Influences of soil and biochar properties and amount of biochar and fertilizer on the performance of biochar in improving plant photosynthetic rate: A meta-analysis
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This review comprehensively describes biochar, the term which is gaining exponential attention nowadays. The technologies to convert the agriculture waste to biochar include slow pyrolysis, flash pyrolysis, and hydrothermal carbonization. Biochar production methods are based on batch processes and continuous processes. Biochar production processes and steps involved are also discussed. Different biochar reactors are also revived, including the continuous type of biochar reactor and microwave pyrolysis reactors. Kinetics of biochar, bio-oil, and syngas production is also revived briefly with kinetic equations. Uses of biochar are comprehensively revived and discussed, including advanced applications such as catalyst production, activated Carbon production, water treatment, soil amendment, etc. All biochar characterization methods are briefly described, including proximate analysis, ultimate analysis, physiochemical analysis, surface analysis, and molecular structure analysis. Factors affecting biochar production are revived in this article. Biochar yield from different crop waste s is tabulated with temperatures involved. Post-production processing methods of biochar are included in this review. The global biochar market and current status and opportunities are also revived, the data of biochar manufacturers in India are compiled. The utilization of biochar in agriculture is revived in two subcategories: the effect of biochar application on soil health and the effect of biochar application on crop yield. At last engineered or designed biochar concept is revived.
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Biochar composting experiments were performed to determine whether composting is a suitable method to accelerate biochar surface oxidation for increasing its reactivity. To assess the results, surface properties of Terra Preta (Brazil) and ancient charcoal pit (Northern Italy) biochars were additionally investigated. Calculation of O/C ratios by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy demonstrated the anticipated increasing values from fresh biochars (0.13) to composted biochars (0.40), and finally charcoal pit biochars (0.54) and ancient Terra Preta biochars (0.64). By means of Fourier transformation infrared microscopy, formation of carboxylic and phenolic groups on biochars surface could be detected. Carboxylic acids of three composted biochars increased up to 14%, whereas one composted biochar showed a 21% lower proportion of carboxylic acids compared to the corresponding fresh biochar. Phenolic groups increased by 23% for the last mentioned biochar, and on all other biochars phenolic groups decreased up to 22%. Results showed that biochar surface oxidation can be accelerated through composting but still far away from ancient biochars.
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Biochar preparation using portable drum technology is an affordable strategy for efficient use of unused and excess crop residues. The aim of this study was to prepare biochar from pigeonpea and cotton residues at farm level and characterising their soil amendment qualities. The fabricated drum for the preparation of biochar suits the needs of small farmer. The slow pyrolysis (350 to 400 oC temp. range) process yields 24.5 and 22.6% of biochar, correspondingly 16.2 and 18.5% ash content from pigeonpea and cotton residues respectively. The physico-chemical properties of both biochars were compared for assessing soil amendment qualities. The pH of pigeonpea and cotton biochar is 9.86 and 9.82 respectively, which indicates the suitability of both biochar for soil acidity amelioration. Bulk density of pigeonpea and cotton biochar is 0.26 and 0.29 g/cm-3 respectively. the lower BD indicating more pore space, which leads to better soil aeration and more water holding capacity. The carbon recovery of pigeonpea (27.6%) and cotton (29.0%) biochar after thermo-chemical conversion indicates the carbon sequestration potential of both biochar in the background of climate change. Besides, both biochar material contains small concentration of major plant nutrients which improve soil fertility. Therefore, production of biochar under modified drum method suits the small farmer. Besides the properties of both pigeonpea and cotton biochar has greatest soil amendment qualities for soil application.
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Biochar is an insoluble solid matter with high aromatization produced by biomass pyrolysis in completely or partially hypoxic conditions.In recent years,biochar is widely used in agriculture as a soil amendment and controlled-release carrier for fertilizers.In order to boost the study and utilization of biochar in agriculture,this study summarized the factors that affect properties of biochar and its effects on soil physical and chemical properties,amount of microorganisms in soil,and growth and yields of crops.The future research issues were also suggested.
