Lignite amendment has limited impacts on soil microbial communities and mineral nitrogen availability

Tran, Cuc Kim Thi; Rose, Michael T.; Cavagnaro, Timothy R.; Patti, Antonio F.

doi:10.1016/j.apsoil.2015.06.020

Cited by 43 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…The delay in the attainment of thermophilic and maximum temperatures in the lignite treatments was likely due to lower microbial activity, especially at the initial phase of the composting process (indicated by the lower evolution of CO2, see Section 3.4.2). This is supported by previous work by Tran et al [43], who observed a significantly lower respiration rate in lignite-amended soils during the first three days of incubation, and Whiteley and Pettit [29] who reported a significant reduction in microbial O2 consumption and CO2 evolution during the decomposition of wheat straw in the presence of lignite humic acid. The authors suggested that lignite's inhibitory effect on microbes occurs through the physical protection of the substrate, and also the release of microbial toxins from the lignite.…”

Section: Changes Of Temperaturesupporting

confidence: 87%

Lignite Improved the Quality of Composted Manure and Mitigated Emissions of Ammonia and Greenhouse Gases during Forced Aeration Composting

et al. 2020

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Lignite amendment of livestock manure is considered a viable ammonia (NH3) emission mitigation technique. However, its impact on the subsequent composting of the manure has not been well studied. This work compared changes in biochemical parameters (e.g., organic matter loss and nitrogen (N) transformation) and also the emissions of NH3 and greenhouse gases (GHGs) between lignite-amended and unamended cattle manure during forced aeration composting. Amending manure with lignite did not alter the time to compost stability despite delaying the onset of the thermophilic temperatures. Lignite treatments retained N in the manure by suppressing NH3 loss by 35–54%, resulting in lignite-amended manure composts having 10–19% more total N than the unamended compost. Relative to manure only, lignites reduced GHG emissions over the composting period: nitrous oxide (N2O) (58–72%), carbon dioxide (CO2) (12–23%) and methane (CH4) (52–59%). Low levels of CH4 and N2O emissions were observed and this was attributed to the continuous forced aeration system used in the composting. Lignite addition also improved the germination index of the final compost: 90–113% compared to 71% for manure only. These findings suggest that lignite amendment of manure has the potential to improve the quality of the final compost whilst mitigating the environmental release of NH3 and GHGs.

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Section: Changes Of Temperaturesupporting

confidence: 87%

Lignite Improved the Quality of Composted Manure and Mitigated Emissions of Ammonia and Greenhouse Gases during Forced Aeration Composting

et al. 2020

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“…There is a growing interest in the utilization of brown coal (BC) and BC-derived products in agricultural crop production due to their particular physical and chemical properties 20 . The extensive surface area, porous structure and functional groups of BC 21 have been demonstrated to increase the prevalence of carboxyl and phenolic functional groups in BC-amended soil 22 , enhanced nutrient retention and uptake 23 , and facilitate cation binding 24 with minimal effects on microbial activity 25 . It is also evident that the addition of BC alone or in combination with urea can significantly influence the dynamics and mineralization of N in soil 7 , 8 , 26 , 27 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen Dynamics in Soil Fertilized with Slow Release Brown Coal-Urea Fertilizers

Saha

Rose

Wong

et al. 2018

Sci Rep

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Reducing the release rate of urea can increase its use efficiency and minimize negative effects on the environment. A novel fertilizer material that was formed by blending brown coal (BC) with urea, delayed fertilizer N release in controlled climatic conditions in a glasshouse, through strong retention facilitated by the extensive surface area, porous structure and chemical functional groups in the BC. However, the role of BC as a carrier of synthetic urea and the effect of their interaction with various soil types on the dynamics and mineralization of N remains largely unclear. Therefore, a soil column incubation study was conducted to assess the release, transformation and transportation of N from several different brown coal-urea (BCU) granules, compared to commercial urea. Blending and subsequent granulation of urea with BC substantially increased fertilizer N retention in soil by decreasing gaseous emissions and leaching of N compared to urea alone, irrespective of soil type. The BCU granule containing the highest proportion of BC had lower leaching and gaseous emissions and maintained considerably higher mineral and mineralizable N in topsoil. Possible modes of action of the BCU granules have been proposed, emphasizing the role of BC in enhancing N retention over a longer period of time. The results support the notion that BCU granules can be used as a slow release and enhanced efficiency fertilizer for increasing availability and use efficiency of N by crops.

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“…However, Rumpel et al (2001) reported that the presence of lignite does not have a significant impact on the microbial biomass in lignite-containing mine soils. Tran et al (2015) found that lignite amendment has limited impacts on soil microbial communities, and lignite together with N fertilizer does not significantly stimulate microbial activities.…”

Section: Core Ideasmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Biochar is generally characterized by a large surface area, abundant micropores, and a high cation exchange capacity (Lee et al, 2013). Low-cost brown coal (lignite) is another organic matrix that may be suitable as a potential soil amendment because it is a rich source of humic acid (Tran et al, 2015). Lignitebased amendments have a complex intraparticle pore structure with numerous micropores (0.4-1.2 nm) contributing to a high surface area, and thus a large number of active sites (Tran et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Low-cost brown coal (lignite) is another organic matrix that may be suitable as a potential soil amendment because it is a rich source of humic acid (Tran et al, 2015). Lignitebased amendments have a complex intraparticle pore structure with numerous micropores (0.4-1.2 nm) contributing to a high surface area, and thus a large number of active sites (Tran et al, 2015). As lignite is in the early stages of coalification, the properties of lignite-based amendments can vary widely depending on their original source material and environmental and geological factors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impact of biochar and lignite‐based amendments on microbial communities and greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural soil

Xiong

et al. 2021

Vadose Zone Journal

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Understanding the responses of the microbial community and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to the incorporation of different organic amendments is essential for their proper utilization. In this study, laboratory-incubated microcosm experiments were conducted to investigate the short-term effects of pine-wood biochar and lignitebased amendment on the microbial communities and GHG emissions from agricultural soil. Soils amended at five different application rates were incubated for 19 d under the conditions of 60% water-filled pore space and 25˚C. Microbial biomass in the amended soil after incubation was measured by the solid colony counting method, and the soil microbial diversity was assayed using a Biolog EcoPlate. The biochar and lignite-based amendment had distinct effects on the soil microbial communities and GHG emissions. The microbial community growth and utilization of C sources were improved by the biochar but restrained by the lignite-based amendment in most cases. The biochar and lignite-based amendment had a minor impact on methane emissions. Carbon dioxide emissions were promoted by the biochar and inhibited by the lignite-based amendment during the short-term incubation period. Nitrous oxide emissions decreased with the application rate of biochar but increased with the rate of lignite-based amendment. The addition of biochar at a rate of 3-4% and lignite-based amendment at a rate of <1% has the potential to improve soil quality. Salt leaching is required to avoid accumulation when the biochar and lignite-based amendments are applied. The findings can provide a reference for the application of biochar and lignite-based amendment in silt loam soil.

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Lignite amendment has limited impacts on soil microbial communities and mineral nitrogen availability

Cited by 43 publications

References 61 publications

Lignite Improved the Quality of Composted Manure and Mitigated Emissions of Ammonia and Greenhouse Gases during Forced Aeration Composting

Lignite Improved the Quality of Composted Manure and Mitigated Emissions of Ammonia and Greenhouse Gases during Forced Aeration Composting

Nitrogen Dynamics in Soil Fertilized with Slow Release Brown Coal-Urea Fertilizers

Impact of biochar and lignite‐based amendments on microbial communities and greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural soil

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