Recipient Organization
UNIV OF WISCONSIN
21 N PARK ST STE 6401
MADISON,WI 53715-1218
Performing Department
Biological Systems Engineering
Non Technical Summary
The proposed research represents a novel approach to develop agricultural systems that will help sustain natural resources of clean water, fertile soil, and carbon sequestration. The project seeks to understand the fundamental manure/biochar properties in a soil system for both nutrient capture and soil physical properties. A review of the literature has indicated that this approach has been discussed, but not thoroughly investigated. This research is believed to be feasible as the collaboration of the two investigators allows both expertise in biomass handling and storage as well as chemical extraction and purification. Additionally, the investigators' laboratories have the equipment and facilities required for the proposed research. In the simplest terms, this research will create biochars and measure their ability to hold nutrients in the soil to both improve the soil vitality and prevent water contamination during leaching. Additionally, as biochar is a by-product of thermochemical bioenergy processes, this application could develop a value for this co-product. By providing potential solutions for land application of manure, as well as highlighting issues of manure leaching and run-off, the investigators are confident that the proposed research will make direct and indirect contributions to furthering the sustainability of a bio-based economy. This research should provide significant short-and long-term benefits to U.S. farmers, the emerging biofuels and bioproducts industry and the federal economy. Successful completion and commercialization of this work would provide a means for farmers to improve soil and water quality as well as create an additional value stream for biochar created in thermochemical fuel production. The benefits of this project to both Wisconsin and the United States include: 1. Develop additional land application management practices using a biochar blend which provides a more controlled nutrient release and increases soil fertility; 2. Develop a systems approach for combining farm and biofuel industries to provide sustainable nutrient recycling. 3. Develop new potential income streams for thermochemical biofuels producers by providing the value of biochar as a soil amendment; 4. Significantly reduce water pollution and GHG emissions; and 5. Train and educate the scientists (viz. graduate students) in bioprocessing.
Animal Health Component
25%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
75%
Applied
25%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Four specific objectives including: 1. Obtain and create a variety of biochar samples with a combination of various pyrolysis conditions and feedstock materials; 2 Characterize biochar sample's surface chemistry to predict which types may best reduce manure agrochemical leaching and provide fundamental insight into the drivers behind the mechanisms; 3. Assess nutrient leaching from soil/manure/biochar composites in a laboratory soil leaching and 4. Provide an overall technical and economic assessment of the system and determine its feasibility.
Project Methods
The overall experiment plan starts with obtaining several biomass samples representing various biomass substrates including woody, agricultural residues, and dedicated energy crops. These materials will be characterized for biomass chemistry and their morphology to assist in understanding the biochar created during pyrolysis. Various pyrolysis conditions will be used and the chars characterized in a variety of methods including both routine soil chemical tests (pH, organic carbon, exchangeable-P, and extractable-K) and advanced surface chemistry techniques. The surface chemistry analysis techniques can provide a method to characterized surface charge and predict nutrient holding capacity. Following initial characterization, three biochar materials with markedly different physical and chemical properties will be selected to develop manure/biochar composites. Manure/biochar blends will be mixed with 0, 10, 20, and 100% biochar. The materials will be aged and re-characterized to determine if biological activity changes the composite properties. The aged material will be incorporated into soil samples which will then be characterized with both standard soil testing and novel surface chemistry techniques to predict manure leaching and runoff. The water and sediment collected from these experiments will be split into two fractions: unfiltered and filtered (using a 0.45 micron filter.) Unfiltered samples will be analyzed for TC, TN and TP. Filtered samples will be analyzed for sediment loss (retention up on filter), dissolved inorganic N (ammonium and nitrated), dissolved organic N, dissolved organic C, and dissolved reactive P. Additionally, utilization of Dionex 350 accelerated solvent extractor will be explored as a method to increase test reproductively and efficiency. These experiments will attempt to correlate to pressurized water extractions with the soil column results. If successful, this method would provide a faster method to characterize amendment materials for future researchers. Soil/manure/biochar composites will also be analyzed for their physical properties: bulk density, total carbon content, aggregate stability and particle size analysis. Simulated crusting experiments will be performed through measurement of fluid permeability after succession wetting/drying cycles. Additional soil fluid permeability will be measured. Results from both the leaching and crusting experiments will be statistically analyzed and correlated to surface chemistry measurements utilizing statistical experimental designs.