U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Soil and Water Management Research: St. Paul, MN
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                                    Software
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    CareersSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Midwest Area St. Paul, Minnesota Soil and Water Management Research Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications

Title:   Author  item
                                            XIE, T - University Of Illinoisitem
                                            SADASIVAM, BALA YAMINI - University Of Illinoisitem
                                            REDDY, KRISHNA - University Of Illinoisitem
                                            WANG, C - University Of Illinoisitem
                                            Spokas, Kurt
  Submitted to: Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 5/29/2015
                                    Publication  Date: 7/13/2015
                                    Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/61253Citation: Xie, T., Sadasivam, B., Reddy, K.R., Wang, C., Spokas, K.A. 2015. Review of the effects of biochar amendment on soil properties and carbon sequestration. Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste. doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)HZ.2153-5515.0000293.Interpretive Summary: Biochar has been gaining attention, both in the public and scientific circles, as a means to combat climate change and at the same time improve soil fertility. In this review, we summarized the existing knowledge of biochar’s use as a soil amendment. The impact of biochar was dependent on the characteristics of the biochar, since all biochars are not equal in terms of their chemical and physical make-up. Biochar performed well for soil pH and organic carbon improvement and stability of soil fertilizer generated from its large surface areas and cation exchange capacities. These improvements result in increased crop yields, especially in acidic and coarse-grained soils. Biochar possesses great potential for wider agricultural utilization in the future; however, additional long term studies were recommended to evaluate soil biochar applications. These observations highlight that biochar amendments need to be selected based on the desired mode of action and not all biochar types are suitable for all soils. Additional research is needed to fully characterize the surface chemistry responsible for these effects. These findings could provide additional insight and direction in the focus of the benefits of biochar additions. These findings are significant to farmers and policy makers and will assist scientists and engineers in developing improved biochars based on properties to minimize agrochemical transport and improve soil carbon management.
                                Technical Abstract: Biochar is part of a series of materials referred to as black carbons, since biochar is produced by a chemical and/or thermal transformation of the original biomass material in different conditions. The objective of this paper is to summarize the characteristics of biochar from different feedstocks and its potential to maintain fertility and sequester carbon in agricultural fields. Properties of biochar were analyzed based on the summary of different biochar sources and indicators of elemental compositions, pH, surface area and cation exchange capacity were taken into consideration. Moreover, application effects of biochar were compared to evaluate the potential of biochars as crop fertilizer and carbon capture agent, based on some pot and field study results. Biochar performed well for soil pH and organic carbon improvement and stability of soil fertilizer generated from its large surface areas and cation exchange capacities, and increased crop yields significantly, especially in acidic and coarse-grained soils. Besides, biochar was proved to be an appropriate strategy for carbon neutral resulting from the carbon storage by itself and the decrease of total greenhouse gas emissions, including CO2, CH4 and N2O, although the effects of biochar on each gas differed significantly. Biochar showed great potential for wider agricultural utilization in the future; however, additional long term studies were recommended to test biochar application in the fields.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov