LAND-APPLICATION OF BIOCHAR IN AGROFORESTRY
Transcript of LAND-APPLICATION OF BIOCHAR IN AGROFORESTRY
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LAND-APPLICATION OF BIOCHAR IN AGROFORESTRY
Vimala Nair, PK Ramachandran Nair, Nilovna Chatterjee Biswanath Dari, and Andressa Freitas
University of Florida
3rd European Agroforestry Conference
Montpellier SupAgro, France23 – 25 May 2016
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Biochar
• Created by thermal decomposition of biomass with little or no oxygen
• Varying temperatures from 300ºC to > 700ºC
• Created by thermal decomposition of biomass with little or no oxygen (pyrolysis or gasification)
• Intended as a soil amendment and a means of storing n
http://www.airterra.ca/biochar-what-is-biochar
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Biochar Production
http://eep-ces.com/technology/pyrolysis/
Serbia
Roussel Kiln, Nevada, USA
http://www.re-char.com/2012/06/11/providing-
organic-sustainable-alternatives/
http://www.biochar-international.org/carbongold
Kenya Brazil
http://www.slideshare.net/saibhaskar/biochar-production-and-uses-dr-
reddy-5242206
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Sources of Biochar
Corn stover
Cow manure
Wood chip
Poultry manure
Bagasse
Agricultural and forestry by-products
Industrial by-products
Animal wastes
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Properties of Biochar
Biochar feedstock
Mehlich 3-P Mehlich 3-Ca Mehlich 3-Mg
Hardwood 480 670 290
Poultry litter 14550 16000 5520
Biosolids 7060 2330 5140
Pure maple 100 4810 670
Pure pine 70 490 50
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Uses of Biochar
• Sequesters carbon in the soil
• Improves soil productivity (fertilizer source), especially on poor soils
• Improves water retention / reduces water demand
• Improves water quality / less downstream pollution
• Reduces emissions of greenhouse gases from the soil
• Increases microbial activity
• Serves as a bio-fuel/by-product and a renewable means of
sustaining further biochar production
Biochar amendment to improve soil properties and sequester carbon
Source: Lewis Peake
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Biochar Research
Research Locations
• Europe, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Germany, Guyana, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States
European Biochar Projects
http://cost.european-biochar.org/en/projects
http://www.biochar-
international.org/research/education
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Publications on Biochar (2005 – 2012 )
• Bars indicate numbers of publications
• Black bars represent non-soil-related biochar publications
• Green bars represent soil-related biochar publications.
• The red data and line (read on the secondary y-axis) represent the biochar publications (‘biochar’ and ‘soil’ in the topic) as a proportion of crop residue publications (‘crop residue’ and ‘soil’ in the topic).
European Journal of Soil Science, January 2014, 65, 22–27
(Guest Editor’s Introduction)
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Biochar additions and P releaseLow P retentive soil High P retentive soil
HWB
PLB
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Biochar additions to P-impacted Soils
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P in s
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mg L
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Initial P added (mg kg-1)
Soil + 2% HWB Soil
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P in s
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tion (
mg L
-1)
Initial P added (mg kg-1)
Soil + 2% HWB Soil
Hardwood biochar (HWB) addition at 2% rate to: (i) a P-retentive soil in coffee plantation, Kopa,
India with previous inorganic P addition and (ii) a less P-retentive soil in Florida, USA with
previous manure-P loading (Note differences in values for P in solution on the y-axes).
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Application of Biochar to AFS: Soils
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Research Areas Pertinent to AF
• P retention and loss for a given soil from manure (poultry, dairy, swine, etc.) or wood debris vs. their respective biochars.
• What are the benefits of adding biochar vs. their respective feedstock source?
• P retention and loss from biosolids (sewage sludge) vs. biochar from biosolids feedstock (important fertilizer source in Europe).
• Consider mixed feedstock sources available at different farms that would supply sufficient P for crop uptake.
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Biosolids and Biosolids Biochar
Biochar made from biosolids through the process of pyrolysis at 400 °C
Mehlich 3-P decreased from 10,960 mg kg-1 in biosolids to 7,050 mg kg-1 in biosolids biochar
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Biosolids and Biosolids Biochar Properties
P K Ca Mg Zn Mn Cu Fe Al Ni Na
Biosolids 10960 2216 4730 6271 58 31 6.8 573 258 0 379
Biosolids biochar 7062 502 2326 5139 59 21 20 437 188 0 87
Pyrolysis involves the loss of
thermally unstable components
Calcite: Calcium carbonate
Kaolinite: Clay mineral
Quartz: Silica
Mehlich 3 - extractable
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P Release with Sequential Extractions
• Non-incubated: Biochar or biosolids biochar without P addition
• Incubated: Biochar or biosolids biochar incubated with 100 mg L-1 P
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P in
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Extraction number
Biosolids Biochar non-incubated
Biosolids biochar incubated
Biosolids non-incubated
Biosolids incubated
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Conclusions
• Biochar feedstock selection
– Availability at AF farm
– Mixed feedstock to control P release
• Best management practices for the application of a given type of biochar
– Need to be based on site-specific assessments
• Soil characteristics (high P-fixation vs. sandy soils)
• P loading history
• Maintaining moisture content at field capacity for a high P-retentive soil to assist in releasing P
– Consider necessity for repeated applications of biochar
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http://www.sanniesshop.com/bio-char.html
Thank you!
https://www.agronomy.org/publications/csa/articles/58/9/4