Biochar co-compost improves nitrogen retention and reduces carbon emissions in a winter wheat cropping system

Organic amendments, such as compost and biochar, mitigate the environmental burdens associated with wasting organic resources and close nutrient loops by capturing, transforming, and resupplying nutrients to soils. While compost or biochar application to soil can enhance an agroecosystem's capacity to store carbon and produce food, there have been few field studies investigating the agroecological impacts of amending soil with biochar co-compost, produced through the composting of nitrogen-rich organic material, such as manure, with carbon-rich biochar. Here, we examine the impact of biochar co-compost on soil properties and processes by conducting a field study in which we compare the environmental and agronomic impacts associated with the amendment of either dairy manure co-composted with biochar, dairy manure compost, or biochar to soils in a winter wheat cropping system. Organic amendments were applied at equivalent C rates (8 Mg C ha⁻¹). We found that all three treatments significantly increased soil water holding capacity and total plant biomass relative to the no-amendment control. Soils amended with biochar or biochar co-compost resulted in significantly less greenhouse gas emissions than the compost or control soils. Biochar co-compost also resulted in a significant reduction in nutrient leaching relative to the application of biochar alone or compost alone. Our results suggest that biochar co-composting could optimize organic resource recycling for climate change mitigation and agricultural productivity while minimizing nutrient losses from agroecosystems.     

生物质炭与氮肥配施对红壤线虫群落的影响

利用生物质炭改良土壤近年来受到关注,但仍缺乏对土壤动物群落变化的认识.基于野外定位试验,研究了不同用量的生物质炭(0、10、20、30、40 t·hm^-2)与氮肥(60、90、120 kg N·hm^-2)配施对干旱期和湿润期红壤理化性质和线虫群落的影响.结果表明： 施用生物质炭在干旱期和湿润期均显著影响土壤含水量和pH.随生物质炭施用量的增加,土壤含水量先增加后降低,而土壤pH保持增加的趋势.土壤微生物生物量碳氮、碳氮比及基础呼吸均受到生物质炭和氮肥的显著影响,且低量生物质炭对微生物生物量碳氮、碳氮比及基础呼吸有刺激作用,而高量生物质炭则对其有抑制作用.如生物质炭施用量低于30 t·hm^-2时,在干旱期和湿润期均促进土壤微生物活性.此外,生物质炭的效果也依赖于不同采样时期.如在施用量高于30 t·hm^-2时,微生物生物量碳在干旱期显著高于对照,在湿润期与对照无显著差异;而微生物生物量氮则呈相反趋势.可溶性有机物和矿质氮在干旱期受到生物质炭和氮肥的显著影响,但是在湿润期仅受到氮肥的影响.生物质炭、氮肥及二者的交互作用在干旱期和湿润期均显著影响线虫数量及营养类群的结构.高量生物质炭和氮肥配施能够提高土壤线虫的数量.值得注意的是,生物质炭显著提高了干旱期食真菌线虫的比例,尤其在干旱期趋势明显,暗示在生物质炭作用下土壤食物网结构趋向于以真菌主导的能流通道.总之,生物质炭对红壤的效果呈现出复杂的影响趋势,不仅依赖于生物质炭的施用量及与氮肥的交互作用,而且与红壤的采样时期有关,表明今后生物质炭的研究应结合多种生态因子.     

施用生物炭对华北平原农田土壤容重、阳离子交换量和颗粒有机质含量的影响

以华北平原高产农田3年定位试验为基础,研究了生物炭与矿质肥配施对土壤容重、阳离子交换量和颗粒有机质组分中碳、氮含量的影响.试验共设4个处理：单施氮磷钾肥（CK）;氮磷钾肥+2250 kg·hm^-2生物炭（C₁）;氮磷钾肥+4500 kg·hm^-2生物炭（C₂）;炭基缓释肥（750 kg·hm^-2,CN）.结果表明： 与CK相比,C₁和C₂处理显著降低了0～7.5 cm土层容重,降低幅度分别为4.5%和6.0%;施用生物炭增加了0～15 cm土层的阳离子交换量,其中C₂处理增加了24.5%;在0～7.5 cm土层,C₁处理土壤颗粒有机质组分中的碳、氮浓度较CK处理分别增加了250%和85%,C₂处理分别增加了260%和120%.施用生物炭3年后土壤理化特性得到明显改善,并在碳增汇和温室减排方面具有潜在积极效应.     

