Abstract
Purpose
Biochars are a by-product of the biofuel processing of lignocellulosic and manure feedstocks. Because biochars contain an assemblage of organic and inorganic compounds, they can be used as an amendment for C sequestration and soil quality improvement. However, not all biochars are viable soil amendments; this is because their physical and chemical properties vary due to feedstock elemental composition, biofuel processing, and particle size differences. Biochar could deliver a more effective service as a soil amendment if its chemistry was designed ex ante with characteristics that target specific soil quality issues. In this study, we demonstrate how biochars can be designed with relevant properties as successful soil amendments through feedstock selection, pyrolysis conditions, and particle size choices.
Materials and methods
Biochars were produced by pyrolysis of parent lignocellulosic feedstock sources—peanut hull (PH; Archis hypogaea), pecan shell (PS; Carya illinoensis), switchgrass (SG; Panicum virgatum), pine chips (PC; Pinus taeda), hardwood wastes (wood), and poultry litter manure (PL; Gallus domesticus), as well as blends of these feedstocks at temperatures ranging from 250 to 700 °C. Additionally, blended feedstocks were made into pellets (>2 mm) prior to pyrolysis at 350 °C. Dust-sized (<0.42 mm) biochar was obtained through grinding of pelletized biochars. After chemical characterization, the biochars were evaluated as fertility amendments in a Norfolk soil (fine-loamy, kaolinitic, thermic, Typic Kandiudult) during two different pot incubation experiments.
Results and discussion
PL biochars were alkaline and enriched in N and P, whereas biochar from lignocellulosic feedstocks exhibited mixed pH and nutrient contents. Blending PL with PC resulted in lower biochar pH values and nutrient contents. In pot experiment 1, most biochars significantly (P < 0.05) raised soil pH, soil organic carbon, cation exchange capacity, and Mehlich 1 extractable P and K. PL biochar added at 20 g kg−1 resulted in excessive soil P concentrations (393 to 714 mg kg−1) and leachate enriched with dissolved phosphorus (DP, 22 to 70 mg L−1). In pot experiment 2, blended and pelletized PL with PC feedstock reduced soil pH and extractable soil P and K concentrations compared to pot experiment 1. Water leachate DP concentrations were significantly (P < 0.05) reduced by pelletized biochar blends.
Conclusions
Short-term laboratory pot experiments revealed that biochars can have different impacts at modifying soil quality characteristics. Keying on these results allowed for creating designer biochars to address specific soil quality limitations. In the process of manufacturing designer biochars, first, it is important to know what soil quality characteristics are in need of change. Second, choices between feedstocks, blends of these feedstocks, and their accompanying particle sizes can be made prior to pyrolysis to create biochars tailored for addressing specific soil quality improvements. Utilization of these principles should allow for effective service of the designed biochar as a soil amendment while minimizing unwanted ex facto soil quality changes and environmental effects.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Antal MJ, Grønli M (2003) The art, science, and technology of charcoal production. Ind Eng Chem Res 49:1619–1640
Atkinson C, Fitzgerald J, Hipps N (2010) Potential mechanisms for achieving agricultural benefits from biochar application to temperate soils: a review. Plant Soil 337:1–18
ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) (2002) Standard test method for ash in biomass. ASTM International, West Conshohocken
ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) (2006) Petroleum products, lubricants and fossil fuels; coal and coke. ASTM International, West Conshohocken
Brewer CE, Unger R, Schmidt-Rohr K, Brown RC (2011) Criteria to select biochars for field studies based on biochar chemical properties. Bioenergy Res 4:312–323
Bridgewater AV, Meier D, Peacock C, Czernik S, Piskorz J, Oasmaa A (1999) Handbook on fast pyrolysis of biomass. CPL, Newbury
Brock EH, Kettering QM, Kleinman PJ (2007) Phosphorus leaching through intact soil cores as influenced by type and duration of manure application. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 77:269–281
Cantrell KB, Martin JH (2012) Stochastic state–space temperature regulation of biochar production. J Sci Food Agric 92:481–489
Cantrell KB, Hunt PG, Uchimiya M, Novak JM, Ro KS (2012) Impact of pyrolysis temperature and manure source on physicochemical characteristics of biochar. Biores Technol 107:419–428
Chan KY, Van Zwieten L, Meszaros IA, Downie A, Joseph S (2007) Agronomic values of green waste as a soil amendment. Aust J Soil Res 45:629–634
Chan KY, Van Zwieten L, Meszaros IA, Downie A, Joseph S (2008) Using poultry litter biochars as soil amendments. Aust J Soil Res 46:437–444
