Does biochar mitigate rainfall-induced soil erosion? A review and meta-analysis

Biochar has emerged as a promising soil amendment for improving soil structure. Yet, its impact on rainfall-induced soil erosion varies across individual studies. To address this gap, we conducted a statistical meta-analysis of 174 paired comparisons from 45 published studies to integratedly evaluat...

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Main Authors: Yu Lu, Kai Gu, Bin Shi, Qiyou Zhou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. 2024-09-01
Series:Biogeotechnics
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949929124000287
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author Yu Lu
Kai Gu
Bin Shi
Qiyou Zhou
author_facet Yu Lu
Kai Gu
Bin Shi
Qiyou Zhou
author_sort Yu Lu
collection DOAJ
description Biochar has emerged as a promising soil amendment for improving soil structure. Yet, its impact on rainfall-induced soil erosion varies across individual studies. To address this gap, we conducted a statistical meta-analysis of 174 paired comparisons from 45 published studies to integratedly evaluate the impacts of biochar on rainfall-induced soil erosion through biochar and soil properties, as well as experimental conditions. Overall, biochar significantly reduced soil erosion by 27.86%. The response ratio (lnRR) of biochar-induced soil erosion exhibited significant variability across different subgroups. Concerning biochar properties, a more favorable influence was observed in other sources biochar (e.g., manure and sewage sludge biochar) compared to wood based and crop waste biochar, and those produced at lower pyrolysis temperatures (< 500 °C). Increasing biochar dosage was not consistently effective. The optimal range was 0.8%–2%, resulting in a 36.07% reduction in soil erosion. Regarding the soil properties, a higher sand/clay ratio of soil significantly enhanced the performance of biochar (p < 0.0001). Specifically, an insignificant effect was observed in fine-grained soils, whereas the highest reduction of 52.97% was noted in coarse-grained soils. Moreover, long-term field experiments induced greater reductions in soil erosion with biochar (35.30%) compared to short-term laboratory studies (29.62% and 12.59%). This meta-analysis demonstrates that biochar, as a potential soil amendment, could effectively mitigate rainfall-induced soil erosion by considering a combination of soil properties along with specific biochar properties.
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spelling doaj-art-ca13907603a84d33822f39b5b094e7f42025-08-20T03:45:07ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Biogeotechnics2949-92912024-09-012310009610.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100096Does biochar mitigate rainfall-induced soil erosion? A review and meta-analysisYu Lu0Kai Gu1Bin Shi2Qiyou Zhou3School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaSchool of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China; Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China; Corresponding author.School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaSchool of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaBiochar has emerged as a promising soil amendment for improving soil structure. Yet, its impact on rainfall-induced soil erosion varies across individual studies. To address this gap, we conducted a statistical meta-analysis of 174 paired comparisons from 45 published studies to integratedly evaluate the impacts of biochar on rainfall-induced soil erosion through biochar and soil properties, as well as experimental conditions. Overall, biochar significantly reduced soil erosion by 27.86%. The response ratio (lnRR) of biochar-induced soil erosion exhibited significant variability across different subgroups. Concerning biochar properties, a more favorable influence was observed in other sources biochar (e.g., manure and sewage sludge biochar) compared to wood based and crop waste biochar, and those produced at lower pyrolysis temperatures (< 500 °C). Increasing biochar dosage was not consistently effective. The optimal range was 0.8%–2%, resulting in a 36.07% reduction in soil erosion. Regarding the soil properties, a higher sand/clay ratio of soil significantly enhanced the performance of biochar (p < 0.0001). Specifically, an insignificant effect was observed in fine-grained soils, whereas the highest reduction of 52.97% was noted in coarse-grained soils. Moreover, long-term field experiments induced greater reductions in soil erosion with biochar (35.30%) compared to short-term laboratory studies (29.62% and 12.59%). This meta-analysis demonstrates that biochar, as a potential soil amendment, could effectively mitigate rainfall-induced soil erosion by considering a combination of soil properties along with specific biochar properties.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949929124000287BiocharSoil erosionRainfallMeta-analysis
spellingShingle Yu Lu
Kai Gu
Bin Shi
Qiyou Zhou
Does biochar mitigate rainfall-induced soil erosion? A review and meta-analysis
Biogeotechnics
Biochar
Soil erosion
Rainfall
Meta-analysis
title Does biochar mitigate rainfall-induced soil erosion? A review and meta-analysis
title_full Does biochar mitigate rainfall-induced soil erosion? A review and meta-analysis
title_fullStr Does biochar mitigate rainfall-induced soil erosion? A review and meta-analysis
title_full_unstemmed Does biochar mitigate rainfall-induced soil erosion? A review and meta-analysis
title_short Does biochar mitigate rainfall-induced soil erosion? A review and meta-analysis
title_sort does biochar mitigate rainfall induced soil erosion a review and meta analysis
topic Biochar
Soil erosion
Rainfall
Meta-analysis
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949929124000287
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