The impact of biochar on soil carbon sequestration: Meta-analytical approach to evaluating environmental and economic advantages

Majumder, Souradeep; Neogi, Surama; Dutta, Tanushree; Powel, Michael A.; Banik, Pabitra

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.109466

Cited by 110 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 104 publications

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“…Study findings confirmed that the biochar amendment in soil exhibited a prominent effect on soil TC through an increased C:N ratio. In 2019, Majumder et al [76] indicated that biochar increased the amount of C in the treated soil. In addition, Laghari et al [17] found that higher doses of biochar improved C:N ratio in sandy desert soils.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the Influence of Biochar Amendment on the Physicochemical Properties of Podzolic Soil

et al. 2020

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Research into biochar, as an amendment to soil, has increased over the last decade. However, there is still much to understand regarding the effects of biochar type and rates on the physicochemical properties of different soil types. This study aimed to investigate the effects of biochar application on the physicochemical properties of podzolic soils. Soil samples were collected from the research site in Pasadena, Newfoundland, Canada. Experimental treatments consisted of three types of soils (topsoil, E-horizon soil and mixed soil (topsoil 2: E-horizon soil 1)), two biochar types (granular and powder) and four biochar application rates (0%, 0.5%, 1% and 2% on a weight basis). Ten physicochemical parameters (bulk density (BD), porosity, field capacity (FC), plant available water (PAW), water repellency (WR), electrical conductivity (EC), pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), total carbon (TC), and nitrogen (N)) were investigated through a total of 72 experimental units. Biochar morphological structure and pore size distribution were examined using a scanning electron microscope, whereas specific surface area was assessed by the Brunauer−Emmett−Teller method. The result indicated that the E-horizon soil was highly acidic compared to control (topsoil) and mixed soils. A significant difference was observed between the control and 2% biochar amendment in all three soil mixtures tested in this experiment. Biochar amendments significantly reduced the soil BD (E-horizon: 1.40–1.25 > mixed soil: 1.34–1.21 > topsoil: 1.31–1.18 g cm−3), increased the CEC (mixed soil: 2.83–3.61 > topsoil: 2.61–2.70 > E-horizon: 1.40–1.25 cmol kg−1) and total C (topsoil: 2.40–2.41 > mixed soil: 1.74–1.75 > E-horizon: 0.43–0.44%). Water drop penetration tests showed increased WR with increasing biochar doses from 0 to 2% (topsoil: 2.33–4.00 > mixed soil: 2.33–3.33 > E-horizon: 4.00–4.67 s), and all the biochar–soil combinations were classified as slightly-repellent. We found significant effects of biochar application on soil water retention. Porosity increased by 2.8%, FC by 10%, and PAW by 12.9% when the soil was treated with powdered biochar. Additionally, we examined the temporal effect of biochar (0 to 2% doses) on pH and EC and observed an increase in pH (4.3–5.5) and EC (0.0–0.20 dS/m) every day from day 1–day 7. Collectively the study findings suggest 2% powder biochar application rate is the best combination to improve the physicochemical properties of the tested mixed podzolic soil. Granular and powdered biochar was found to be hydrophobic and hydrophilic, respectively. These findings could be helpful to better understand the use of biochar for improving the physicochemical properties of podzolic soils when used for agricultural practices in boreal ecosystems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the Influence of Biochar Amendment on the Physicochemical Properties of Podzolic Soil

et al. 2020

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“…Biochar is being used and studied for soil organic carbon (SOC) interactions and carbon sequestration, so it is relevant to note that SOC is not used as a variable for consideration in our meta‐analysis (Dumortier et al., 2020; Kammann et al., 2017; Windeatt et al., 2014; Woolf et al., 2010). The performance of biochar to increase SOC can depend on nutrients dissolved in soil water, and the levels of dissolved nutrients are influenced by qualities of the biochar that we do use as variables in this study (Majumder et al., 2019). For example, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) which passes through pore spaces is influenced by soil water content; biochar is shown to increase these pore spaces and increase DOC when applied to soil (Liu, Dugan, et al., 2016; Liu, Wang, et al., 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water cost savings from soil biochar amendment: A spatial analysis