Day D, Evans RJ, Lee JW, Reicosky D (2005) Economical CO2, SOx and NOx capture from fossil-fuel utilization with combined renewable hydrogen production and large-scale carbon sequestration. Energy 30:2558–2579
Deenik JL, Diarra A, Uehara G, Campbell S, Sumiyoshi Y, Antal MJ (2011) Charcoal ash and volatile matter effects on soil properties and plant growth in an acid Ultisol. Soil Sci 176:336–345
Dumroese RK, Heiskenen J, Englund K, Tervahauta A (2011) Pelleted biochar: chemical and physical properties show potential use as a substrate in container nurseries. Biomass Bioenergy 35:2018–2027
Gaskin JW, Steiner C, Harris K, Das KC, Bibens B (2008) Effect of low-temperature pyrolysis conditions on biochar for agricultural use. Trans ASABE 51:2061–2069
Glaser B, Lehmann J, Zech W (2002) Ameliorating physical and chemical properties of highly weathered soils in the tropics with charcoal—a review. Biol Fertil Soils 35:219–230
Grundale M, DeLuca T (2007) Charcoal effects on soil solution chemistry and growth of Koeleria macrantha in the Ponderosa pine/Douglas-fir ecosystem. Biol Fertil Soils 43:303–311
Ippolito JA, Laird DA, Busscher WJ (2012) Environmental benefits of biochar. J Environ Qual 41:967–972
Jeffrey S, Verheijen FA, van der Velde M, Bastos AC (2011) A quantitative review of the effects of biochar application to soils on crop productivity using meta-analyses. Agric Ecosyst Environ 144:175–187
Jones DL, Rousk J, Edwards-Jones G, DeLuca TH, Murphy DV (2012) Biochar-mediated changes in soil quality and plant growth in a three year field trial. Soil Biol Biochem 45:113–124
Keiluweit M, Nico PS, Johnson MG, Kleber M (2010) Dynamic molecular structure of plant biomass-derived black carbon (biochar). Environ Sci Technol 44:1247–1253
Kim S, Agblevor FA, Lim J (2009) Fast pyrolysis of chicken litter and turkey litter in a fluidized bed reactor. J Ind Eng Chem 15:247–252
Koutcheiko S, Monreal CM, Kodama H, McCracken T, Kotlyar L (2007) Preparation and characterization of activated carbon derived from the thermo-chemical conversion of chicken manure. Bioresour Technol 98:2459–2464
Laird DA (2008) The charcoal vision: a win–win–win scenario for simultaneously producing bioenergy, permanently sequestering carbon, while improving soil and water quality. Agron J 100:178–181
Laird DA, Brown RC, Amonette JE, Lehmann J (2009) Review of the pyrolysis platform for coproducing bio-oil and biochar. Biofuels Bioprod Bioref 3:547–562
Lentz RD, Ippolito JA (2012) Biochar and manure affect calcareous soil and corn silage nutrient concentrations and uptake. J Environ Qual 41:1033–1043
Lehmann J (2007) Bio-energy in the black. Front Ecol Environ 5:381–387
Lehmann J, da Silva JP, Steiner C, Nehls T, Zech W, Glaser B (2003) Nutrient availability and leaching in an archaeological Anthrosol and a Ferralsol of the central Amazon basin: fertilizer, manure and charcoal amendments. Plant Soil 249:343–357
Lehmann J, Rillig M, Theis J, Masiello CA, Hockaday WC, Crowley D (2011) Biochar effects on soil biota: a review. Soil Biol Biochem 43:1812–1836
Libra JA, Ro KS, Kammann C, Funke A, Berge NB, Neubauer Y, Titirici M-M, Fuhner C, Bens O, Kern J, Emmerich K-H (2011) Hydrothermal carbonization of biomass residuals: a comparative review of the chemistry, processes, and applications of wet and dry pyrolysis. Biofuels 2:89–124
Liu J, Schulz H, Brandl S, Miehtke H, Huwe B, Glaser B (2012) Short-term effect of biochar and compost on soil fertility and water status of a Dystric Cambisol in NE Germany under field conditions. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci. doi:10.1002/jpln.200100172
McHenry M (2009) Agricultural bio-char production, renewable energy generation and farm carbon sequestration in Western Australia: certainty, uncertainty and risk. Agric Ecosyst Environ 129:1–7
North Carolina State University (1994) North Carolina agricultural chemical manual. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
Novak JM, Watts DW, Hunt PG, Stone KC (2000) Phosphorus movement through a coastal plain soil after a decade of intensive swine manure application. J Environ Qual 29:1310–1315
Novak JM, Busscher WJ, Watts DW, Laird DA, Niandou MAS, Ahmedna MA (2008a) Influence of pecan-derived biochar on chemical properties of a Norfolk loamy sand soil. American Society of Agronomy–Crop Science Society of America–Soil Science Society of America Annual Meeting, Houston, 5–9 Oct. 2009. Available at http://www.biochar-international.org/. Accessed 27 September 2012
Novak JM, Busscher WJ, Ahmedna M (2008b) Development of designer biochar to remediate degraded coastal plain soils. Abstract for a non-funded cooperative agreement project number 6657-12000-005-03. Available at http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/projects/projects/htm?ACCN_NO=414939. Accessed 26 September 2012
