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, France 23 – 25 May 2016

1 Biochar

• Created by thermal • Created by thermal decomposition of decomposition of biomass with little or no oxygen biomass with little or (pyrolysis or no oxygen gasification) • Varying • Intended as a soil temperatures from amendment and a 300ºC to > 700ºC means of storing n

http://www.airterra.ca/biochar-what-is-biochar

2 Biochar Production

Serbia

Roussel Kiln, Nevada, USA http://www.slideshare.net/saibhaskar/biochar-production-and-uses-dr- reddy-5242206

Kenya Brazil

http://www.re-char.com/2012/06/11/providing- http://www.biochar-international.org/carbongold organic-sustainable-alternatives/ http://eep-ces.com/technology/pyrolysis/

3 Sources of Biochar

Agricultural and forestry by-products

Wood chip Corn stover Animal wastes

Poultry manure Cow manure

Industrial by-products

Bagasse

4 Properties of Biochar

Biochar Mehlich 3-P Mehlich 3-Ca Mehlich 3-Mg feedstock Hardwood 480 670 290 Poultry litter 14550 16000 5520 Biosolids 7060 2330 5140 Pure maple 100 4810 670 Pure pine 70 490 50

5 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

6 Biochar Research

Research Locations European Biochar Projects • 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

http://www.biochar- international.org/research/education

http://cost.european-biochar.org/en/projects

7 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 European Journal of Soil Science, January 2014, 65, 22–27 (Guest Editor’s Introduction) residue’ and ‘soil’ in the topic).

8 Biochar additions and P release Low P retentive soil High P retentive soil

HWB

PLB

9 Biochar additions to P-impacted Soils

5

) 160

)

1

1

- - 4 Soil + 2% HWB Soil Soil + 2% HWB Soil 120 3 80 2 1 40

0 P in solution (mg L (mg solution in P P in solution (mg L (mg solution in P 0

Initial P added (mg kg-1) Initial P added (mg kg-1)

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).

10 Application of Biochar to AFS: Soils

11 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.

12 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

13 Biosolids and Biosolids Biochar Properties

Pyrolysis involves the loss of thermally unstable components

Calcite: Calcium carbonate Kaolinite: Clay mineral Quartz: Silica

Mehlich 3 - extractable

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

14 P Release with Sequential Extractions

90 Biosolids Biochar non-incubated 80 Biosolids biochar incubated

70 1 - 60 Biosolids non-incubated

50 Biosolids incubated 40

30 P in solution, in P mgL 20

10

0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Extraction number

• Non-incubated: Biochar or biosolids biochar without P addition • Incubated: Biochar or biosolids biochar incubated with 100 mg L-1 P

15 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

16 Thank you!

http://www.sanniesshop.com/bio-char.html https://www.agronomy.org/publications/csa/articles/58/9/4

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