Interactive effects of biochar and an organic dust suppressant for revegetation and erosion control with herbaceous seed mixtures and willow cuttings

Kuttner, Ben G.; Thomas, Sean C.

doi:10.1111/rec.12439

Cited by 21 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 35 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…, Gale et al. , Kuttner and Thomas ). Additionally, these doses are representative of those most commonly used to increase plant performance in previous field trials (Biederman and Harpole , Liu et al.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Comparative responses of early‐successional plants to charcoal soil amendments

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Charcoal used as a soil amendment, or "biochar," has received considerable recent research attention as a means to increase plant productivity while mitigating climate change through enhanced carbon sequestration. Interest in biochar for use in the restoration of disturbed sites is growing; however, biochar effects on wild plant species of the early phase of post-disturbance succession have received almost no prior research attention. Physiological adaptations that enable rapid growth in early-successional pioneers (e.g., high rates of photosynthesis) should be advantageous in soils with fresh charcoal since plants with a capacity for expeditious resource capture can capitalize on resource pulses from leachable mineral elements. In a glasshouse study, we tested the effects of biochar applied at two doses (10 and 20 t/ha) to brunisol/juvenile podzol soils, collected from a managed temperate mixed-wood forest, on the growth and physiology of 13 herbaceous old-field pioneers. We measured leaf-level physiology and nutrient supply rates throughout the experiment, and biomass and reproductive performance at experiment completion. Overall, biochar treatments resulted in 30-37% increases in final average aboveground biomass, 13-17% increases in photosynthesis, and an average~44% increase in leaf-level water-use efficiency (at 10 t/ha), but with a high species-specific variation that included negative responses. We detected weak negative relationships between intrinsic photosynthetic rates (of non-biochar controls) and some biomass responses: Species with high photosynthetic capacities tended to have low or negative biomass responses to biochar. Plants in biochar treatments flowered earlier and on average had double the reproductive biomass overall. Pulses of PO 4 À and K + were supplied by biochar in the first four weeks of the experiment, while NO 3 À was significantly immobilized by biochar. These results suggest that by providing a pulse of P and base cations, biochar can improve the restoration of disturbed landscapes by enhancing the physiological and reproductive performance of a subset of pioneers that have moderate photosynthetic rates and nitrogen demand. Biochar has important potential applications to restoration; however, biochar is likely to affect community composition strongly, and careful consideration of the physiological rates and nitrogen requirements of target species will be necessary to maximize the success of biochar-based restoration projects.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Comparative responses of early‐successional plants to charcoal soil amendments

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is suggested to be an effective product for dust control and surface stabilization through particle binding on surfaces and is deemed to be environmentally friendly (Preston et al 2020). Additional characteristics of Entac ™ are documented in Kuttner and Thomas (2017).…”

Section: Substrate Biochar and Organic Dust Suppressantmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A main alternative to use of granulated biochars is the use of environmentally-friendly chemical dust control agents. Studies have shown that "green" chemical dust suppressants can reduce over 90% of dust emissions from road surfaces (Wang et al 2021) and coal (Jin et al 2019) by binding particles and forming hardened surfaces with high mechanical strength (Kuttner and Thomas 2017;Jin et al 2019) and increasing substrate water retention (Wang et al 2021). Application of an organic dust suppressant with biochar was also found to enhance survivorship and growth of willow cuttings (Kuttner and Thomas 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies have shown that "green" chemical dust suppressants can reduce over 90% of dust emissions from road surfaces (Wang et al 2021) and coal (Jin et al 2019) by binding particles and forming hardened surfaces with high mechanical strength (Kuttner and Thomas 2017;Jin et al 2019) and increasing substrate water retention (Wang et al 2021). Application of an organic dust suppressant with biochar was also found to enhance survivorship and growth of willow cuttings (Kuttner and Thomas 2017). However, the effects of biochar type and chemical dust suppressant on biochar erosion and total substrate erosion have been little studied, and no existing research on this topic has examined green roofs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Biochar granulation reduces substrate erosion on green roofs

