Role of Nutrient-Enriched Biochar as a Soil Amendment during Maize Growth: Exploring Practical Alternatives to Recycle Agricultural Residuals and to Reduce Chemical Fertilizer Demand

Simon Kizito, Hongzhen Luo, Jiaxin Lu, Hamidou Bah, Renjie Dong and Shubiao Wu
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Simon Kizito: Key Laboratory of Clean Utilization Technology for Renewable Energy in Ministry of Agriculture, College of Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Hongzhen Luo: Key Laboratory of Clean Utilization Technology for Renewable Energy in Ministry of Agriculture, College of Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Jiaxin Lu: Key Laboratory of Clean Utilization Technology for Renewable Energy in Ministry of Agriculture, College of Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Hamidou Bah: Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
Renjie Dong: Key Laboratory of Clean Utilization Technology for Renewable Energy in Ministry of Agriculture, College of Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Shubiao Wu: Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Aarhus University, 8000C Aarhus, Denmark

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 11, 1-22

Abstract: Recycling and value-added utilization of agricultural residues through combining technologies such as anaerobic digestion and pyrolysis could double the recoverable energy, close the nutrient recycle loop, and ensure cleaner agricultural production. This study assessed the beneficial application of biochar to soil to recycle digestate nutrients, improve soil quality, and reduce conventional chemical fertilizer. The addition of digestate-enriched biochar improved soil quality as it provided higher soil organic matter (232%–514%) and macronutrients (110%–230%) as opposed to the unenriched biochar and control treatments. Maize grown in soil amended with digestate-enriched biochar showed a significantly higher biomass yield compared to the control and non-enriched biochar treatments but was slightly lower than yields from chemical fertilizer treatments. The slightly lower yield (20%–25%) achieved from digestate-enriched biochar was attributed to slower mineralization and release of the adsorbed nutrients in the short term. However, digestate-enriched biochar could in the long term become more beneficial in sustaining soil fertility through maintaining high soil organic matter and the gradual release of micronutrients compared to conventional chemical fertilizer. Positive effects on soil micronutrients, macronutrients, organic matter, and biomass yield indicates that enriched biochar could partly replace chemical fertilizers and promote organic farming in a circular economy concept.

Keywords: agricultural residues; anaerobic digestate; nutrient recycle; agroecosystems; corn fertilization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (25)

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