improve soil health characteristics, by increasing carbon (C) sequestration and nutrient and water retention. Biochars also have the ability to bind enteric microbes and enhance metal binding in soils impacted by mining. In this review, we present examples of both effective and ineffective uses of biochar to improve soil health for agricultural functions and reclamation of degraded mine spoils. Biochars are expensive to manufacture and cannot be purged from soil after application, so for efficient use, they should be targeted for specific uses in agricultural and environmental sectors. Thus, we introduce the designer biochar concept as an alternate paradigm stating that biochars should be designed with properties that are tailored to specific soil deficiencies or problems. We then demonstrate how careful selection of biochars can increase their effectiveness as a soil amendment.

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“…Biochar is reported to improve soil physical, chemical, and biological properties and therefore affect the amount of P used by plant (Scott, Ponsonby, & Atkinson, ). Biochar is considered an important source of P (generally present in the inorganic form) because most of the P from feedstock is retained into biochar during the pyrolysis process (Kloss et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonadditive effects of biochar amendments on soil phosphorus fractions in two contrasting soils

Shao

Zhang

et al. 2018

Land Degrad Dev

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Increased soil total phosphorus (P) or available P has been reported in biochar‐amended soils, although the underlying mechanisms need to be fully understood. In the present study, two contrasting soils (acidic Haplic Luvisol and alkaline Calcaric‐Fluvisol) amended with wheat straw biochar were sequentially extracted with modified Hedley method to study the P transformation in the soils. Our results showed that biochar application significantly increased (positive effects) P fractions (except for NaHCO3‐Pi and residual‐P) content in Haplic Luvisol. The increased soil microbial activity and reduced soil acidity or increased cation exchange capacity may be accounted for enhanced P transformation. The reduced NaHCO3‐Pi content may be related to P immobilization with increased soil microbial activity induced by biochar addition because the high C:P ratios of biochar (ranged from 234 to 357) suggested net P immobilization occurred when biochar was incorporated into soil. Biochar application first (4 days) increased soil NaHCO3‐Po content and then decreased it with longer incubation time (30 days). The decrease in NaHCO3‐Po suggested that the labile organic P was converted into nonlabile inorganic or organic P. In comparison with those in Haplic Luvisol, almost all P fractions showed negative effects with biochar addition into Calcaric‐Fluvisol. The results may be caused by the P precipitation or sorption with increased soil pH with biochar application. On the basis of P transformation, biochar is recommended to be used in Haplic Luvisol (acidic soil) and not to Calcaric‐Fluvisol (alkaline soil) because of the positive effects and negative effects observed on P fractions in biochar‐amended soils.

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Biochar: an improver of nutrient and soil water availability - what is the evidence?

Cited by 41 publications

References 129 publications

Golden Tides: Problem or Golden Opportunity? The Valorisation of Sargassum from Beach Inundations

Golden Tides: Problem or Golden Opportunity? The Valorisation of Sargassum from Beach Inundations

Soil Health, Crop Productivity, Microbial Transport, and Mine Spoil Response to Biochars

Nonadditive effects of biochar amendments on soil phosphorus fractions in two contrasting soils

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