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Applied Sciences
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Environmental Applications of Biochar
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Environmental Applications of Biochar

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Chemical and Molecular Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2020) | Viewed by 16114
Related Special Issue: Environmental Applications of Char Materials: Pyrochar and Hydrochar

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jorge Paz-Ferreiro

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Guest Editor
Chemical & Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Interests: biochar; soil quality; soil enzymes; soil pollution
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Ana Méndez

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Guest Editor
Department of Geological and Mining Engineering, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28003 Madrid, Spain
Interests: biochar; carbon materials; pyrolysis; hydrothermal carbonization; hydrometallurgy; urban mining; metal recycling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Gabriel Gascó Guerrero

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Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural Production, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: biochar; growing media; soil pollution; soil remediation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Cícero Célio de Figueiredo

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brasilia 70910-900, Brazil
Interests: soil health; soil quality; soil organic matter; soil carbon sequestration; biochar
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biochar is a carbon-rich material produced from pyrolysis of biomass. Research in this field is growing exponentially due to the large number of applications. Biochar properties can be modified during or post-pyrolysis in order to engineer it for a number of uses. Most literature on biochar deals with its use in soil for carbon sequestration, remediation of polluted land, and improving soil fertility. Biochar can be used for wastewater remediation and as a replacement for growing media in horticulture. Emerging research is available in other fields, including catalysis and construction. The focus of this Special Issue is the use of biochar in soil, but contributions are not limited to this topic, and quality research in the abovementioned topics will be relevant for the scope of the Special Issue.

Dr. Jorge Paz-Ferreiro
Dr. Ana Méndez
Dr. Gabriel Gascó
Dr. Cicero de Figueiredo
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • biochar
  • remediation
  • soil pollution

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Editorial

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2 pages, 194 KiB  
Editorial
Special Issue on “Environmental Applications of Biochar”
by Jorge Paz-Ferreiro, Ana-Maria Méndez, Gabriel Gascó and Cícero Célio de Figueiredo
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(17), 6076; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10176076 - 2 Sep 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1468
Abstract
Biochar is a carbon-rich solid obtained from the pyrolysis of organic feedstock under limited oxygen and at relatively low temperatures [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Applications of Biochar)