Physical,Chemical and Biological Characterization of Six Biochars Produced for the Remediation of Contaminated Sites

The physical and chemical properties of biochar vary based on feedstock sources and production conditions, making it possible to engineer biochars with specific functions (e.g. carbon sequestration, soil quality improvements, or contaminant sorption). In 2013, the International Biochar Initiative (IBI) made publically available their Standardized Product Definition and Product Testing Guidelines (Version 1.1) which set standards for physical and chemical characteristics for biochar. Six biochars made from three different feedstocks and at two temperatures were analyzed for characteristics related to their use as a soil amendment. The protocol describes analyses of the feedstocks and biochars and includes: cation exchange capacity (CEC), specific surface area (SSA), organic carbon (OC) and moisture percentage, pH, particle size distribution, and proximate and ultimate analysis. Also described in the protocol are the analyses of the feedstocks and biochars for contaminants including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), metals and mercury as well as nutrients (phosphorous, nitrite and nitrate and ammonium as nitrogen). The protocol also includes the biological testing procedures, earthworm avoidance and germination assays. Based on the quality assurance / quality control (QA/QC) results of blanks, duplicates, standards and reference materials, all methods were determined adequate for use with biochar and feedstock materials. All biochars and feedstocks were well within the criterion set by the IBI and there were little differences among biochars, except in the case of the biochar produced from construction waste materials. This biochar (referred to as Old biochar) was determined to have elevated levels of arsenic, chromium, copper, and lead, and failed the earthworm avoidance and germination assays. Based on these results, Old biochar would not be appropriate for use as a soil amendment for carbon sequestration, substrate quality improvements or remediation.     

Biochar – synergies and trade‐offs between soil enhancing properties and C sequestration potential

The characterization of biochar has been predominantly focused around determining physicochemical properties including chemical composition, porosity and volatile content. To date, little systematic research has been done into assessing the properties of biochar that directly relate to its function in soil and how production conditions could impact these. The aim of this study was to evaluate how pyrolysis conditions can influence biochar's potential for soil enhancing benefits by addressing key soil constraints, and identify potential synergies and restrictions. To do this, biochar produced from pine wood chips (PC), wheat straw (WS) and wheat straw pellets (WSP) at four highest treatment temperatures (HTT) (350, 450, 550 and 650 °C) and two heating rates (5 and 100 °C min^?1) were analysed for pH, extractable nutrients, cation exchange capacity (CEC), stable‐C content and labile‐C content. Highest treatment temperature and feedstock selection played an important role in the development of biochar functional properties while overall heating rate (in the range investigated) was found to have no significant effect on pH, stable‐C or labile‐C concentrations. Increasing the HTT reduced biochar yield and labile‐C content while increasing the yield of stable‐C present within biochar. Biochar produced at higher HTT also demonstrated a higher degree of alkalinity improving biochar's ability to increase soil pH. The concentration of extractable nutrients was mainly affected by feedstock selection while the biochar CEC was influenced by HTT, generally reaching its highest values between 450–550 °C. Biochar produced at ≥550 °C showed high combined values for C stability, pH and CEC while lower HTTs favoured nutrient availability. Therefore attempts to maximize biochar's C sequestration potential could reduce the availability of biochar nutrients. Developing our understanding of how feedstock selection and processing conditions influence key biochar properties can be used to refine the pyrolysis process and design of ‘bespoke biochar’ engineered to deliver specific environmental functions.     

Coupled biochar amendment and limited irrigation strategies do not affect a degraded soil food web in a maize agroecosystem,compared to the native grassland

