Biochars Derived from Gasified Feedstocks Increase the Growth and Improve Nutrient Acquisition of Triticum aestivum (L.) Grown in Agricultural Alfisols

Abstract

Abstract:Biochars are produced by low-oxygen gasification or pyrolysis of organic waste products, and can be co-produced with energy, achieving waste diversion and delivering a soil amendment that can improve agricultural yields. Although many studies have reported the agronomic benefits of biochars produced from pyrolysis, few have interrogated the ability of gasified biochars to improve crop productivity. An earlier study described the ability of a biochar that was derived from gasified Kentucky bluegrass (KB) seed screenings to impact the chemistry of acidic agricultural soils. However, that study did not measure the effects of the biochar amendment on plant growth or on nutrient acquisition. To quantify these effects we conducted a greenhouse study that evaluated wheat grown in agricultural soils amended with either the KB-based biochar or a biochar derived from a blend of woody mixed-waste. Our studies indicated that biochar amended soils promoted the growth of wheat in these agricultural alfisols. Our elemental analysis indicated that an attenuation of metal toxicity was likely responsible for the increased plant growth. The results of our study are placed in the context of our previous studies that characterized KBsourced biochar and its effects on soil chemistry.

Gasified Grass and Wood Biochars Facilitate Plant Establishment in Acid Mine Soils

“…All treatments were replicated five times and randomly distributed on the greenhouse bench in Corvallis, OR, as previously described by Trippe et al (2015b). Day and night temperatures were 18 and 15°C, respectively.…”

“…We previously reported that two gasified biochars produced from Kentucky bluegrass seed screenings (KB) or mixed conifer wood logging residues (CW) have properties making them suitable for agricultural soil amendments, including high cation exchange capacity (CEC), very low concentrations of potentially toxic compounds, and the ability to raise soil pH (Griffith et al, 2013; Trippe et al, 2015a, 2015b). The observed liming qualities of these biochars, combined with reports of heavy metal sorption by many types of biochars (Beesley et al, 2011; Tang et al, 2013; Zhang et al, 2013), led us to predict that they can facilitate the remediation of acid mine soil to a state that enables plant establishment.…”

Modeling of Some Operating Parameters Required for the Development of Fixed Bed Small Scale Pyrolysis Plant

“…Apart from pyrolysis, heat treatment done on biomass for producing carbon is called torrefaction. The pyrolysis of biomass is a thermo-chemical process, which primarily refers to the decomposition of lignocellulose materials, other organic polymers, and biomass minerals [5][6][7]. The products of decomposition are created at a temperature between 400 • C and 800 • C with no oxygen.…”