Research

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15 pages, 3251 KiB  
Article
Growth and Photosynthetic Response of Capsicum annuum L. in Biochar Amended Soil
by Klára Pokovai, Eszter Tóth and Ágota Horel
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(12), 4111; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10124111 - 15 Jun 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3438
Abstract
The present study investigated the growth of Capsicum annuum L. (pepper) in an outdoor pot experiment. Changes in the plants’ aboveground and root biomass, leaf area, plant height, stem thickness, and yield, as a response to different doses of biochar amendments were observed. [...] Read more.
The present study investigated the growth of Capsicum annuum L. (pepper) in an outdoor pot experiment. Changes in the plants’ aboveground and root biomass, leaf area, plant height, stem thickness, and yield, as a response to different doses of biochar amendments were observed. During the 12.5-week-long study, four treatments with biochar amounts of 0, 0.5%, 2.5%, and 5.0% (by weight) were added to silt loam soil. Photochemical responses of plants, the plants photochemical reflectance index (PRI) modified by the different doses of biochar were continuously monitored. Plant height and fruit yield were initially the highest for BC5.0; however, by the end of the experiment, both parameters showed higher values for BC2.5, e.g., 15.9 and 9.1% higher plant height and 32.5 and 22.6% higher fruit yield for BC2.5 and BC5.0 compared to control, respectively. By the end of the experiment the BC2.5 treatments had significantly higher stem thickness (p < 0.001) compared to all other amendments. Root dry matter in biochar treatments increased relative to controls with the highest values (54.9% increase) observed in the BC2.5 treatment. Biochar treatment increased leaf area index (LAI) values for the higher doses (1.58, 1.59, 2.03, and 1.89 for C, BC0.5, BC2.5, and BC5.0, respectively). Significant differences between control and biochar amended soils’ PRI measurements were observed (p < 0.001), showing less plant sensitivity to environmental changes when biochar was applied to the soil. While biochar amendment could greatly enhance plant growth and development, there is an optimal amount of biochar after which additional amount might not result in substantial differences, or even can result in lower fruit yield as found in the present study. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Applications of Biochar)
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17 pages, 1836 KiB  
Article
Effects of Manure Waste Biochars in Mining Soils
by María Luisa Álvarez, Ana Méndez, Jorge Paz-Ferreiro and Gabriel Gascó
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(10), 3393; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10103393 - 14 May 2020
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2496
Abstract
Land degradation by old mining activities is a concern worldwide. However, many known technologies are expensive and cannot be considered for mining soil restoration. Biochar amendment of mining soils is becoming an interesting alternative to traditional technologies due to an improvement in soil [...] Read more.
Land degradation by old mining activities is a concern worldwide. However, many known technologies are expensive and cannot be considered for mining soil restoration. Biochar amendment of mining soils is becoming an interesting alternative to traditional technologies due to an improvement in soil properties and metal mobility reduction. Biochar effects depend on soil and biochar properties, which in turn vary with pyrolysis conversion parameters and the feedstock used. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of four biochars prepared from poultry and rabbit manure at two pyrolysis temperatures (450 and 600 °C) in the trace metal mobility, CO2 emissions, and enzymatic activity of 10 mining soils located in three historical mining areas of Spain (Zarandas-Andalusia, Mijarojos-Cantabria, and Portman-Murcia). For this reason, soils were amended with biochars at a rate of 10% (w/w), and different treatments were incubated for 180 days. For acid soils of the Zarandas-Andalusia area, biochar addition reduced the mobility of Ni, Zn, Cd, Pb, and Cr, respectively, by 91%, 81%, 29%, 67%, and 70%. Nevertheless, biochars did not exhibit the same efficiency in the other two areas where alkaline soils were predominant. CO2 emissions generally increased in the treated soils. The application of biochars produced at 600 °C reduced CO2 emissions, in some cases by more than 28%, being an adequate strategy for C sequestration in soil. The results showed that application of manure biochars can be an effective technique to reduce the mobility of metals in multi-contaminated acid soils, while reducing metal toxicity for soil microorganisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Applications of Biochar)
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20 pages, 2160 KiB  
Article
Variability of Physical and Chemical Properties of TLUD Stove Derived Biochars
by Federico Masís-Meléndez, Diana Segura-Chavarría, Carlos A García-González, Jaime Quesada-Kimsey and Karolina Villagra-Mendoza
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(2), 507; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10020507 - 10 Jan 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4987
Abstract
Biochar is a carbon-rich organic material, obtained by the thermochemical conversion of biomass in an oxygen-limited environment, used as a soil amendment to stimulate soil fertility and improve soil quality. There is a clear need in developing countries for access to low cost, [...] Read more.
Biochar is a carbon-rich organic material, obtained by the thermochemical conversion of biomass in an oxygen-limited environment, used as a soil amendment to stimulate soil fertility and improve soil quality. There is a clear need in developing countries for access to low cost, low technology options for biochar production, for example, top-lit updraft (TLUD) stoves, which are popular and spread worldwide. However, TLUD biochars are inevitably very variable in their properties for a variety of reasons. We present laboratory triplicate tests carried out on TLUD biochars obtained from waste pinewood and a Guadua bamboo. Analyzed properties include specific surface area (A-BET), porosity, skeletal density, hydrophobicity, proximal and elemental composition, cation exchange capacity (CEC), relative liming capacity and pH. SEM images of the bamboo and wood biochars are compared. The biochars were mixed with composted human excreta at 5% and 10% biochar content, and available water content (AWC) was analyzed. Operating temperatures in the TLUD were recorded, showing different behaviors among the feedstocks during the process. Differences in operating temperatures during charring of the bamboo samples seem to have led to differences in A-BET, hydrophobicity and CEC, following unprecedented trends. For the mixtures of the biochars with compost, at 5% biochar no significant differences were observed for AWC. However, in the 10% biochar mixtures, bamboo biochar showed an unexpectedly high AWC. Overall, variations of chemical and physical properties between bamboo biochars were greater, while pinewood biochars showed similar properties, consistent with more homogeneous charring temperatures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Applications of Biochar)
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14 pages, 1307 KiB  
Article
Carbon Mineralization in a Soil Amended with Sewage Sludge-Derived Biochar
by Cícero Célio de Figueiredo, Thais Rodrigues Coser, Túlio Nascimento Moreira, Tairone Paiva Leão, Ailton Teixeira do Vale and Jorge Paz-Ferreiro
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(21), 4481; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9214481 - 23 Oct 2019
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2758
Abstract
Biochar has been presented as a multifunctional material with short- and long-term agro-environmental benefits, including soil organic matter stabilization, improved nutrient cycling, and increased primary productivity. However, its turnover time, when applied to soil, varies greatly depending on feedstock and pyrolysis temperature. For [...] Read more.
Biochar has been presented as a multifunctional material with short- and long-term agro-environmental benefits, including soil organic matter stabilization, improved nutrient cycling, and increased primary productivity. However, its turnover time, when applied to soil, varies greatly depending on feedstock and pyrolysis temperature. For sewage sludge-derived biochars, which have high N contents, there is still a major uncertainty regarding the influence of pyrolysis temperatures on soil carbon mineralization and its relationship to soil N availability. Sewage sludge and sewage sludge-derived biochars produced at 300 °C (BC300), 400 °C (BC400), and 500 °C (BC500) were added to an Oxisol in a short-term incubation experiment. Carbon mineralization and nitrogen availability (N-NH4+ and N-NO3−) were studied using a first-order model. BC300 and BC400 showed higher soil C mineralization rates and N-NH4+ contents, demonstrating their potential to be used for plant nutrition. Compared to the control, the cumulative C-CO2 emissions increased by 60–64% when biochars BC300 and BC400 were applied to soil. On the other hand, C-CO2 emissions decreased by 6% after the addition of BC500, indicating the predominance of recalcitrant compounds, which results in a lower supply of soil N-NH4+ (83.4 mg kg−1) in BC500, being 67% lower than BC300 (255.7 mg kg−1). Soil N availability was strongly influenced by total N, total C, C/N ratio, H, pore volume, and specific surface area in the biochars. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Applications of Biochar)
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