The effect of biochar feedstock, pyrolysis temperature, and application rate on the reduction of ammonia volatilisation from biochar-amended soil.

Ammonia (NH3) volatilisation is one of the most important causes of nitrogen (N) loss in soil-plant systems worldwide. Carbon-based amendments such as biochar have been shown to mitigate NH3 volatilisation in agricultural soils to various degrees. In this study, we investigated the influence of biochar feedstocks (poultry manure, green waste compost, and wheat straw), pyrolysis temperatures (250, 350, 450, 500 and 700°C) and application rates (1 and 2%), on NH3 volatilisation from a calcareous soil. The 15 biochars were chemically characterized, and a laboratory incubation study was conducted to assess NH3 volatilisation from the soil over a period of four weeks. Furthermore, changes to the bacterial and fungal communities were assessed via sequencing of phylogenetic marker genes. The study showed that biochar feedstock sources, pyrolysis temperature, and application rates all affected NH3 volatilisation. Overall, low pyrolysis temperature biochars and higher biochar application rates achieved greater reductions in NH3 volatilisation. A feedstock related effect was also observed, with poultry manure biochar reducing NH3 volatilisation by an average of 53% in comparison to 38% and 35% reductions for biochar from green waste compost and wheat straw respectively. Results indicate that the biogeochemistry underlying biochar-mediated reduction in NH3 volatilisation is complex and caused by changes in soil pH, NH3 sorption and microbial community composition (especially ammonia oxidising guilds).

Mandal S ，Donner E ，Vasileiadis S ，Skinner W ，Smith E ，Lombi E ... -  《-》

Biochar lowers ammonia emission and improves nitrogen retention in poultry litter composting.

The poultry industry produces abundant quantities of nutrient-rich litter, much of which is composted before use as a soil amendment. However, a large proportion of nitrogen (N) in poultry litter is lost via volatilisation during composting, with negative environmental and economic consequences. This study examined the effect of incorporating biochar during composting of poultry litter on ammonia (NH3) volatilisation and N retention. Biochars produced at 550°C from greenwaste (GWB) and poultry litter (PLB) feedstocks were co-composted with a mixture of raw poultry litter and sugarcane straw [carbon (C):N ratio 10:1] in compost bins. Ammonia emissions accounted for 17% of the total N (TN) lost from the control and 12-14% from the biochar-amended compost. The TN emitted as NH3, as a percentage of initial TN, was significantly lower (P<0.05) i.e. by 60% and 55% in the compost amended with GWB and PLB, respectively, relative to the control. The proportion of N retained in the finished compost, as a percentage of initial TN, was 84%, 78% and 67% for the GWB, PLB and nil biochar control, respectively. Lower concentration of dissolved organic C (DOC) together with higher activity of beta-glucosidase and leucine-aminopeptidase were found in the GWB-amended compost (cf. control). It is hypothesized that lower NH3 emission in the GWB-amended compost was caused not just by the higher surface area of this biochar but could also be related to greater incorporation of ammonium (NH4+) in organic compounds during microbial utilisation of DOC. Furthermore, the GWB-amended compost retained more NH4+ at the end of composting than the PLB-amended compost. Results showed that addition of biochar, especially GWB, generated multiple benefits in composting of poultry litter: decrease of NH3 volatilisation, decrease in NH3 toxicity towards microorganisms, and improved N retention, thus enhancing the fertiliser value of the composted litter. It is suggested that the latter benefit is linked to a beneficial modification of the microbial environment.

Agyarko-Mintah E ，Cowie A ，Van Zwieten L ，Singh BP ，Smillie R ，Harden S ，Fornasier F ... -  《-》

Greenhouse gas emissions and soil properties following amendment with manure-derived biochars: Influence of pyrolysis temperature and feedstock type.

Manure-derived biochars can offer a potential option for the stabilization of manure, while mitigating climate change through carbon sequestration and the attenuation of nitrous oxide emission. A laboratory incubation study was conducted to assess the effects of four different manure-derived biochars produced from different feedstocks (poultry litter and swine manure) at different temperatures (400 or 600 °C). A commonly available standard wood chip biochar, produced at a greater temperature (1000 °C), and non-amended treatments were used as references. Two different soils (sandy and silt-loam) were amended with 2% (w/w) biochar on a dry soil weight basis (corresponding to 20 Mg ha(-1)), with the soil moisture being adjusted to 75% saturation level. After a pre-incubation period (21 days), 170 kg N ha(-1) of NH4NO3 fertilizer was added. Measurements of CO2, N2O, CH4 emissions and soil N mineralisation were carried out on different days during the 85 days of incubation. The net C mineralization and N2O emissions from both soils amended with poultry litter biochar at 400 °C were significantly greater than the other biochar treatments. Nitrate availability was greater in both soils in which the manure-derived biochar was used instead of the standard biochar. All of the biochars increased the pH of the silt-loam, sub-acid soil, but failed to improve the cation exchange capacities (CEC) in either soil. Total C and N, P, K and Mg (except Ca) were significantly increased in the manure-derived biochar amended soils, compared to the Control, and were positively correlated to the biochar nutrient contents. This study indicates that the soil application of biochar engenders effects that can vary considerably according to the biochar properties, as determined on the basis of the feedstock types and process conditions. Low-temperature biochar production from manure represents a possible way of producing a soil amendment that can stabilize C while supplying a significant quantity of nutrients.