Liao

Sifton

Thomas

2022

Biochar

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Green roofs are exposed to high winds and harsh environmental conditions that can degrade vegetation and erode substrate material, with negative consequences to ecosystem services. Biochar has been promoted as an effective substrate additive to enhance plant performance, but unprocessed biochars are susceptible to wind and water erosion. Applications of granulated biochars or chemical dust suppressants are suggested as a means to mitigate biochar and substrate erosion; however, research on biochar type and chemical dust suppressant use on biochar and substrate erosion is lacking. Vegetation is a crucial factor that influences substrate erosion, yet plant responses may vary with biochar type and chemical dust suppressant; thus, the effects of possible mitigation measures on biochar and substrate erosion are unclear. We investigated the effects of surface-applied granulated and unprocessed biochars and an organic dust suppressant (Entac™) on biochar and substrate erosion on green roofs with Sedum album L. and a native plant mix. Our results show that 94% of unprocessed biochars were lost from green roofs after 2 years regardless of the Entac™ amendment, likely due to the lightweight nature and fragmentation of biochar particles. In contrast, granulation of biochars reduced the biochar erosion and total substrate erosion by 74% and 39%, respectively, possibly due to enhanced biochar bulk density and particle size and improved moisture retention of biochar-amended substrates. Additionally, Sedum album better reduced biochar and substrate erosion than the native plant mix, likely due to rapid development of high vegetation cover that reduced wind exposure and enhanced substrate moisture retention. We conclude that applications of granulated biochars can substantially reduce biochar and substrate erosion on green roofs, improving green roof sustainability. Graphical Abstract

show abstract

“…Fine biochar particles also constitute a potential human health hazard, particularly for personnel involved in handling and applying materials (Gelardi et al 2019). Wind and water erosion mitigation is an important issue in biochar uses for environmental restoration (Kuttner and Thomas 2017;Li et al 2019a, b). In addition, particulate matter emissions related to biochar utilization are of concern from a climate change perspective, as black carbon in the atmospheric dust cycle is an important radiative forcing agent (Ravi et al 2016).…”

Section: Pelletization and Granulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-processing of biochars to enhance plant growth responses: a review and meta-analysis

Thomas

2021

Biochar

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A number of processes for post-production treatment of “raw” biochars, including leaching, aeration, grinding or sieving to reduce particle size, and chemical or steam activation, have been suggested as means to enhance biochar effectiveness in agriculture, forestry, and environmental restoration. Here, I review studies on post-production processing methods and their effects on biochar physio-chemical properties and present a meta-analysis of plant growth and yield responses to post-processed vs. “raw” biochars. Data from 23 studies provide a total of 112 comparisons of responses to processed vs. unprocessed biochars, and 103 comparisons allowing assessment of effects relative to biochar particle size; additional 8 published studies involving 32 comparisons provide data on effects of biochar leachates. Overall, post-processed biochars resulted in significantly increased average plant growth responses 14% above those observed with unprocessed biochar. This overall effect was driven by plant growth responses to reduced biochar particle size, and heating/aeration treatments. The assessment of biochar effects by particle size indicates a peak at a particle size of 0.5–1.0 mm. Biochar leachate treatments showed very high heterogeneity among studies and no average growth benefit. I conclude that physiochemical post-processing of biochar offers substantial additional agronomic benefits compared to the use of unprocessed biochar. Further research on post-production treatments effects will be important for biochar utilization to maximize benefits to carbon sequestration and system productivity in agriculture, forestry, and environmental restoration.

show abstract

Interactive effects of biochar and an organic dust suppressant for revegetation and erosion control with herbaceous seed mixtures and willow cuttings

Cited by 21 publications

References 35 publications

Comparative responses of early‐successional plants to charcoal soil amendments

Comparative responses of early‐successional plants to charcoal soil amendments

Biochar granulation reduces substrate erosion on green roofs

Post-processing of biochars to enhance plant growth responses: a review and meta-analysis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About