Progress 10/01/09 to 09/30/13
Outputs
Target Audience: Environmental scientists, farmers, biochar entrepreneurs, green industry, academics, policy makers Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? The project provided training to two graduate students and one undergraduate student. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Most of our research results were made available to the public by presentations at conferences and by publications in scientific refereed journals. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Biochars are produced with a goal to improve soil and environmental quality and to reduce pollution. During this final year, we conducted several experiments. First, we investigated the effect of pyrolysis temperature on properties and nutrient values of biochars using giant reed. With increasing temperatures, more N was lost and residual N was transformed into heterocyclic-N, whereas no P and K losses were observed. P was transformed less soluble minerals, resulting in a reduction in available-P in high-temperature biochars. A pH of ≤ 5 favored release of NH4+, PO43- and K into water. Low-temperature biochars (≤ 400 °C) showed appreciable NH4+ adsorption. Low-temperatures may be optimal for producing biochar from giant reed to improve the nutrient availability. The 2nd experiment was to examine the influence of the giant reed biochar on N2O emission from soil in the lab. Responses of N2O emission varied with pyrolysis temperature. The reduced emission observed is likely attributed to decreased denitrification in the biochar-amended soils. It is concluded that adding giant reed biochars made under the right conditions could reduce N2O evolution from agricultural soil, thus possibly mitigating global warming. In addition, using pot and column experiments, we studied the N loss, retention and bioavailability in the biochar-amended soils added with NH4+-N and NO3--N fertilizers. NO3--N leaching from the soils treated with NH4+-N and NO3--N was significantly reduced by biochar addition. NH4+-N leaching from the NO3--N treated soil was also significantly reduced by adding biochar, while no significant effect was observed for the NH4+-N treated soil. Greater reduction of NH4+-N and NO3--N leaching from the NO3--N treated soil was obtained in the system of plant-biochar-soil. The mitigation of N leaching loss by biochar addition is mainly attributed to the increase of soil water holding capacity (WHC), NH4+ adsorption and enhanced N immobilization. The biochar addition stimulated the maize growth, including the increase of biomass and the parameters of root morphology. Overall, the use of giant reed biochars led to the reduction of N leaching, and increase of N retention and bioavailability in soils, which could decrease the N fertilizer demand for crop growth. These significantly positive results illustrate the importance and potential of biochars in improving soil and environmental quality. We all helped organize the NA Biochar Symposium in October 2013 at the University of Massachusetts. The PI was one of the organizers.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Zheng, H., Z.Y Wang, X. Deng, J. Zhao, Y. Luo, J. Novak, S. Herbert and B.S. Xing. 2013. Characteristics and nutrient values of biochars produced from giant reed at different temperatures. Bioresour. Technol. 130: 463-471.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Wang, Z.Y., H. Zheng, Y. Luo, X. Deng, S. Herbert and B.S. Xing. 2013. Characterization and influence of biochars on nitrous oxide emission from agricultural soil. Environ. Pollut. 174: 289-296.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Zheng, H., Z.Y. Wang, X. Deng, S. Herbert and B.S.. Xing. 2013. Impacts of adding biochar on nitrogen retention and bioavailability in agricultural soil. Geoderma. 206: 3239
|
Progress 10/01/11 to 09/30/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: During this reporting period, we made several types of biochars using our lab-made bench-top charring oven and characterized the biochar samples. In addition, we investigated the adsorption of phthalic acid esters (organic pollutants in soil) by biochars produced from wood and grass at different temperatures. Also, we made and characterized chars from organic matter-rich lake sediment, and determined the interaction mechanisms between these chars and sulfamethoxazole (an antibiotic). Moreover, we studied two herbicides (fluridone and norflurazon) by thermally and hydrothermally produced biochars. Furthermore, we started to design experiments to evaluate nutrients values of biochar and its effect and possible mechanisms on N2O emission from soils. Our experimental results from this research project were presented at conferences and seminars. Most of our research results were made available to the public by presentations at conferences and by publications in scientific refereed journals. PARTICIPANTS: Not relevant to this project. TARGET AUDIENCES: Environmental scientists, farmers, biochar entrepreneurs, green industry, academics PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Biochars are made from biomass with a goal to improve soil and environmental quality. An important environmental issue of biochar field application is its fate-controlling impact on various pollutants, especially organic contaminants. Physical and chemical properties of biochar depend on the composition of the starting material and on the amount of thermal energy applied (heat treatment temperature, HTT) during the charring process. Therefore, we designed specific biochars to adsorb three phthalic acid esters (priority pollutants by regulatory agencies). We observed that sorption capacity for all three PAEs was the greatest for amorphous biochars (HTT = 400oC). Our results highlight the influence of feedstocks and HTTs on PAEs sorption strength and mechanism. In addition, aliphatic moieties of the hydrothermal biochars seem responsible for high herbicide sorption. For the sediment-derived chars, we found that adsorption of sulfamethoxazole (an antibiotic) increased greatly with pyrolytic temperature, and desorption ratio of the adsorbed sulfamethoxazole generally decreased with increasing pyrolytic temperature. These data illustrate the importance and potential of chars in remediating organics-contaminated soils and reducing the bioaccessibility of organic pollutants in soils.