Novak JM, Busscher WJ, Laird DL, Ahmedna M, Watts DW, Niandou MAS (2009) Impact of biochar amendment on fertility of a southeastern coastal plain soil. Soil Sci 174:105–112
Novak JM, Busscher WJ (2012) Selection and use of designer biochars to improve characteristics of southeastern USA coastal plain degraded soils. In: Lee JW et al (eds) Advanced biofuels and bioproducts. Springer, Berlin, pp 69–96. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-3348-4_7
Novak JM, Busscher WJ, Watts DW et al (2012a) Biochars impact on soil-moisture storage in an Ultisol and two Aridisols. Soil Sci 177:310–320
Novak JM, Cantrell KB, Watts DW (2012b) Compositional and thermal evaluations of lignocellulosic and poultry litter chars via high and low temperature pyrolysis. Bioenerg Res. doi:10.1007/s12155-012-9228-9
Reddy KR, Overcash MR, Khaleel R, Westerman PW (1980) Phosphorus adsorption–desorption of two soils utilized for disposal of animal wastes. J Environ Qual 9:86–92
Revell KT, Maguire RO, Agblevor FA (2012) Influence of poultry litter biochar on soil properties and plant growth. Soil Sci 177:402–408
Silber A, Levkovitch I, Graber ER (2010) pH-dependent mineral release and surface properties of cornstraw biochar: agronomic implications. Environ Sci Technol 44:9318–9323
Sims JT (1998) Phosphorus soil testing: innovations for water quality protection. Commun Soil Sci Plant Anal 29:1471–1489
Sims JT, Maguire RO, Leytem AB, Gartley KL, Paulter MC (2002) Evaluation of Mehlich 3 as an agri-environmental soil phosphorus test for the Mid-Atlantic United States of America. Soil Sci Soc Am J 66:2016–2032
Singh B, Singh BP, Cowie AL (2010) Characterization and evaluation of biochars for their application as a soil amendment. Aust J Soil Res 48:516–525
Sohi S, Lopez-Capel E, Krull E, Bol R (2009) Biochar, climate change and soil: a review to guide future research. CSIRO, Glen Osmond, Australia. Available at http://www.csiro.au/files/files/poei.pdf. Accessed 21 August 2012
Spokas KA, Cantrell KB, Novak JM, Archer DW, Ippolito JA, Collins HP, Boateng AA, Lima AA, Lamb MC, McAloon AJ, Lentz RD, Nichols KA (2012) Biochar: a synthesis of its agronomic impact beyond carbon sequestration. J Environ Qual 41:973–989
Steinbeiss S, Gleixner G, Antonietti M (2009) Effect of biochar amendment on soil carbon balance and soil microbial activity. Soil Biol Biochem 41:1301–1310
Steiner C, Das KC, Garcia B, Förster ZW (2008) Charcoal and smoke extract stimulate the soil microbial community in a highly weathered Xanthic Ferralsol. Pedobiologia 51:359–366
Sun H, Hockaday WC, Masiello CA, Zygourakis K (2012) Multiple controls on the chemical and physical structures of biochars. Ind Eng Chem Res 51:3587–3597
Troeh FR, Thompson LM (2005) Soils and soil fertility, 6th edn. Blackwell, Ames
US EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency (1996) Microwave assisted acid digestion of siliceous and organically based matrices. In: Test methods for evaluating solid waste, physical/chemical methods. SW-846, US EPA, Washington. Available at http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/testmethods/sw846/pdfs/3052.pdf. Accessed 18 September 2012
Van Zwieten L, Kimber S, Morris S, Chan KY, Downie A, Rust J, Joseph S, Cowie A (2010) Effects of biochar from slow pyrolysis of paper mill waste on agronomic performance and soil fertility. Plant Soil 327:235–246
Yuan J-H, Xu R-K, Zhang H (2011) The forms of alkalis in the biochar produced from crop residues at different temperatures. Biores Tech 102:3488–3497
Acknowledgments
The information in this article has been funded through an Interagency Agreement between the US Department of Agriculture—Agricultural Research Service (60-6657-1-204) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA; DE-12-92342301-1). It has been subject to review by scientists of the USDA-ARS Coastal Plain Research Laboratory and by the National Health and Environment Effects Research Laboratory’s Western Ecology Division and approved for journal submission. Approval does not signify that the contents reflect the views of the US EPA, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. We thank Ms. Sheeneka Green, Brittany Wallace, Cierra Buckman, Takeyah Powell, and Mr. Jerry Martin II for the laboratory assistance. We also thank Drs. Kurt Spokas, Jim Ippolito, and Saran Sohi for the lively conversation and for the scientific refinement of the designer biochar concept.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Responsible editor: Caixian Tang
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Novak, J.M., Cantrell, K.B., Watts, D.W. et al. Designing relevant biochars as soil amendments using lignocellulosic-based and manure-based feedstocks. J Soils Sediments 14, 330–343 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-013-0680-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-013-0680-8