Climate change is predicted to increase climate variability and frequency of extreme events such as drought, straining water resources in agricultural systems. Thus, limited irrigation strategies and soil amendments are being explored to conserve water in crop production. Biochar is the recalcitrant, carbon‐based coproduct of biomass pyrolysis during bioenergy production. When used as a soil amendment, biochar can increase soil water retention while enhancing soil properties and stimulating food webs. We investigated the effects of coupled biochar amendment and limited irrigation on belowground food web structure and function in an irrigated maize agroecosystem. We hypothesized that soil biota biomass and activity would decrease with limited irrigation and increase with biochar amendment and that biochar amendment would mitigate the impact of limited irrigation on the soil food web. One year after biochar addition, we extracted, identified, and estimated the biomass of taxonomic groups of soil biota (e.g., bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, and arthropods) from wood‐derived biochar‐amended (30 Mg ha^?1) and nonamended soils under maize with limited (two‐thirds of full) and full irrigation. We modeled structural and functional properties of the soil food web. Neither biochar amendment nor limited irrigation had a significant effect on biomass of the soil biota groups. Modeled soil respiration and nitrogen mineralization fluxes were not different between treatments. A comparison of the structure and function of the agroecosystem soil food web and a nearby native grassland revealed that in this temperate system, the negative impact of long‐term conventional agricultural management outweighed the impact of limited irrigation. One year of biochar amendment did not mitigate nor further contribute to the negative effects of historical agricultural management.     

The responses of soil organic carbon mineralization and microbial communities to fresh and aged biochar soil amendments

While biochar soil amendment has been widely proposed as a soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration strategy to mitigate detrimental climate changes in global agriculture, the SOC sequestration was still not clearly understood for the different effects of fresh and aged biochar on SOC mineralization. In the present study of a two‐factorial experiment, topsoil samples from a rice paddy were laboratory‐incubated with and without fresh or aged biochar pyrolyzed of wheat residue and with and without crop residue‐derived dissolved organic matter (CRM) for monitoring soil organic matter decomposition under controlled conditions. The six treatments included soil with no biochar, with fresh biochar and with aged biochar treated with CRM, respectively. For fresh biochar treatment, the topsoil of a same rice paddy was amended with wheat biochar directly from a pyrolysis wheat straw, the soil with aged biochar was collected from the same soil 6 years following a single amendment of same biochar. Total CO₂ emission from the soil was monitored over a 64 day time span of laboratory incubation, while microbial biomass carbon and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) were determined at the end of incubation period. Without CRM, total organic carbon mineralization was significantly decreased by 38.8% with aged biochar but increased by 28.9% with fresh biochar, compared to no biochar. With CRM, however, the significantly highest net carbon mineralization occurred in the soil without biochar compared to the biochar‐amended soil. Compared to aged biochar, fresh biochar addition significantly increased the total PLFA concentration by 20.3%–33.8% and altered the microbial community structure by increasing 17:1ω8c (Gram‐negative bacteria) and i17:0 (Gram‐positive bacteria) mole percentages and by decreasing the ratio of fungi/bacteria. Furthermore, biochar amendment significantly lowered the metabolic quotient of SOC decomposition, thereby becoming greater with aged biochar than with fresh biochar. The finding here suggests that biochar amendment could improve carbon utilization efficiency by soil microbial community and SOC sequestration potential in paddy soil can be enhanced by the presence of biochar in soil over the long run.     

生物焦对土壤生态系统的影响效应

生物焦是生物残体在厌氧条件下高温裂解产生的,其主要成分为碳,芳香化程度很高,具有孔隙多、比表面积大、电荷密度高、不易分解等特点。目前的一些研究显示,生物焦具有提高土壤阳离子交换量（CEC）和pH、改善土壤肥力和健康状况、增加作物产量、减少温室气体排放等作用。生物焦施于土壤后,还具有增加土壤微生物量、改变土壤微生物群落结构,促进部分微生物生长等影响效应。然而,目前有关生物焦的研究还大都局限于表观效应上,缺乏对其微观内在机制的深入探讨。     

Contrasting effects of maize residue,coal gas residue and their biochars on nutrient mineralization,enzyme activities and CO2 emissions in sandy loess soil