Publications
- Pan, B., P. Huang, M. Wu, Z.Y. Wang, P. Wang, X.C. Jiao and B. Xing. 2012. Physicochemical and sorption properties of thermally-treated sediments with high organic matter content. Bioresour. Technol. 103: 367-373.
- Sun, K. J. Jin, M. Keiluweit, M. Kleber, Z.Y. Wang, Z.Z. Pan and B.S. Xing. 2012. Polar and aliphatic domains regulate sorption of phthalic acid esters (PAEs) to biochars. Bioresour. Technol. 118: 110-127.
- Sun, C. B. Gao, K.S. Ro, J.M. Novak, Z.Y. Wang, S. Herbert and B. Xing. 2012. Assessment of herbicide sorption by biochars and organic matter associated with soil and sediment. Environ. Pollut. 163: 167-173.
|
Progress 10/01/10 to 09/30/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: For this reporting period, we tested our bench-top charring oven and produced many biochars under different charring regimes. This bench-top charring unit was demonstrated in the lab for several groups of visitors who are interested in producing biochars from biomass wastes. Moreover, we determined the sorption of fluorinated herbicides to plant biomass-derived biochars as a function of molecular structures. Also, we studied the interactions of bisphenol A, 17α-ethinyl estradiol and phenanthrene with thermally and hydrothermally produced biochars after extensive characterization of the char samples using various spectroscopic techniques (e.g., NMR and FITR). Our experimental data from this project were presented at a couple of conferences. Most of the research data were made available to the public by presentations at conferences and by publications in scientific refereed journals. PARTICIPANTS: N/A TARGET AUDIENCES: Environmental scientists, farmers, biochar entrepreneurs, green industry, academics PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Biochar can be specifically made as soil amendments to improve soil quality and crop productivity. Also, biochar can be produced as effective sorbents to absorb pesticides and emerging contaminants. From the pesticide sorption experiments, amorphous biochars (made at 400oC) exhibited the highest sorption distribution parameter for norflurazon and fluridone, emphasizing the importance of amorphous structural arrangement of aromatic moieties in these biochar. Also this data indicates that applications of low-temperature biochar to arable soil may reduce the mobility of norflurazon and fluridone, thus preventing unwanted herbicide leaching and subsequent contamination of sensitive water bodies. When comparing the thermally and hydrothermally produced biochar, thermal biochars were composed mostly of aromatic moieties with low H/C and O/C ratios. Single-point organic carbon-normalized distribution coefficients (logKOC) of bisphenol A and 17α-ethinyl estradiol of hydrothermal biochar were higher than thermal biochars. Thus, hydrothermal biochars could adsorb a wide spectrum of both polar and nonpolar organic contaminants, suggesting that hydrothermal biochar derived from poultry and animal waste is a potential sorbent for agricultural and environmental applications.
Publications
- Sun, K., M. Keiluweit, M. Kleber, Z.Z. Pan and B. Xing. 2011. Sorption of fluorinated herbicides to plant biomass-derived biochars as a function of molecular structure. Bioresour. Technol. 102(21): 9897-9903.
- Sun, K., K. Ro, M.X. Guo, J. Novak, H. Mashayekhi and B. Xing. 2011. Sorption of bisphenol A, 17α-ethinyl estradiol and phenanthrene on thermally and hydrothermally produced biochars. Bioresour. Technol. 102: 5757-5763.
|
Progress 10/01/09 to 09/30/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: For this reporting period, we adjusted our bench-top charring oven to meet our needs and requirements. Now, the oven can be adjusted for temperature, charring duration, and gas flow rate. We can now produce enough biochar for lab characterization and experiments. This bench-top charring unit can also be used for demonstration and outreach activities. We plan to show the oven during the field day at our agronomy research farm next year. With this unit, we made several types of biochar from various agricultural recycled material/biomass. Preliminary data from this project were presented at 2 conferences. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Environmental scientists, farmers, biochar entrepreneurs, green industry, academics PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: A Nanoparticle size analyzer was purchased to advance research on this project during the 2010 calendar year.
Impacts
Different biochars can be specifically made from our bench-top charring oven according to the need (e.g., as adsorbent or soil amendment) and design, which is significant because different biochars have different physico-chemical properties and as a result, different functions and uses. We will use this charring oven to make various biochars for adsorbing nutrients such as phosphate and mineral cations, reducing the availability of organic contaminants, and/or mitigating greenhouse effect by sequestrating carbon in soils.
Publications
- Sun, K., K.S. Ro, M. Guo and B. Xing. Sorption of bisphenol A, 17alpha-ethinyl estradiol and phenanthrene by biochars obtained by thermal and hydrothermal methods. The 240th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, August 22-26, 2010. Abstract No.: 168.
- Sun, K. K. Ro, M.X. Guo, J. Novak and B. Xing. Adsorption of endocrine disrupting chemicals and phenanthrene by biochars. Long Beach, CA, October 31-3, 2010. Abstract No.: 166-14.
|
|