Charcoal (biochar) as a carbon sequestration approach and its effect on soil's functions

Siva Sivakumaran,S. Dunlopa,S. Caillé,Markus Deurer,Robert M. Simpson,Ian R. McIvor,Paramsothy Jeyakumar,Steve Green,T. M. Mills,Iris Vogeler,Brent Clothier,R. J. Gilkes,N. Prakongkep

Charcoal (biochar) as a carbon sequestration approach and its effect on soil's functions

2010

We compared the microbial biomass, basal respiration, dehydrogenase activity, mineralhot carbon (HWC) of the soil with and without charcoal as a biological and a chemical property. Using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) we tested for the presence of microbial groups and genes associated with methane metabolism as indicators of any change in microbial diversity resulting from the addition of charcoal. As a soil physical property we analysed if the addition of charcoal increased soil water repellency. Our preliminary analysis showed that the addition of charcoal resulted in no significant change to microbial biomass, basal respiration or HWC. The qPCR analysis showed that there was also no significant change to biodiversity. The soil in the orchard prior to the addition of charcoal was not hydrophobic; after the addition of charcoal this did not change.

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