et al. 2020

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The United States agricultural industry contributed 992 billion dollars to GDP in 2015 and supports 11% of the country's employment (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2017). Agriculture is also responsible for 80% of US consumptive water each year (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2018). Concerns related to water scarcity highlight the importance of methods to reduce agricultural water use. As such, it is salient to constrain the extent to which innovations such as biochar soil amendment can provide benefits. Biochar is charcoal intentionally made for soil amendment. It is generally created by pyrolyzing organic materials, though there are large variations in feedstock, reactor

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“…Among other conventional industrial uses such as purification of water; the major use of biochar is soil amendment, thus slowly replacing artificial fertilizers which are not environmentally friendly [27]. For this reason therefore, the production of biochar from biomass degradation is not only of economic significance but also plays an important role in carbon sequestration to maintain carbon balance and mitigate against global warming and environmental degradation [28]. Accordingly, the decomposition of cellulose occurs slowly at 200 °C and reaches a maximum at 400 °C, according to a study performed in our laboratory.…”

Section: Thermal Char From the Thermal Degradation Of Cellulose Relative To The Formation Of Levoglucosanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dioxin and dibenzofuran like molecular analogues from the pyrolysis of biomass materials—the emerging challenge in bio-oil production

et al. 2021

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Introduction The aggressive search for renewable energy resources and essential pyrosynthetic compounds has marked an exponential rise in the thermal degradation of biomass materials. Consequently, clean and sustainable transport fuels are increasingly desirable in a highly industrialized economy, for energy security and environmental protection. For this reason, biomass materials have been identified as promising alternatives to fossil fuels despite the challenges resulting from the possible formation of toxic nitrogen-based molecules during biomass degradation. In order to understand the free radical characteristic challenges facing the use of bio-oil, a brief review of the effects of free radicals in bio-oil is presented. Methodology Pyrolysis was conducted in a tubular flow quartz reactor at a residence time of 2 s at 1 atm. pressure, for a total pyrolysis time of 5 min. The thermal degradation of biomass components was investigated over the temperature range of 200 to 700 °C typically in 50 °C increments under two reaction conditions; pyrolysis in N2 and oxidative pyrolysis in 5% O2 in N2. The pyrolysate effluent was analysed using a Gas chromatograph hyphenated to a mass selective detector (MSD). Results The yield of levoglucosan in the pyrolysis of cellulose in the entire pyrolysis temperature range was 68.2 wt % under inert conditions and 28.8 wt % under oxidative conditions. On the other hand, formaldehyde from pyrolysis of cellulose yielded 4 wt % while that from oxidative pyrolysis was 7 wt % translating to ⁓ 1.8 times higher than the yield from pyrolysis. Accordingly, we present for the first time dioxin-like and dibenzofuran-like nitrogenated analogues from an equimassic pyrolysis of cellulose and tyrosine. Levoglucosan and formaldehyde were completely inhibited during the equimassic pyrolysis of cellulose and tyrosine. Conclusion Clearly, any small amounts of N-biomass components such as amino acids in cellulosic biomass materials can inhibit the formation of levoglucosan–a major constituent of bio-oil. Overall, a judicious balance between the production of bio-oil and side products resulting from amino acids present in plant matter should be taken into account to minimize economic losses and mitigate against negative public health concerns.

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The impact of biochar on soil carbon sequestration: Meta-analytical approach to evaluating environmental and economic advantages

Cited by 110 publications

References 104 publications

Investigating the Influence of Biochar Amendment on the Physicochemical Properties of Podzolic Soil

Investigating the Influence of Biochar Amendment on the Physicochemical Properties of Podzolic Soil

Water cost savings from soil biochar amendment: A spatial analysis

Dioxin and dibenzofuran like molecular analogues from the pyrolysis of biomass materials—the emerging challenge in bio-oil production

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