Mismanagement of crop straw and coal gas residue threatens the atmosphere and the economy. Nevertheless, thermal-pyrolysis is an option for management that turns bio-waste into biochar; its viability and adoption by the public as soil amendments is dependent on the agronomic and environmental values compared between biochar and the raw materials. We undertook a 60-day short-term analysis to assess the impact of various wastes and biochars, as well as inorganic nutrients (N), on carbon dioxide (CO₂) fluxes, soil enzyme activities, soil fertility status, and microbial activities. There were eight treatments of soil amendments: without an amendment (CK), Nutrients (N), straw + nutrients (S+N), straw biochar + nutrients (SB+N), coal gas residue + nutrients (C+N), coal gas residue biochar + nutrients (CB+N), straw + straw biochar + nutrients (S+SB+N) and coal gas residue waste + coal gas residue biochar + nutrients (C+ CB +N). The results indicated that soil EC, pH, nitrate N (NO₃^–- N), SOC, TN and available K were significantly (p < 0.05) increased coal gas residue biochar and combined with coal fly ash as compared to maize straw biochar and combined with maize straw and N treatments. The higher concentrations of soil MBC and MBN activities were increased in the maize straw application, while higher soil enzyme activity such as, invertase, urease and catalase were enhanced in the coal fly ash derived biochar treatments. The higher cumulative CO₂ emissions were recorded in the combined applications of maize straw and its biochar as well as coal gas residue and its biochar treatment. Our study concludes, that maize straw and coal fly ash wastes were converted into biochar product could be a feasible substitute way of discarding, since land amendment and decreased CO₂ fluxes and positive changes in soil microbial, and chemical properties, and can be confirmed under long-term conditions for reduction of economical and environment issues.     

有机物料对喀斯特地区石灰土有效N、Fe、Zn含量的影响

为研究不同有机物料对喀斯特石灰土元素有效性的影响,采用40 d的室内培养实验,比较了单独添加不同比例（1%、3%、5%）的生物质炭、鸡粪肥、羊粪肥对喀斯特石灰土有效N、Fe、Zn含量的影响。结果表明：添加生物质炭提高了喀斯特石灰土的pH值,而添加鸡粪肥和羊粪肥降低了喀斯特石灰土的pH值;添加3种有机物料均增加了喀斯特石灰土的有机质含量,大小关系为：生物质炭 > 鸡粪肥 > 羊粪肥,但添加鸡粪肥和羊粪肥土壤有机质的化学活性和微生物活性更高。受pH、有机质活性、碳氮比等因素的影响,添加鸡粪肥和羊粪肥能增加土壤有效N含量,但两种有机肥对土壤有效N的提高效果相差不大,而添加生物质炭反而降低了土壤有效N的含量;3种有机物料均能提高土壤的有效Fe和有效Zn含量,其中鸡粪肥效果最佳,其次为羊粪肥和生物质炭。当3种有机物料的添加比例为5%时,生物质炭处理土壤的有效N、Fe、Zn含量分别是对照处理的0.92、1.13、1.21倍;鸡粪肥处理土壤的有效N、Fe、Zn含量分别是对照处理的1.22、1.63和3.39倍;羊粪肥处理土壤的有效N、Fe、Zn含量分别是对照处理的1.27、1.34和2.59倍。所以,相对于生物质炭,有机粪肥对喀斯特地区的石灰土有更好的改良效果。     

生物炭对不同土壤化学性质、小麦和糜子产量的影响

以小麦和糜子为供试作物,利用室外盆栽试验,研究了不同添加量生物炭与矿质肥配施对两种不同土壤化学性质及小麦和糜子产量的影响。生物炭当季用量设5个水平：B0 (0 t/hm2)、B5 (5 t/hm2)、B10 (10 t/hm2)、B15 (15 t/hm2)和B20 (20 t/hm2),氮磷钾肥均作基肥施用。结果表明：1.与对照相比,施用生物炭可以显著增加新积土糜子季土壤pH值,其他处理随生物炭用量的增加虽有增加趋势但差异不显著;显著增加新积土土壤阳离子交换量,增幅为1.5 %—58.2 %;显著增加两种土壤有机碳含量,增幅为31.1 %—272.2 %;2.两种土壤的矿质态氮含量、新积土土壤有效磷和速效钾含量随生物炭用量的增加而显著提高,氮磷钾增幅分别为6.0 %—112.8 %、3.8 %—38.5 %和6.1 %—47.2 %;3.生物炭可显著提高塿土上作物氮吸收量,而作物磷、钾吸收量虽有增加,但差异不显著。生物炭对小麦和糜子的增产效应尚不稳定,在试验最高用量时甚至产生轻微抑制作用。总之,施用生物炭在一定程度上可以改善土壤化学性质,提高土壤有效养分含量,但生物炭对土壤和作物的影响与土壤、作物类型及土壤肥力密切相关。     

Response of soil carbon dioxide fluxes,soil organic carbon and microbial biomass carbon to biochar amendment: a meta‐analysis

