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Biochar has shown potential in reducing inorganic nitrogen (N) leaching losses from inorganic and organic fertilizer sources in coarse-textured soils. Little information, however, is available on the effect of biochar on the availability of the retained inorganic N in biochar-amended sandy soil. The objective of our study was to determine the potential of pine wood biochar to reduce the leaching of ammonium nitrate fertilizer (100 kg N ha −1 ) from sandy soil (W. Cape, South Africa) and to quantify the exchangeable inorganic N (2 m KCl) remaining after intensive leaching. Laboratory columns containing sandy soil and biochar (0, 0.5, 2.5 and 10.0% w/w) were leached weekly over a period of six weeks simulating heavy winter rainfall. Biochar (0.5, 2.5 and 10.0% w/w) significantly reduced the cumulative amount of ammonium (12, 50 and 86%, respectively) and nitrate (26, 42 and 96%, respectively) leached relative to the control soil. Despite the observed strong reduction in inorganic N leaching, the leached biochar-amended soils contained only small amounts of exchangeable ammonium (0-7.3 mg kg −1 ) and nitrate (5.8-8.0 mg kg −1 ). The results show that pine wood biochar can strongly reduce not only the amount of ammonium and nitrate leached from sandy soils, but also the amount of recoverable exchangeable ammonium and nitrate after leaching. Furthermore, the 2.5 and 10.0% biochar application rates led to over-liming. This raises some concerns as to the practical use of biochar in improving N fertilizer-use efficiency of plants.

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Water treatment residual (WTR) is an underused clean water industry byproduct, generally disposed to landfill. This study assesses the benefits and risks of ferric-WTR as a soil amendment or co-amendment for plant growth in a nutrient-poor sandy soil. A 12-wk pot trial tested the efficacy of WTR and a locally available, low-quality, municipal compost as single (1, 5, and 12.5% dry mass) and co-amended treatments (1:1 WTR/compost ratio, at 2, 10, and 25%) on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) growth in a sandy soil. The low total N content of the compost and low WTR P and K contents resulted in significantly lower (up to 50% lower, p < 0.05) plant biomass in single amendments compared with the control, whereas the highest co-amendment produced significantly higher plant biomass (33% higher, p < 0.05) than the control. This positive co-amendment effect on plant growth is attributed to balanced nutrient provision, with P and K from the compost and N from the WTR. Foliar micronutrient and Al levels showed no toxic accumulation, and co-amended foliar Mn levels increased from near deficient (20 mg kg −1 ) to sufficient (50 mg kg −1 ). Total WTR metals were well below maximum land application concentrations (USDA). Trace element bioavailability remained the same (Ni, Cu, and Hg) or significantly decreased (B, Al, Cr, Mn, Fe, Zn, As, and Cd; p < 0.05) during the pot trial. These results suggest, within this context, that a WTR-compost co-amendment is a promising soil improvement technology for increasing crop yields in sandy soils.

No abstract