Biochar Particle Size and Post-Pyrolysis Mechanical Processing Affect Soil pH, Water Retention Capacity, and Plant Performance
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Biochar Production, Particle Sizes, and Preparation
2.2. Characterization of Biochar Particle Size, Shape, Bulk Density, and Tap Density
2.3. Biochar pH, Electrical Conductivity, Ash Content, and Water Retention Capacity
2.4. Growth Conditions and Experimental Design
2.5. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Properties, pH, and Water Retention Capacity of Biochar and Sand
3.2. Plant Performance in Different Biochar Treatments and Sand
3.2.1. Particle Size Effects
3.2.2. Post-Processing Effects
4. Discussion
4.1. Biochar pH and Water Retention Capacity
4.2. Plant Performance
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Treatment | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Attribute | S-sieved | L-sieved | S-ground | L-ground | Sand |
Pyrolysis temperature (°C) | 374 | 374 | 363 | 363 | N/A |
Particle cross-sectional area (mm2) | 0.26 (0.02) | 11.31 (0.34) | 0.12 (0.01) | 12.76 (0.32) | 0.07 (0.00) |
Particle aspect ratio | 2.83 (0.10) | 2.58 (0.10) | 1.59 (0.03) | 1.70 (0.03) | 1.53 (0.03) |
pH of pure biochar or sand | 6.73 (0.02) | 6.43 (0.04) | 6.37 (0.03) | 6.37 (0.01) | 5.82 (0.04) |
pH of Biochar-sand mixture or sand * | 6.81 (0.02) | 6.60 (0.05) | 6.46 (0.04) | 6.46 (0.02) | 5.63 (0.10) |
Electrical conductivity (uS/cm) | 23.9 (1.0) | 28.5 (1.1) | 23.9 (0.6) | 25.7 (1.5) | 45.3 (7.8) |
Water retention capacity (%) | 360 (1) | 168 (21) | 189 (1) | 47 (6) | 37 (0) |
Carbon (%) | 68.3 | 68.9 | 68.2 | 68.9 | 0.240 |
Nitrogen (%) | 0.350 | 0.335 | 0.253 | 0.205 | ND |
Ash content (%) | 3.28 (0.35) | 3.74 (1.00) | 1.26 (0.16) | 1.58 (0.17) | N/A |
Bulk density (g/cm3) | 0.16 (0.00) | 0.14 (0.00) | 0.29 (0.00) | 0.22 (0.02) | 1.38 (0.01) |
Tap density (g/cm3) | 0.23 (0.00) | 0.20 (0.00) | 0.41 (0.01) | 0.34 (0.04) | 1.69 (0.01) |
Treatment | Leaf Area (cm2) | Aboveground biomass (mg) | Belowground biomass (mg) | Chlorophyll conc. index | Fv/Fm | Leaf N (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Annual Ryegrass | ||||||
S-sieved | 5.3 (0.7) | 16.96 (1.66) | 11.90 (1.77) | N/A | N/A | 3.56 (0.11) |
L-sieved | 10.2 (1.3) | 28.99 (3.07) | 20.90 (2.42) | N/A | N/A | 3.88 (0.13) |
S-ground | 5.1 (0.6) | 16.87 (1.86) | 13.96 (1.15) | N/A | N/A | 4.19 (0.10) |
L-ground | 8.9 (1.0) | 28.06 (2.33) | 17.72 (2.33) | N/A | N/A | 4.08 (0.12) |
Control | 4.7 (0.5) | 16.37 (13.59) | 13.59 (1.08) | N/A | N/A | 4.04 (0.13) |
Velvetleaf | ||||||
S-sieved | 24.3 (3.9) | 248.28 (35.05) | 97.11 (10.52) | 11.5 (0.4) | 0.823 (0.004) | 2.34 (0.07) |
L-sieved | 9.2 (1.3) | 118.67 (8.31) | 46.35 (5.20) | 13.9 (0.7) | 0.809 (0.001) | 2.60 (0.06) |
S-ground | 13.3 (3.4) | 151.31 (31.46) | 60.89 (10.88) | 13.6 (0.4) | 0.804 (0.010) | 2.62 (0.07) |
L-ground | 12.0 (1.6) | 141.51 (17.60) | 71.44 (8.69) | 14.0 (0.8) | 0.808 (0.009) | 2.49 (0.05) |
Control | 9.7 (1.6) | 121.27 (15.85) | 51.82 (5.79) | 12.5 (0.9) | 0.732 (0.030) | 2.83 (0.05) |
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Liao, W.; Thomas, S.C. Biochar Particle Size and Post-Pyrolysis Mechanical Processing Affect Soil pH, Water Retention Capacity, and Plant Performance. Soil Syst. 2019, 3, 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems3010014
Liao W, Thomas SC. Biochar Particle Size and Post-Pyrolysis Mechanical Processing Affect Soil pH, Water Retention Capacity, and Plant Performance. Soil Systems. 2019; 3(1):14. https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems3010014
Chicago/Turabian StyleLiao, Wenxi, and Sean C. Thomas. 2019. "Biochar Particle Size and Post-Pyrolysis Mechanical Processing Affect Soil pH, Water Retention Capacity, and Plant Performance" Soil Systems 3, no. 1: 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems3010014