Charcoal production at kiln sites affects C and N dynamics and associated soil microorganisms in Quercus spp. temperate forests of central Mexico

Gómez-Luna, Blanca Estela; Rivera-Mosqueda, Ma. Cruz; Dendooven, Luc; Vázquez-Marrufo, Gerardo; Olalde‐Portugal, Víctor

doi:10.1016/j.apsoil.2008.08.007

Cited by 23 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…This is clearly the case for the higher SOC concentrations with higher C:N ratios for the kiln soil. In contrast to our results, Oguntunde et al (2004) and Gómez-Luna et al (2009) observed higher concentrations of exchangeable Ca, K, and Mg in kiln-site soils compared to the adjacent soils. However, the kiln-sites described by Oguntunde et al (2004) and Gómez-Luna et al (2009) were abandoned for 2-14 months and about 5 years, respectively, before they were investigated.…”

Section: Soil Characteristicscontrasting

confidence: 86%

“…In the Siegerland region of Germany, soils at kiln sites where charcoal production ceased about 100 years ago are enriched with BC and contain higher stocks of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total N, while other chemical and physical soil properties were not highly affected by the former charcoal production (Borchard et al, 2014). Kiln soils investigated by Gómez-Luna et al (2009) in Mexico and investigated kiln soils in Ghana (Oguntunde et al, 2004) showed higher concentrations of exchangeable Ca, K, and Mg, and higher pH values in kiln-site soils compared to the adjacent soils.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Interactive effects of biochar ageing in soils related to feedstock, pyrolysis temperature, and historic charcoal production

2015

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Section: Soil Characteristicscontrasting

confidence: 86%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interactive effects of biochar ageing in soils related to feedstock, pyrolysis temperature, and historic charcoal production

2015

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“…In contrast, the topsoil of the abandoned charcoal kiln sites of Wallonia appears to have much smaller concentrations of available P than the reference soils ( Figure 2). Some studies also reported small concentrations of available P in the charcoal-enriched soil of abandoned charcoal kiln sites (Young et al, 1996;Vazquez-Marrufo et al, 2003;Gómez-Luna et al, 2009), whereas others reported slightly increased values relative to the reference soils (Borchard et al, 2014;Criscuoli et al, 2014). These discrepancies might result from differences in the extraction protocol; four different extracting solutions were used in the five studies considered.…”

Section: Plant Nutrientsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…There are few studies on the effect of abandoned charcoal kilns on soil properties in the international literature. They generally concur that, shortly after charring, charcoal‐enriched topsoil has a pH close to neutral, which is generally higher than the pH of adjacent charcoal‐unaffected soil (Oguntunde et al ., ; Gómez‐Luna et al ., ; Nigussie & Kissi, ; Ogundele et al ., ). The increase in pH goes together with larger concentrations of exchangeable Ca 2+ , K + , Mg 2+ and available P. These effects tend to attenuate with time, but some remain perceptible after one or two centuries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of pre‐industrial charcoal kilns on chemical properties of forest soil of Wallonia, Belgium

Hardy

Cornélis

Houben

et al. 2016

European J Soil Science

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Summary In Wallonia, Belgium, intensive in situ charcoal production that was linked closely to pre‐industrial smelting and steel‐making affected a large part of the forested area in the late eighteenth century. Charcoal kiln relics can be detected under forest as domes of about 10 m in diameter, with the topsoil greatly enriched with charcoal residues. We sampled 19 charcoal kiln sites and the adjacent reference soil by soil horizon on four different soil types (Arenosols, Luvisols, Cambisols and Podzols). Data were analysed with linear mixed models to assess the effect of the charcoal kiln site on soil properties in relation to depth and soil conditions. We also addressed the evolution of soil properties over time by a comparison of the soil characteristics at a currently active kiln site. The charcoal‐rich topsoil has a larger C:N ratio and cation exchange capacity (CEC) per unit of organic carbon than the reference soil. The largest CECs per unit of carbon were observed on soil with coarser textures. On acidic soil, the increase in base saturation in the subsoil reflects the past liming effect of ash produced by wood charring, whereas the topsoil is re‐acidified. The acidity of carbonate‐rich Cambisols, however, is not reduced. Regardless of soil type, the kiln topsoil is greatly depleted in exchangeable K+ and available P, which may be attributed to the small affinity of the exchange complex of charcoal for K+ and a decrease in P availability with time. Therefore, we recommend further research on the long‐term effects of biochar on the dynamics of plant nutrients.

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“…Charcoal production is responsible for 7% tropical forest loss (Chidumayo and Gumbo, 2013), making it important to assess whether there is enough forest to sustain this production at local and global scales, particularly if demand is to increase with further urbanization. Further, charcoal production could affect the microclimate, leading to more extreme temperatures, wind and water erosion even when the kiln-site is no longer in use as regeneration of the ecosystems requires a number of years (Gómez-Luna et al, 2009). Finally, charcoal production may compete with the production of food, reduce water resources, and other services forests provide (Fisher et al, 2011;Chidumayo and Gumbo, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling the Effects of Future Growing Demand for Charcoal in the Tropics

Santos

Dekker

Daioglou

et al. 2017

Front. Environ. Sci.

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Global demand for charcoal is increasing mainly due to urban population in developing countries. More than half the global population now lives in cities, and urban-dwellers are restricted to charcoal use because of easiness of production, access, transport, and tradition. Increasing demand for charcoal, however, may lead to increasing impacts on forests, food, and water resources, and may even create additional pressures on the climate system. Here we assess how different charcoal scenarios based on the Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSP) relate to potential biomass supply. For this, we use the energy model TIMER to project the demand for fuelwood and charcoal for different socio-economic pathways for urban and rural populations, globally, and for four tropical regions (Central America, South America, Africa and Indonesia). Second, we assess whether the biomass demands for each scenario can be met with current and projected forest biomass estimated with remote sensing and modeled Net Primary Productivity (NPP) using a Dynamic Global Vegetation Model (LPJ-GUESS). Currently one third of residential energy use is based on traditional bioenergy, including charcoal. Globally, biomass needs by urban households by 2100 under the most sustainable scenario, SSP1, are of 14.4 mi ton biomass for charcoal plus 17.1 mi ton biomass for fuelwood (31.5 mi ton biomass in total). Under SSP3, the least sustainable scenario, we project a need of 205 mi tons biomass for charcoal plus 243.8 mi ton biomass for fuelwood by 2100 (total of 450 mi ton biomass). Africa and South America contribute the most for this biomass demand, however, all areas are able to meet the demand. We find that the future of the charcoal sector is not dire. Charcoal represents a small fraction of the energy requirements, but its biomass demands are disproportionate and in some regions require a large fraction of forest. This could be because of large growing populations moving to urban areas, conversion rates, production inefficiencies, and regions that despite available alternative energy sources still use a substantial amount of charcoal. We present a framework that combines Integrated Assessment Models and local conditions to assess whether a sustainable sector can be achieved.

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Charcoal production at kiln sites affects C and N dynamics and associated soil microorganisms in Quercus spp. temperate forests of central Mexico

Cited by 23 publications

References 53 publications

Interactive effects of biochar ageing in soils related to feedstock, pyrolysis temperature, and historic charcoal production

Interactive effects of biochar ageing in soils related to feedstock, pyrolysis temperature, and historic charcoal production

The effect of pre‐industrial charcoal kilns on chemical properties of forest soil of Wallonia, Belgium

Modeling the Effects of Future Growing Demand for Charcoal in the Tropics

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