Investigating the Influence of Biochar Particle Size and Depth of Placement on Nitrous Oxide (N 2 O) Emissions from Simulated Urine Patches

Ainul Faizah Mahmud, Marta Camps-Arbestain and Mike Hedley
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Ainul Faizah Mahmud: New Zealand Biochar Research Centre, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
Marta Camps-Arbestain: New Zealand Biochar Research Centre, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
Mike Hedley: New Zealand Biochar Research Centre, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand

Agriculture, 2018, vol. 8, issue 11, 1-15

Abstract: The use of biochar reduces nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions from soils under specific conditions yet the mechanisms through which interactions occur are not fully understood. The objectives of this glasshouse study were to investigate the effect of (i) biochar particle size, and (ii) the impact of soil inversion—through simulated mouldboard ploughing—on N 2 O emissions from soils to which cattle urine was applied. Pine biochar (550 °C) with two different particle sizes (<2 mm and >4 mm) was mixed either into the top soil layer at the original 0–10 cm depth in the soil column or at 10–20 cm depth by inverting the top soil to simulate ploughing. Nitrous oxide emissions were monitored for every two to three days, up to seven weeks during the summer trial and measurements were repeated during the autumn trial. We found that the use of large particle size biochar in the inverted soil had significant impact on increasing the cumulative N 2 O emissions in autumn trial, possibly through changes in the water hydraulic conductivity of the soil column and increased water retention at the boundary between soil layers. This study thus highlights the importance of the role of biochar particle size and the method of biochar placement on soil physical properties and the implications of these on N 2 O emissions.

Keywords: nitrous oxide emission; biochar; biochar particle size; soil inversion; soil water retention (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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