Biochar as a carbon‐rich coproduct of pyrolyzing biomass, its amendment has been advocated as a potential strategy to soil carbon (C) sequestration. Updated data derived from 50 papers with 395 paired observations were reviewed using meta‐analysis procedures to examine responses of soil carbon dioxide (CO₂) fluxes, soil organic C (SOC), and soil microbial biomass C (MBC) contents to biochar amendment. When averaged across all studies, biochar amendment had no significant effect on soil CO₂ fluxes, but it significantly enhanced SOC content by 40% and MBC content by 18%. A positive response of soil CO₂ fluxes to biochar amendment was found in rice paddies, laboratory incubation studies, soils without vegetation, and unfertilized soils. Biochar amendment significantly increased soil MBC content in field studies, N‐fertilized soils, and soils with vegetation. Enhancement of SOC content following biochar amendment was the greatest in rice paddies among different land‐use types. Responses of soil CO₂ fluxes and MBC to biochar amendment varied with soil texture and pH. The use of biochar in combination with synthetic N fertilizer and waste compost fertilizer led to the greatest increases in soil CO₂ fluxes and MBC content, respectively. Both soil CO₂ fluxes and MBC responses to biochar amendment decreased with biochar application rate, pyrolysis temperature, or C/N ratio of biochar, while each increased SOC content enhancement. Among different biochar feedstock sources, positive responses of soil CO₂ fluxes and MBC were the highest for manure and crop residue feedstock sources, respectively. Soil CO₂ flux responses to biochar amendment decreased with pH of biochar, while biochars with pH of 8.1–9.0 had the greatest enhancement of SOC and MBC contents. Therefore, soil properties, land‐use type, agricultural practice, and biochar characteristics should be taken into account to assess the practical potential of biochar for mitigating climate change.     

Municipal solid waste compost amendment in agricultural soil: changes in soil microbial biomass

Agricultural application of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), as nutrient source for plants and as soil conditioner, is the most cost-effective option of MSW management because of its advantages over traditional means such as landfilling or incineration. However, agricultural application of MSW can lead to a potential environmental threat due to the presence of pathogens and toxic pollutants. Composting is an attractive alternative of MSW recycling. Application of MSW compost (MSWC) in agricultural soils can directly alter soil physico-chemical properties as well as promote plant growth. The soil microbial biomass, considered as the living part of soil organic matter, is very closely related to the soil organic matter content in many arable agricultural soils. Numerous studies, with different MSWC amendment doses on different soil types and under different water regimes revealed no detrimental effect on soil microbial biomass. In this review, we show the state of art about the effects of MSWC amendment on soil microbial biomass.     

Biochar Decelerates Soil Organic Nitrogen Cycling but Stimulates Soil Nitrification in a Temperate Arable Field Trial

Biochar production and subsequent soil incorporation could provide carbon farming solutions to global climate change and escalating food demand. There is evidence that biochar amendment causes fundamental changes in soil nutrient cycles, often resulting in marked increases in crop production, particularly in acidic and in infertile soils with low soil organic matter contents, although comparable outcomes in temperate soils are variable. We offer insight into the mechanisms underlying these findings by focusing attention on the soil nitrogen (N) cycle, specifically on hitherto unmeasured processes of organic N cycling in arable soils. We here investigated the impacts of biochar addition on soil organic and inorganic N pools and on gross transformation rates of both pools in a biochar field trial on arable land (Chernozem) in Traismauer, Lower Austria. We found that biochar increased total soil organic carbon but decreased the extractable organic C pool and soil nitrate. While gross rates of organic N transformation processes were reduced by 50–80%, gross N mineralization of organic N was not affected. In contrast, biochar promoted soil ammonia-oxidizer populations (bacterial and archaeal nitrifiers) and accelerated gross nitrification rates more than two-fold. Our findings indicate a de-coupling of the soil organic and inorganic N cycles, with a build-up of organic N, and deceleration of inorganic N release from this pool. The results therefore suggest that addition of inorganic fertilizer-N in combination with biochar could compensate for the reduction in organic N mineralization, with plants and microbes drawing on fertilizer-N for growth, in turn fuelling the belowground build-up of organic N. We conclude that combined addition of biochar with fertilizer-N may increase soil organic N in turn enhancing soil carbon sequestration and thereby could play a fundamental role in future soil management strategies.     

