Biochar application to soils (original) (raw)
Related papers
Biochars in soils: towards the required level of scientific understanding
Journal of Environmental Engineering and Landscape Management
Key priorities in biochar research for future guidance of sustainable policy development have been identified by expert assessment within the COST Action TD1107. The current level of scientific understanding (LOSU) regarding the consequences of biochar application to soil were explored. Five broad thematic areas of biochar research were addressed: soil biodiversity and ecotoxicology, soil organic matter and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, soil physical properties, nutrient cycles and crop production, and soil remediation. The highest future research priorities regarding biochar’s effects in soils were: functional redundancy within soil microbial communities, bioavailability of biochar’s contaminants to soil biota, soil organic matter stability, GHG emissions, soil formation, soil hydrology, nutrient cycling due to microbial priming as well as altered rhizosphere ecology, and soil ph buffering capacity. Methodological and other constraints to achieve the required LOSU are discussed a...
Biochar: A Comprehensive Overview of Its Role in Soil Health
International Journal of Environment and Climate Change
Soil health plays a crucial role in agricultural productivity, environmental sustainability, and global food security. In recent years, biochar has emerged as a promising soil amendment due to its ability to enhance soil fertility, nutrient retention, water holding capacity, and overall soil health. From an agricultural standpoint, using biochar as a soil conditioner has various advantages, including improved physical, chemical, and biological qualities of soils, which leads to enhanced crop output. Biochar can be utilised for soil carbon sequestration, reducing the bioavailability of pollutants impacting living organisms, and water treatment due to its physicochemical qualities This review paper aims to provide an in-depth analysis of the role of biochar in improving soil health.
Biochar Application in Soil Management Systems
Biochar - Productive Technologies, Properties and Application [Working Title]
Due to its potential for improving soil fertility and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, biochar is frequently used as a soil amendment. This chapter presents an overview of its application and soil conditioning mechanisms as a technique for long-term carbon sequestration and lower greenhouse gas emissions, as well as an option for improving soil fertility. It focuses on biochar amendment for improved soil properties that support plant nutrient uptake and crop yield improvement, soil properties and biochar carbon sequestration dynamics, biochar degradation processes, and soil interactions and conditioning mechanisms that influence biochar carbon stability in soils. Current biochar stability assessment techniques used in academic studies are also addressed, along with their suitability for use with various goals and situations.
Agriculture
Biochar effects are strongly dependent on its properties. Biochar improves physical soil properties by decreasing bulk density and increasing medium and large aggregates, leading to faster and deeper water infiltration and root growth. Improvement of the chemical properties of soil is connected with pH neutralization of acidic soils, increase of cation exchange capacity and base saturation, providing a larger surface for sorption of toxicants and exchange of cations. Biochar increases the stocks of macro- and micronutrients in soil and remains sufficient for decades. Biochar effects on (micro)biological properties are mainly indirect, based on the improvements of habitat conditions for organisms, deeper root growth providing available C for larger soil volume, higher crop yield leading to more residues on and in the topsoil, better and deeper soil moisture, supply of all nutrients, and better aeration. Along with positive, negative effects of biochar while used as a soil conditioner...