Impact of Biochar Aging on Soil Physicochemical Properties
Biochar undergoes significant transformations in soil as a result of chemical, physical, and biological processes. These alterations can impact its initial properties, influencing both its agronomic effectiveness and its capacity for carbon sequestration. Long-term observations of biochar-aging effe...
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2024-12-01
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| author | Tamara Apostolović Arthur Gross Álvaro Fernando García Rodríguez José María de la Rosa Bruno Glaser Heike Knicker Snežana Maletić |
| author_facet | Tamara Apostolović Arthur Gross Álvaro Fernando García Rodríguez José María de la Rosa Bruno Glaser Heike Knicker Snežana Maletić |
| author_sort | Tamara Apostolović |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Biochar undergoes significant transformations in soil as a result of chemical, physical, and biological processes. These alterations can impact its initial properties, influencing both its agronomic effectiveness and its capacity for carbon sequestration. Long-term observations of biochar-aging effects in soil are limited but highly relevant, as they provide a more realistic picture of the agronomic and societal benefits of biochar than short-term studies with relatively “fresh” biochar. This study aimed to describe the aging effects of biochar and their impact on a range of soil properties at a long-term biochar experiment in Bayreuth, Germany. For this purpose, soil and biochar samples were taken 13 years after application (two variants: 1. co-composted and 2. pristine biochar) and compared with a fresh variant in which the same unaged biochar was freshly mixed with the control soil. The soil quality parameters, pH and electrical conductivity, decreased significantly (<i>p</i> < 0.05) during biochar aging. Specifically, the pH dropped from 7.4 in freshly biochar-amended soil to 6.8 in the pristine aged biochar variant and 6.9 in the co-composted aged biochar variant. Electrical conductivity decreased from 217.0 µS cm<sup>−1</sup> in the freshly amended soil to 81.1 µS cm<sup>−1</sup> in the pristine aged variant and 87.6 µS cm<sup>−1</sup> in the co-composted aged variant. Nitrogen retention was enhanced in the soil amended with co-composted aged biochar compared to the pristine aged biochar soil. Total nitrogen (TN) was higher at 1.94 g kg<sup>−1</sup> versus 1.57 g kg<sup>−1</sup> (<i>p</i> < 0.05), and ammonium-N (NH₄<sup>+</sup>-N) was slightly elevated at 35.7 mg kg<sup>−1</sup> versus 33.0 mg kg<sup>−1</sup>, although the difference was not statistically significant. The nitrate-N (NO₃<sup>−</sup>-N) content was significantly lower in all biochar-amended soil variants compared to the control soil. Total carbon (TC) levels decreased during biochar aging in all soil variants. However, the reduction was significantly lower in the co-composted aged biochar soil (25.0 g kg<sup>−1</sup>) compared to the pristine aged biochar soil (20.5 g kg<sup>−1</sup>, <i>p</i> < 0.05). This study identified multiple aging effects on biochar following 13 years of exposure in loamy soil. Importantly, the results showed that compared to the amendment of pristine biochar, co-composting did not diminish the TC of the treated soil, and more N could be retained, 13 years after amendment. In fact, co-composting prior to soil application is recommended to fully realize the potential agronomic benefits. |
| format | Article |
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| language | English |
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| spelling | doaj-art-c0974937170d44c49372f3a7b6fa07052025-08-20T02:01:05ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952024-12-011412300710.3390/agronomy14123007Impact of Biochar Aging on Soil Physicochemical PropertiesTamara Apostolović0Arthur Gross1Álvaro Fernando García Rodríguez2José María de la Rosa3Bruno Glaser4Heike Knicker5Snežana Maletić6Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, SerbiaSoil Biogeochemistry, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Von-Seckendorff-Platz 3, 06120 Halle, GermanyInstituto de la Grasa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IG-CSIC), Ctra. de Utrera, Km. 1, 41013 Seville, SpainInstituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IRNAS-CSIC), Reina Mercedes, Av. 10, 41012 Seville, SpainSoil Biogeochemistry, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Von-Seckendorff-Platz 3, 06120 Halle, GermanyInstituto de la Grasa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IG-CSIC), Ctra. de Utrera, Km. 1, 41013 Seville, SpainDepartment of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, SerbiaBiochar undergoes significant transformations in soil as a result of chemical, physical, and biological processes. These alterations can impact its initial properties, influencing both its agronomic effectiveness and its capacity for carbon sequestration. Long-term observations of biochar-aging effects in soil are limited but highly relevant, as they provide a more realistic picture of the agronomic and societal benefits of biochar than short-term studies with relatively “fresh” biochar. This study aimed to describe the aging effects of biochar and their impact on a range of soil properties at a long-term biochar experiment in Bayreuth, Germany. For this purpose, soil and biochar samples were taken 13 years after application (two variants: 1. co-composted and 2. pristine biochar) and compared with a fresh variant in which the same unaged biochar was freshly mixed with the control soil. The soil quality parameters, pH and electrical conductivity, decreased significantly (<i>p</i> < 0.05) during biochar aging. Specifically, the pH dropped from 7.4 in freshly biochar-amended soil to 6.8 in the pristine aged biochar variant and 6.9 in the co-composted aged biochar variant. Electrical conductivity decreased from 217.0 µS cm<sup>−1</sup> in the freshly amended soil to 81.1 µS cm<sup>−1</sup> in the pristine aged variant and 87.6 µS cm<sup>−1</sup> in the co-composted aged variant. Nitrogen retention was enhanced in the soil amended with co-composted aged biochar compared to the pristine aged biochar soil. Total nitrogen (TN) was higher at 1.94 g kg<sup>−1</sup> versus 1.57 g kg<sup>−1</sup> (<i>p</i> < 0.05), and ammonium-N (NH₄<sup>+</sup>-N) was slightly elevated at 35.7 mg kg<sup>−1</sup> versus 33.0 mg kg<sup>−1</sup>, although the difference was not statistically significant. The nitrate-N (NO₃<sup>−</sup>-N) content was significantly lower in all biochar-amended soil variants compared to the control soil. Total carbon (TC) levels decreased during biochar aging in all soil variants. However, the reduction was significantly lower in the co-composted aged biochar soil (25.0 g kg<sup>−1</sup>) compared to the pristine aged biochar soil (20.5 g kg<sup>−1</sup>, <i>p</i> < 0.05). This study identified multiple aging effects on biochar following 13 years of exposure in loamy soil. Importantly, the results showed that compared to the amendment of pristine biochar, co-composting did not diminish the TC of the treated soil, and more N could be retained, 13 years after amendment. In fact, co-composting prior to soil application is recommended to fully realize the potential agronomic benefits.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/12/3007biochar agingsoil healthcarbon sequestrationlong-term field experiment |
| spellingShingle | Tamara Apostolović Arthur Gross Álvaro Fernando García Rodríguez José María de la Rosa Bruno Glaser Heike Knicker Snežana Maletić Impact of Biochar Aging on Soil Physicochemical Properties Agronomy biochar aging soil health carbon sequestration long-term field experiment |
| title | Impact of Biochar Aging on Soil Physicochemical Properties |
| title_full | Impact of Biochar Aging on Soil Physicochemical Properties |
| title_fullStr | Impact of Biochar Aging on Soil Physicochemical Properties |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of Biochar Aging on Soil Physicochemical Properties |
| title_short | Impact of Biochar Aging on Soil Physicochemical Properties |
| title_sort | impact of biochar aging on soil physicochemical properties |
| topic | biochar aging soil health carbon sequestration long-term field experiment |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/12/3007 |
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