Reduction of chlorinated hydrocarbon residues in swine

Dobson, R. C.; Fahey, J. E.; Ballee, D. L.; Baugh, E. R.

doi:10.1007/bf01540104

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Before biochar was investigated and used as a regular feed additive for animals in the early 2010s, charcoal (i.e., biochar made from wood) and activated carbon (i.e., activated biochar when made from biomass; Hagemann et al, 2018) was considered a veterinary drug to tackle indigestion and poisoning. Charcoal was known for many centuries as an emergency treatment for poisoning in animals (Decker & Corby, 1971). Biochar has been and still is used because of its high adsorption capacity for a variety of different toxins like mycotoxins, plant toxins, pesticides as well as toxic metabolites or pathogens.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While it was reported that activated biochar was successfully used to adsorb pesticides in the digestive tracts of cattle, sheep and goats and were eventually excreted (Wilson & Cook, 1970), similar experiments in chickens did not show any significant effects on the residue levels in eggs and tissues (Foster et al, 1972). Feeding of biochar with Dieldrin contaminated feed, an organochloride insecticide that was widely used until the 1970s and is still persistent in the environment though it is banned now, resulted in a very significant reduction of the Dieldrin concentration in the fat of the pigs (Dobson et al, 1971). On the other hand, Fries et al (1970) found no reduction in the levels of Dieldrin and DDT in milkfat when cows were fed one kg of activated biochar per day for 14 days.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The use of biochar in animal feeding

Schmidt¹,

Hagemann

Draper

et al. 2019

PeerJ

127

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Biochar, that is, carbonized biomass similar to charcoal, has been used in acute medical treatment of animals for many centuries. Since 2010, livestock farmers increasingly use biochar as a regular feed supplement to improve animal health, increase nutrient intake efficiency and thus productivity. As biochar gets enriched with nitrogen-rich organic compounds during the digestion process, the excreted biochar-manure becomes a more valuable organic fertilizer causing lower nutrient losses and greenhouse gas emissions during storage and soil application. Scientists only recently started to investigate the mechanisms of biochar in the different stages of animal digestion and thus most published results on biochar feeding are based so far on empirical studies. This review summarizes the state of knowledge up to the year 2019 by evaluating 112 relevant scientific publications on the topic to derive initial insights, discuss potential mechanisms behind observations and identify important knowledge gaps and future research needs. The literature analysis shows that in most studies and for all investigated farm animal species, positive effects on different parameters such as toxin adsorption, digestion, blood values, feed efficiency, meat quality and/or greenhouse gas emissions could be found when biochar was added to feed. A considerable number of studies provided statistically non-significant results, though tendencies were mostly positive. Rare negative effects were identified in regard to the immobilization of liposoluble feed ingredients (e.g., vitamin E or Carotenoids) which may limit long-term biochar feeding. We found that most of the studies did not systematically investigate biochar properties (which may vastly differ) and dosage, which is a major drawback for generalizing results. Our review demonstrates that the use of biochar as a feed additive has the potential to improve animal health, feed efficiency and livestock housing climate, to reduce nutrient losses and greenhouse gas emissions, and to increase the soil organic matter content and thus soil fertility when eventually applied to soil. In combination with other good practices, co-feeding of biochar may thus have the potential to improve the sustainability of animal husbandry. However, more systematic multi-disciplinary research is definitely needed to arrive at generalizable recommendations.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of biochar in animal feeding

Schmidt¹,

Hagemann

Draper

et al. 2019

PeerJ

127

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Dobson et al (1971) reduced dieldrin levels in the fat of swine by treatment with phenobarbital and charcoal. Braund et al (1970) similarly reduced dieldrin in milk from a herd which had received contaminated oats.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%