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The intentional amendment of soil with biochar is offering a new strategy for improving soil fertility and sequestering atmospheric CO2. Nonetheless, the characteristics of biochars vary with their different conditions and pyrolysis techniques to improve the physical properties and carbon sequestration of soil as to enhance plants growth. This research is to prove that biochar considers as a stable product that can be produced from feedstock pyrolysis by one of the available bioenergy production techniques. The study aimed to improve the understanding of how adding biochar applications and the pyrolysis of native feedstock to soil can be utilized to improve carbon stability, soil physical properties, and soil fertility in Malaysia. Adding biochar to soils has established a variety of advantages that vary according to the type of the feedstock as the types of the utilized pyrolysis conditions in biochar production. An emphasis was placed on understanding how both of biomass material and production conditions of the pyrolysis process can influence biochar characteristics, and what effects can result from adding different rate of the amendment biochar on soil and plant growth. Three kinds of primary biochar were used, namely, empty fruit bunch biochar (EFB), wood biochar (WB), and rice husk biochar (RHB). EFB and WB were produced by slow pyrolysis method, whereas RHB was produced by the gasification. Four sets of experiments were conducted. In the first set of experiments, the influences of slow pyrolysis and gasification on biochars were examined independently. The physicochemical structure of the produced biochars was characterized with various analytical techniques including FTIR, XRD, SEM, HPLC, and BET surface area analysis. In the second and third sets of experiments, a field study had been carried out to evaluate the effect of the biochar incorporation on soil in regards to the carbon stability and soil physical properties, the final set was carried out in a shade house to evaluate the effect of adding biochars treatment on plants’ heights and dry shoot growth. The results revealed the presence of a very labile C-fraction in RHB with a very small decay constant K3. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction showed three phases of the biochar, from the microcrystalline C of the labile fraction to the largely amorphous intermediate C of the unstable fraction, and finally the formation of turbostratic crystallite C in the recalcitrant fraction. Furthermore, biochar incorporation into soil has effect on soil water content and hydraulic conductivity, contributes to improve soil structure, and improved moisture characteristics, regarding to the extensive pore structures, surface characteristics, and high porosity of RHB as compared to EFB and WB. EFB30 in pot trials resulted in a highly positive effect on sweet corn growth with 50% of fertilizers; On the other hand, RHB30 did not have positive impact on the growth. Due to its labile fraction might cause microbial immobilization of soil N.
It has been concluded that, RHB had a higher degree of aromaticity, greater stability, and therefore should be more recalcitrant to biological and chemical degradation. Applying biochar substances by using local materials is assessing promises of being an environmentally sound in enhancing the physical characteristics of soil and crop productivity in Malaysia.
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Biochar is a fine-grained and porous material, which is produced by pyrolyzing biomass under anaerobic or oxygen-limiting condition. Due to the aromatic structure, it is resistant to the biotic and abiotic degradation which makes biochar production a promising carbon sequestration technology, and it has attracted widespread attention. Factors including biochar production, biochar stability in soil and the response of plant growth and soil organic carbon to the biochar addition can influence the carbon sequestration potential of biochar. Through exploring the mechanisms of biochar carbon sequestration, the influence of these factors was studied. Furthermore, the research progress of carbon sequestration potential and its economic viability were examined. Finally, aiming at the knowledge gaps in the influencing factors as well as the relationship between these factors, some further research needs were proposed for better application of biochar in China.
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Summary In this PhD thesis I studied the influence of biochar discourses on the political practices in Brazil and the impact of biochar on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, thus contributing to the current debate on the potential of biochar to mitigate climate change. Biochar is the solid material obtained from the carbonization of biomass. The deliberate production and application to soil distinguishes biochar from other carbonized products, e.g. charcoal. Inspired by the aged charcoal found in the fertile Amazonian Dark Earth (ADE; also known as Terra Preta de Índio), the current application of biochar in soil is claimed to simultaneously address four global challenges: food production, climate change, energy supply and waste reduction (Chapter 1). Biochar is supposed to be an absorbent and stable material, which can be used to retain nutrients in the soil, increasing agricultural productivity, while sequestering carbon over extended periods of time. Therefore, biochar is claimed to be a means to mitigate global climate change. Furthermore, if biochar is