Production and characterization of biochars from agricultural by-products for use in soil quality enhancement

Rehrah, Djaafar; Reddy, M.R.; Novak, J. M.; Bansode, Rishipal R.; Schimmel, Keith; Yu, Jianglong; Watts, D. W.; Ahmedna, Mohamed

doi:10.1016/j.jaap.2014.03.008

Cited by 136 publications

(83 citation statements)

References 28 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In anticipation of improving crop productivity, biochars are commonly applied to soils possessing poor to marginal fertility characteristics [27,31,32]. The previously cited metaanalyses have shown divergent results regarding improved crop productivity after applying biochar to soils [3,7].…”

Section: Crop Productivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil Health, Crop Productivity, Microbial Transport, and Mine Spoil Response to Biochars

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Biochars vary widely in pH, surface area, nutrient concentration, porosity, and metal binding capacity due to the assortment of feedstock materials and thermal conversion conditions under which it is formed. The wide variety of chemical and physical characteristics have resulted in biochar being used as an amendment to rebuild soil health, improve crop yields, increase soil water storage, and restore soils/spoils impacted by mining. Meta-analysis of the biochar literature has shown mixed results when using biochar as a soil amendment to improve crop productivity. For example, in one meta-analysis, biochar increased crop yield by approximately 10 %, while in another, approximately 50 % of the studies reported minimal to no crop yield increases. In spite of the mixed crop yield reports, biochars have properties that can improve soil health characteristics, by increasing carbon (C) sequestration and nutrient and water retention. Biochars also have the ability to bind enteric microbes and enhance metal binding in soils impacted by mining. In this review, we present examples of both effective and ineffective uses of biochar to improve soil health for agricultural functions and reclamation of degraded mine spoils. Biochars are expensive to manufacture and cannot be purged from soil after application, so for efficient use, they should be targeted for specific uses in agricultural and environmental sectors. Thus, we introduce the designer biochar concept as an alternate paradigm stating that biochars should be designed with properties that are tailored to specific soil deficiencies or problems. We then demonstrate how careful selection of biochars can increase their effectiveness as a soil amendment.

show abstract

Section: Crop Productivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil Health, Crop Productivity, Microbial Transport, and Mine Spoil Response to Biochars

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The pyrolysis temperature in conjunction with the presence of oxygen influences the pH of the biochar through the production of ash (REHRAH et al, 2014). According to the authors, the higher the temperature the higher the pH of biochar.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Growth and production of common bean fertilized with biochar

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Production of biochar from organic wastes promises to be an interesting source of plant nutrients, thus reducing pressure on natural resources. To assess the effect of biochar prepared from wastes filtration materials on the growth and production of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), three simultaneous greenhouse experiments were conducted with three different biochar from organic wastes (rice husk, sawdust, and sorghum silage) using as filtration material for swine biofertilizer. In each experiment the treatments consisted of the addition of five different biochar concentrations (0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10% v/v), arranged in a completely random design, with four repetitions. Application of biochar increased the root dry mass, shoot dry mass, grain dry mass, number of pods and number of grains. These results indicated that biochar contributed significantly to the growth and production of common bean plants.

show abstract

“…Every year, significant amounts of crop residues are produced as a byproduct of the processing of various agricultural commodities. In many cases, these agricultural byproducts are treated as waste materials with little or no economic value, and their disposal is sometimes costly and environmentally harmful (Rehrah et al 2014). A variety of agriculture residues have been studied for their possible use as renewable fuels, and these agricultural residues are freely available for use as fuel in rural areas, although they are also responsible for air pollution (Motghare et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative Analysis of the Physical and Chemical Properties of Different Biomass Ashes Produced from Various Combustion Conditions

Yao¹,

Xu²,

Liang³

2017

BioResources

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The ash yield, composition, mineral phases, and other physical and chemical properties of various biomass ashes are dependent on ashing temperature. To fully understand the impacts of biomass species and ashing temperature on the characterization of biomass ashes, three kinds of biomass fuels were treated at different ashing temperatures to produce biomass ashes. Their properties were analyzed by a series of qualitative and quantitative methods, including X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), thermal gravimetric, and differential thermal analyzer (TG-DTA). The experimental results indicated that as the ashing temperature was raised, the ash slagging tendency could be enhanced. The fused layer on the surface of ash particles was coated with potassium chloride, which was the key reason for the development of severe agglomeration and slagging. Due to the high carbon content and large number of pores in the lower temperature ashes, a low-cost adsorbent could be developed effectively from these carbon materials. The thermal decomposition of all ashes showed a stepwise mechanism. The total weight loss of the same biomass ash decreased with increased ashing temperature, which corresponded well with the phase transitions and thermal reaction sequences.

show abstract

Production and characterization of biochars from agricultural by-products for use in soil quality enhancement

Cited by 136 publications

References 28 publications

Soil Health, Crop Productivity, Microbial Transport, and Mine Spoil Response to Biochars

Soil Health, Crop Productivity, Microbial Transport, and Mine Spoil Response to Biochars

Growth and production of common bean fertilized with biochar

Comparative Analysis of the Physical and Chemical Properties of Different Biomass Ashes Produced from Various Combustion Conditions

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About