Potential mechanisms for achieving agricultural benefits from biochar application to temperate soils: a review

Natural organic biomass burning creates black carbon which forms a considerable proportion of the soil’s organic carbon. Due to black carbon’s aromatic structure it is recalcitrant and has the potential for long-term carbon sequestration in soil. Soils within the Amazon-basin contain numerous sites where the ‘dark earth of the Indians’ (Terra preta de Indio, or Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE)) exist and are composed of variable quantities of highly stable organic black carbon waste (‘biochar’). The apparent high agronomic fertility of these sites, relative to tropical soils in general, has attracted interest. Biochars can be produced by ‘baking’ organic matter under low oxygen (‘pyrolysis’). The quantities of key mineral elements within these biochars can be directly related to the levels of these components in the feedstock prior to burning. Their incorporation in soils influences soil structure, texture, porosity, particle size distribution and density. The molecular structure of biochars shows a high degree of chemical and microbial stability. A key physical feature of most biochars is their highly porous structure and large surface area. This structure can provide refugia for beneficial soil micro-organisms such as mycorrhizae and bacteria, and influences the binding of important nutritive cations and anions. This binding can enhance the availability of macro-nutrients such as N and P. Other biochar soil changes include alkalisation of soil pH and increases in electrical conductivity (EC) and cation exchange capacity (CEC). Ammonium leaching has been shown to be reduced, along with N₂O soil emissions. There may also be reductions in soil mechanical impedance. Terra preta soils contain a higher number of ‘operational taxonomic units’ and have highly distinctive microbial communities relative to neighbouring soils. The potential importance of biochar soil incorporation on mycorrhizal fungi has also been noted with biochar providing a physical niche devoid of fungal grazers. Improvements in soil field capacity have been recorded upon biochar additions. Evidence shows that bioavailability and plant uptake of key nutrients increases in response to biochar application, particularly when in the presence of added nutrients. Depending on the quantity of biochar added to soil significant improvements in plant productivity have been achieved, but these reports derive predominantly from studies in the tropics. As yet there is limited critical analysis of possible agricultural impacts of biochar application in temperate regions, nor on the likelihood of utilising such soils as long-term sites for carbon sequestration. This review aims to determine the extent to which inferences of experience mostly from tropical regions could be extrapolated to temperate soils and to suggest areas requiring study.     

施用生物质炭对采煤塌陷区土壤氨氧化微生物丰度和群落结构的影响

生物质炭作为一种新型土壤改良剂,施入土壤不仅能提高肥力,改善土壤结构,还能够影响土壤氮素的转化.本文利用培养试验研究施用生物质炭对采煤塌陷区土壤性质及氨氧化菌丰度和群落结构的影响.结果表明: 生物质炭显著提高土壤铵氮(NH4⁺-N)、全氮、有效磷和速效钾含量.生物质炭施用量对氨氧化古菌(AOA)丰度没有显著影响,但是增加施用量显著提高了氨氧化细菌(AOB)丰度.对T-RFLP数据进行分析发现,生物质炭提高了AOA和AOB多样性,并在一定程度上改变了AOA和AOB群落结构.施用生物质炭提高了采煤塌陷区土壤养分含量,并在一定程度上提高了氨氧化菌的丰度和多样性,表明生物质炭对塌陷区复垦土壤具有培肥改良的潜能.     

Suitable Chemical Properties of Animal Manure Compost to Facilitate Pb Immobilization in Soil

Chemical immobilization using animal manure compost is one of the most useful for low-cost, in-situ soil remediation techniques. The present study aimed to determine suitable chemical properties of animal manure compost to facilitate lead (Pb) immobilization in soil. The level of mobile Pb in soil amended with swine compost was higher than that amended with cattle compost during the early stage of incubation. However, the level of mobile Pb was almost the same in soil amended with both types of compost on day 184 of incubation. The ratio of the residual fraction after sequential extraction was enhanced in soil amended with both types of compost, particularly swine compost. X-ray diffractometer (XRD) results demonstrated the precipitation of Pb phosphate minerals, such as pyromorphite, in Pb-sorbed composts, particularly swine compost. Amendment using swine compost could reduce Pb solubility even when it had a high content of water-soluble organic matter because it significantly lowered Pb phase solubility. The amendment with swine compost improved plant growth and microbial activity. This study suggests that composts with high phosphorus (P) content are suitable for Pb immobilization amendment even if they have a high water-soluble organic matter content.     