produced in a modern pyrolysis plant, it also can co-produce bio-oil and syngas that could be used as energy. And if biochar is produced by carbonization of agricultural residue, biochar may reduce the quantity of solid waste that needs to be disposed of. In Chapter 2, I analysed the policy arrangement related to biochar along the four dimensions of the policy arrangement approach, which are actors, discourse, power and rules. I focused on Brazil, which is an important player in the international biochar debate. My analysis shows that scientists in research institutions are the dominant players in the network, while policymakers, businessmen and farmers are marginally positioned. Experts from Embrapa occupy central positions and thus exercise most power in the network. Moreover, experts linked to ADE have lost prominence in the network. The cause for this reduction was the shift from the ADE/biochar to the biochar/technology discourse. The latter discourse includes different coalitions, such as: 'climate change mitigation', 'improvement of soil fertility' and 'improving crop residue management'. Although the biochar/climate coalition is dominant at international level, it is far less prominent in Brazil. Nationally the discourses of 'improvement of soil fertility' and 'improving crop residue management' have particularly prompted actors' relationships and practices. However, the biochar/technology discourse is not (yet) institutionalized into formal rules in Brazil. As a consequence, the country lacks an established biochar policy field. Brazilian biochar practices focus on the carbonization of the available residues into biochar and on the application of biochar in soils to increase the SOC content and consequently the fertility of these soils. In this context, in Chapter 3 I tested in the field the potential of biochar produced in traditional kilns to increase the C contents of sandy savannah soils. My results show that biochar produced in traditional kilns is less thermally altered than that produced by industrial kilns and therefore rapidly decomposes. The decomposition rate of traditionally produced biochar was higher (decomposition constant k = 0.32-1.00 year-1) than generally assumed (k = 0.0005-0.005 year-1), and higher than the decomposition of native SOC (k = 0.22 year-1). In Chapter 4 I demonstrated in a short-term laboratory experiment that oilseed-derived biochar had a similar or higher decomposition rate than native SOC. My results show that all three tested oilseed biochars decelerate the decomposition of SOC in the biochar-amended soils, with biochar richer in aromatics having a stronger negative effect than biochar richer in aliphatics. Therefore, oilseed biochar directly increases soil C stocks and indirectly raises soil C sequestration in the short term through decreasing the decomposition of native SOC. In my research, the decomposition studies were performed using 13C isotope analysis. However, the 13C isotope analysis cannot be used when the differences of 13C isotope abundance between biochar and soil are not sufficiently large. Therefore, its use can be limited. In Chapter 5, I aimed at improving the benzene polycarboxylic acid (BPCA) method. I re-designed the protocols of the BPCA method and found a better and faster way to quantify and characterize the BPCAs derived from biochar, compared to the previous protocols. The improved method was then successfully tested and implemented in a laboratory in Brazil. Combining my findings with results of the literature, I conclude (Chapter 6) that there is no evidence that biochar is a reliable way for C sequestration in sandy soils under savannah environments. Biochar decomposition is highly variable, depending on charring conditions, soil and climate: (i) biochar produced by traditional kilns is less thermally degraded than those pyrolysed by industrial kilns; (ii) in sandy soils less biochar accumulates than in clay-silt soils; and (iii) warm-dry conditions raise the decomposition of biochar. These conclusions have a direct consequence for the development of policies on biochar, because we cannot ensure that biochar will sequester the same quantity of C for the same period at different geographical regions.
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바이오차는 바이오매스를 이용하여 산소가 없는 환경에서 열분해할 때 만들어지는 탄소함량이 높은 고체 물질이다. 바이오차의 탄소격리, 재생 에너지, 폐기물 관리, 농업 생산성 개선, 환경복원 관점에서의 중요한 기능으로 인해 최근에 크게 주목을 받고 있다. 바이오차는 토양에서 수천 년간 안정적으로 보존될 수 있기 때문에, 결국에는 분해될 수 밖에 없어 탄소중립이라 불리는 바이오매스 에너지와는 달리 탄소 네가티브의 특징을 가지고 있다. 게다가 바이오차를 토양에 적용하면 바이오차의 높은 pH와 물 및 영양분의 우수한 보유능으로 인해 농업 생산성이 크게 개선될 수 있다. 본 논문은 바이오차의 탄소격리 원리와 물리화학적 특징, 농업 및 환경에의 적용과 관련된 최근의 연구 동향을 총설하여 기술하고자 한다. Biochar is charred materials generated during pyrolysis processes in the absence of oxygen using biomass, resulting in high carbon contents. In recent years, biochar has attracted more increasingly due to its potential role in carbon sequestration, renewable energy, waste management, soil amendment for agricultural use, and environmental remediation. Since biochar has a long-term stability in soil for thousands of years, biochar can be carbon negative compared to carbon-neutral biomass energy that decomposes eventually. Moreover, when biochar is applied to soil, crop production can be largely improved due to its high pH and its superior ability to retain water and nutrients. This paper review the research trends of biochar including the principles of carbon sequestration by biochar, its physico-chemical properties, and its applications on agricultural and environmental area.
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