Comparison of kiln-derived and gasifier-derived biochars as soil amendments in the humid tropics

Deal, Christopher William; Brewer, Catherine E.; Brown, Robert C.; Okure, Mackay; Amoding, Alice

doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2011.12.017

Cited by 94 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…For example, the higher the temperature of pyrolysis, the greater the surface area, pH and capacity to exchange cations and the lower the percentage of C recovery (Lehmann, 2007). Biochar types with high ash contents can reduce soil acidity, increase soil pH and concentration of essential elements such as Ca, Mg and K and decrease Al availability (Deenik et al, 2011;Deal et al, 2012) while high-surface-area biochar can improve soil water retention capacity (Gray et al, 2014). Biochar is mainly composed of C. A major part of this C is recalcitrant (also known as pyrogenic C, char, black C), and a smaller part is labile, which can affect the soil C/N ratio.…”

Section: Determining Factors and Potential Effects Of Biochar On Soilmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biochar: Pyrogenic Carbon for Agricultural Use - A Critical Review

Novotny

Maia

Carvalho

et al. 2015

Rev. Bras. Ciênc. Solo

175

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Biochar (carbonized biomass for agricultural use) has been used worldwide as soil amendment and is a technology of particular interest for Brazil, since its "inspiration" is from the historical Terra Preta de Índios (Amazon Dark Earth), and also because Brazil is the world's largest charcoal producer, generating enormous residue quantities in form of fine charcoal and due to the availability of different residual biomasses, mainly from agroindustry (e.g., sugar-cane bagasse; wood and paper-mill wastes; residues from biofuel industries; sewage sludge etc), that can be used for biochar production, making Brazil a key actor in the international scenario in terms of biochar research and utilization). In the last decade, numerous studies on biochar have been carried out and now a vast literature, and excellent reviews, are available. The objective of this paper is therefore to deliver a critical review with some highlights on biochar research, rather than an exhaustive bibliographic review. To this end, some key points considered critical and relevant were selected and the pertinent literature "condensed", with a view to guide future research, rather than analyze trends of the past.

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Section: Determining Factors and Potential Effects Of Biochar On Soilmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biochar: Pyrogenic Carbon for Agricultural Use - A Critical Review

Novotny

Maia

Carvalho

et al. 2015

Rev. Bras. Ciênc. Solo

175

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…North-South cooperation) was also low, accounting for only 15% of all publications (e.g. Deenik et al 2011;Deal et al 2012;Nelissen et al 2014;Ahmad et al 2013), while contribution of authors linked to institutions in countries with high and very high human development index was very high accounting for 67% of the published research. The enormous body of literature produced by countries with high and specifically with very high Human Development Indices covers all biochar research topics mentioned above (Figs.…”

Section: Influence Of Development On Biochar Researchmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Similarly, surveyed funding activities revealed an intense support of biochar research on chemistry & fertility (22%), plant performance (33%), GHG & climate (22%) and technology (22%), but just 1.1% of mentioned funding sources originated from countries low on the human development index. Only three publications mentioned funding from countries with low human development index (Table 1; Ali et al 2012;Deal et al 2012;Sparrevik et al 2013;UNDP 2010). Each of these three studies was devoted to the area of plant performance and 2 of the 3 assessed also effects on chemistry & fertility, GHG & climate and technology.…”

Section: Influence Of Development On Biochar Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biochar research activities and their relation to development and environmental quality. A meta-analysis

Mehmood

García

Schirrmann

et al. 2017

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

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“…Deal et al (2012) describes the soils at MUARIK as clay loam with 36% sand, 22% silt, and 42% clay. Central Uganda has two rain seasons a year, the first one peaking around April while the second one peaks around November, totaling 1500 mm on average.…”

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, farming methods used in the small trial plots do not match farming methods practiced at a commercial level. In particular, incorporation of biochar into the soil in most of these trials is done by hands in planting basins or pots, a practice too labour-intensive to be scaled up to commercial levels (Cornelissen et al, 2013;Deal, Brewer, Brown, Okure & Amoding, 2012;Konz et al, 2015). Hunt, Duponte, Sato and Kawabata (2010) observed that biochar is commonly incorporated into the soil by mechanical tillage or hand tools.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Incorporating Biochar into the Soil Using Power Tiller and Ox-Plough

Ndhlovu¹,

Kiggundu²,

Wanyama³

et al. 2017

SAR

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Existing knowledge about biochar is derived from trials where biochar incorporation into the soil is done by hands, a practice too tedious to scale-up to commercial levels. To enhance scalability, biochar incorporation needs to be integrated into conventional mechanised tillage systems. This study aimed at assessing the effects of incorporating biochar by power tiller and ox-plough on soil water retention, maize growth and yield. A 2 x 3 factorial experiment was conducted in a split-plot design with biochar incorporating method as a main plot factor and biochar level as subplot factor, on ferralsols of central Uganda. Incorporation methods were by power tiller and ox-plough with hand mixing in planting basins as a control, while levels of biochar were 0 and 10 t ha -1 application rates. Data was analysed using two-way ANOVAs in Minitab for significant differences among incorporation methods. Results showed that incorporating biochar by power tiller significantly increased water retention effect of biochar by 27.5% (p < 0.05), while no significant effect was observed (p ≥ 0.05) when incorporated by ox-plough, compared to hand mixing. No significant difference on growth and yield was observed (p ≥ 0.05) as a result of incorporating biochar by power tiller and ox-plough instead of hands in planting basins. These findings suggest that biochar incorporation can be scaled-up, to commercial levels, through the use of power tiller and ox-plough, without negative effects on biochar performance. It is recommended that promotion of biochar technology encompasses the use of power tillers and ox-ploughs to enhance scalability.

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Comparison of kiln-derived and gasifier-derived biochars as soil amendments in the humid tropics

Cited by 94 publications

References 8 publications

Biochar: Pyrogenic Carbon for Agricultural Use - A Critical Review

Biochar: Pyrogenic Carbon for Agricultural Use - A Critical Review

Biochar research activities and their relation to development and environmental quality. A meta-analysis

Effects of Incorporating Biochar into the Soil Using Power Tiller and Ox-Plough

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