Biological technologies for the remediation of co-contaminated soil

Compound contamination in soil, caused by unreasonable waste disposal, has attracted increasing attention on a global scale, particularly since multiple heavy metals and/or organic pollutants are entering natural ecosystem through human activities, causing an enormous threat. The remediation of co-contaminated soil is more complicated and difficult than that of single contamination, due to the disparate remediation pathways utilized for different types of pollutants. Several modern remediation technologies have been developed for the treatment of co-contaminated soil. Biological remediation technologies, as the eco-friendly methods, have received widespread concern due to soil improvement besides remediation. This review summarizes the application of biological technologies, which contains microbial technologies (function microbial remediation and composting or compost addition), biochar, phytoremediation technologies, genetic engineering technologies and biochemical technologies, for the remediation of co-contaminated soil with heavy metals and organic pollutants. Mechanisms of these technologies and their remediation efficiencies are also reviewed. Based on this study, this review also identifies the future research required in this field.     

生物炭对温室黄瓜不同连作年限土壤养分和微生物群落多样性的影响

以温室黄瓜连作6年和10年土壤添加质量比为5%生物炭为处理,以不添加生物炭为对照,采用桶栽的方法,研究了生物炭对不同年限连作土壤养分和微生物群落多样性的影响.结果表明: 与连作土壤相比,生物炭处理的连作6年土壤的黄瓜单株产量提高11.4%,连作10年土壤产量提高62.8%.施入生物炭显著降低了2种连作土壤容重,显著提高了有机质、速效磷含量、阳离子交换量(CEC)和pH;显著提高了土壤细菌数量和细菌/真菌,降低了真菌和尖孢镰刀菌数量,使土壤类型由真菌型向细菌型转变,尤其对连作10年土壤作用最为明显,土壤细菌和细菌/真菌分别是未处理的2.00和3.64倍,真菌和尖孢镰刀菌数量分别是未处理的54.8%和55.9%.土壤微生物群落碳源利用分析表明,10年连作土壤施入生物炭可显著提高土壤微生物活性、Shannon指数和均匀度指数,分别是未处理的1.50、2.14和1.31倍,同时显著提高了土壤微生物对糖类、氨基酸类、酚酸类和胺类碳源的利用强度,分别是未处理的1.62、1.81、1.74和1.93倍.相关性分析表明,土壤容重、速效磷含量、CEC和pH 4个指标对微生物群落变化的影响较显著.综上,生物炭通过对连作土壤理化性质及土壤微生物生态系统的改善,优化了黄瓜根区环境,促进了黄瓜产量的提高,缓解了温室黄瓜连作障碍.     

Can biochar reduce soil greenhouse gas emissions from a Miscanthus bioenergy crop?

Energy production from bioenergy crops may significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through substitution of fossil fuels. Biochar amendment to soil may further decrease the net climate forcing of bioenergy crop production, however, this has not yet been assessed under field conditions. Significant suppression of soil nitrous oxide (N₂O) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions following biochar amendment has been demonstrated in short‐term laboratory incubations by a number of authors, yet evidence from long‐term field trials has been contradictory. This study investigated whether biochar amendment could suppress soil GHG emissions under field and controlled conditions in a Miscanthus × Giganteus crop and whether suppression would be sustained during the first 2 years following amendment. In the field, biochar amendment suppressed soil CO₂ emissions by 33% and annual net soil CO₂ equivalent (eq.) emissions (CO₂, N₂O and methane, CH₄) by 37% over 2 years. In the laboratory, under controlled temperature and equalised gravimetric water content, biochar amendment suppressed soil CO₂ emissions by 53% and net soil CO₂ eq. emissions by 55%. Soil N₂O emissions were not significantly suppressed with biochar amendment, although they were generally low. Soil CH₄ fluxes were below minimum detectable limits in both experiments. These findings demonstrate that biochar amendment has the potential to suppress net soil CO₂ eq. emissions in bioenergy crop systems for up to 2 years after addition, primarily through reduced CO₂ emissions. Suppression of soil CO₂ emissions may be due to a combined effect of reduced enzymatic activity, the increased carbon‐use efficiency from the co‐location of soil microbes, soil organic matter and nutrients and the precipitation of CO₂ onto the biochar surface. We conclude that hardwood biochar has the potential to improve the GHG balance of bioenergy crops through reductions in net soil CO₂ eq. emissions.