Special Issue "Biochar Stability and Long-Term Carbon Storage"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Chemical Engineering and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 October 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Balal Yousaf
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CAS-Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and the Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
Interests: thermochemical conversion processes; biochar production; soil carbon stability; environmental sustainability; environmental remediation
Prof. Dr. Guijian Liu
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CAS-Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and the Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
Interests: environmental geochemistry; climate change; biochar application; pyrolysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biochar is considered to be the most stable form of organic carbon existing in the terrestrial environment, contributing substantially to the mitigation of global climate change by long-term carbon sequestration into the soil system for several centuries to millennia. It has a condensed aromatic carbon structure containing a carbon content ranging between 400–900 g kg-1 depending upon operating conditions and feedstock materials. Therefore, it is a suitable candidate for the sequestration of atmospheric carbon by acting as a long-term sink to mitigate the challenges of global warming and climate change. In addition to the abovementioned benefits, recent studies have shown that the application of biochar to soil produced from various biomass feedstocks reduced the emission of greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, and N2O) by 2–5 times in comparison to burning biomass for fuel. During the thermal conversion process, the carbon content increases as cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and other existing compounds in biomass decompose, making a chemically inert stable structure due to its fused aromatic rings and the old radiocarbon age of pyrolysis residues. Consequently, the resulting stable aromatic rings show potentially high resistance to biological decay/degradation and mineralization, which may result in enhanced biochar stability and prolonged carbon storage in the terrestrial environment.

This Special Issue of Sustainability is seeking papers that can demonstrate the role of pyrolyzed feed materials, modification, and operating conditions in long-term carbon storage. Experimental work can range from production technologies to laboratory-field experiments. Keeping in view the importance of the biochar stability to climate change and carbon sequestration, we specifically seek contributions from different environmental, agricultural, and waste conversion teams.

The selected papers will contribute to describing the state-of-the-art in this field, and will provide new directions for research on the topic of biochar stability and long-term storage of atmospheric carbon to soil systems.

Dr. Balal Yousaf
Prof. Dr. Guijian Liu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • carbon sequestration
  • mineralization
  • pyrolyzed feed materials
  • biochar
  • stability
  • carbon storage
  • climate change
  • waste valorization
  • greenhouse gas emissions

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

Article
Influence of Acidified Biochar on CO2–C Efflux and Micronutrient Availability in an Alkaline Sandy Soil
Sustainability 2021, 13(9), 5196; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13095196 - 06 May 2021
Viewed by 377
Abstract
Biochar, an alkaline carbonaceous substance resulting from the thermal pyrolysis of biomass, reportedly enhances the micronutrient availability in acidic soils with little or no effect on alkaline soils. In this study, biochars were produced from poultry manure (PM) at 350 °C and 550 [...] Read more.
Biochar, an alkaline carbonaceous substance resulting from the thermal pyrolysis of biomass, reportedly enhances the micronutrient availability in acidic soils with little or no effect on alkaline soils. In this study, biochars were produced from poultry manure (PM) at 350 °C and 550 °C (BC350 and BC550 respectively). The acidified biochars (ABC350 and ABC550, respectively) were incorporated into an alkaline sandy soil, and their effects on the soil micronutrients (Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn) availability, and CO2–C efflux were investigated in a 30-day incubation study. The treatments (PM, BC350, BC550, ABC350, and ABC550) were administered in triplicate to 100 g soil at 0%, 1%, and 3% (w/w). Relative to the poultry manure treatment, acidification drastically reduced the pH of BC350 and BC550 by 3.13 and 4.28 units, respectively, and increased the micronutrient availability of the studied soil. Furthermore, the biochars (both non-acidified and acidified) reduced the CO2 emission compared to that of the poultry manure treatment. After 1% treatment with BC550 and ABC550, the CO2 emissions from the soil were 89.6% and 91.4% lower, respectively, than in the 1% poultry manure treatment. In summary, acidified biochar improved the micronutrient availability in alkaline soil, and when produced at higher temperature, can mitigate the CO2 emissions of soil carbon sequestration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biochar Stability and Long-Term Carbon Storage)
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Article
Evaluating the Effects of Biochar with Farmyard Manure under Optimal Mineral Fertilizing on Tomato Growth, Soil Organic C and Biochemical Quality in a Low Fertility Soil
Sustainability 2021, 13(5), 2652; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052652 - 02 Mar 2021
Viewed by 710
Abstract
Biochar amendments are widely recognized to improve crop productivity and soil biogeochemical quality, however, their effects on vegetable crops are less studied. This pot study investigated the effects of cotton stick, corncob and rice straw biochars alone and with farmyard manure (FYM) on [...] Read more.
Biochar amendments are widely recognized to improve crop productivity and soil biogeochemical quality, however, their effects on vegetable crops are less studied. This pot study investigated the effects of cotton stick, corncob and rice straw biochars alone and with farmyard manure (FYM) on tomato growth, soil physico–chemical and biological characteristics, soil organic carbon (SOC) content and amount of soil nutrients under recommended mineral fertilizer conditions in a nutrient-depleted alkaline soil. Biochars were applied at 0, 1.5 and 3% (w/w, basis) rates and FYM was added at 0 and 30 t ha−1 rates. Biochars were developed at 450 °C pyrolysis temperature and varied in total organic C, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) contents. The results showed that biochars, their amounts and FYM significantly improved tomato growth which varied strongly among the biochar types, amounts and FYM. With FYM, the addition of 3% corncob biochar resulted in the highest total chlorophyll contents (9.55 ug g−1), shoot (76.1 cm) and root lengths (44.7 cm), and biomass production. Biochars with and without FYM significantly increased soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and cation exchange capacity (CEC). The soil basal respiration increased with biochar for all biochars but not consistently after FYM addition. The water-extractable organic C (WEOC) and soil organic C (SOC) contents increased significantly with biochar amount and FYM, with the highest SOC found in the soil that received 3% corncob biochar with FYM. Microbial biomass C (MBC), N (MBN) and P (MBP) were the highest in corncob biochar treated soils followed by cotton stick and rice straw biochars. The addition of 3% biochars along with FYM also showed significant positive effects on soil mineral N, P and K contents. The addition of 3% corncob biochar with and without FYM always resulted in higher soil N, P and K contents at the 3% rate. The results further revealed that the positive effects of biochars on above-ground plant responses were primarily due to the improvements in below-ground soil properties, nutrients’ availability and SOC; however, these effects varied strongly between biochar types. Our study concludes that various biochars can enhance tomato production, soil biochemical quality and SOC in nutrient poor soil under greenhouse conditions. However, we emphasize that these findings need further investigations using long-term studies before adopting biochar for sustainable vegetable production systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biochar Stability and Long-Term Carbon Storage)
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