Subedi R ，Taupe N ，Pelissetti S ，Petruzzelli L ，Bertora C ，Leahy JJ ，Grignani C ... -  《-》

Biochar with near-neutral pH reduces ammonia volatilization and improves plant growth in a soil-plant system: A closed chamber experiment.

Ammonia (NH3) volatilization is considered as one of the major mechanisms responsible for the loss of nitrogen (N) from soil-plant systems worldwide. This study investigated the effect of biochar amendment to a calcareous soil (pH 7.8) on NH3 volatilization and plant N uptake. In particular, the effect of biochar's feedstock and application rate on both NH3 volatilization and plant growth were quantified using a specially designed closed chamber system. Two well-characterized biochars prepared from poultry manure (PM-BC) and green waste compost (GW-BC) were applied to the soil (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2% w/w equivalent to 0, 7.5, 15, 22 and 30 t ha-1) and wheat (Triticum aestivum, variety: Calingiri) was grown for 30 days. Both PM-BC and GW-BC decreased NH3 volatilization to a similar degree (by 47 and 38%, respectively), in the soil-plant system compared to the unamended control. Higher plant biomass production of up to 70% was obtained in the closed chamber systems with the addition of biochar. The increase in plant biomass was due to the reduction in N loss as NH3 gas, thereby increasing the N supply to the plants. Plant N uptake was improved by as much as 58% with biochar addition when additional NPK nutrients were supplied to the soil. This study demonstrates that the application of biochars can mitigate NH3 emission from calcareous agricultural cropping soil and that the retained N is plant-available and can improve wheat biomass yield.

Mandal S ，Donner E ，Smith E ，Sarkar B ，Lombi E ... -  《-》

Nitrogen enrichment potential of biochar in relation to pyrolysis temperature and feedstock quality.

Nitrogen (N) enrichment of biochar from both inorganic and organic waste N sources has the potential to add economic and environmental value through its use as a slow release N fertilizer. We investigated the sorption of N by, and its release from, biochar made at pyrolysis temperatures of 400, 500 and 600 °C from three feedstocks: poultry litter (PL with a carbon (C) to N ratio (C:N) of 14), softwood chips of spruce-pine-fir (SPF with a C:N of 470), and a 50:50 mixture of PL and SPF (PL/SPF). The prepared biochars were enriched with ammonium nitrate (AN) and urea ammonium nitrate (UAN). PL biochars had the lowest C content (50-56% C), but the highest pH (9.3-9.9), electrical conductivity (EC, 780-960 dS m(-1)), cation exchange capacity (CEC, 40-46 cmol kg(-1)), and N content (3.3-4.5%). While N content and hydrogen (H) to C atomic ratio (H:C) decreased with increasing pyrolysis temperature irrespective of the feedstock used, both pH and EC slightly increased with pyrolysis temperature for all feedstocks. The PL and SPF biochars showed similar H:C and also similar N sorption and N release at all pyrolysis temperatures. These biochars sorbed up to 5% N by mass, irrespective of the source of N. However, PL/SPF biochar performed poorly in sorbing N from either AN or UAN. Biochar H:C was found to be unrelated to N sorption rates, suggesting that physical adsorption on active surfaces was the main mechanism of N sorption in these biochars. There were minor differences between N sorbed from NO3-N and NH4-N among different biochars. Very small amounts of sorbed N (0.2-0.4 mg N g(-1) biochar) was released when extracted with 1 M KCl solution, indicating that the retained N was strongly held in complex bonds, more so for NH4-N because the release of NO3-N was 3-4 times greater than that of NH4-N. NH4-N sorption far exceeded the effective CEC of the biochars, thereby suggesting that most of the sorption may be due to physical entrapment of NH4(+) in biochar pores. The results of this study suggest that biochar can be used to remove excess N from poultry and dairy manure and be a good mitigation option for reducing N leaching and gaseous losses.

Jassal RS ，Johnson MS ，Molodovskaya M ，Black TA ，Jollymore A ，Sveinson K ... -  《-》