Quantifying the Effects of Biochar Application on Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Agricultural Soils: A Global Meta-Analysis

Qi Zhang, Jing Xiao, Jianhui Xue and Lang Zhang
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Qi Zhang: Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Jing Xiao: National Engineering Laboratory for Improving Quality of Arable Land, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Jianhui Xue: Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Lang Zhang: Shanghai Academy of Landscape Architecture Science and Planning, Shanghai 200232, China

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 8, 1-14

Abstract: Agricultural disturbance has significantly boosted soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions such as methane (CH 4 ), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), and nitrous oxide (N 2 O). Biochar application is a potential option for regulating soil GHG emissions. However, the effects of biochar application on soil GHG emissions are variable among different environmental conditions. In this study, a dataset based on 129 published papers was used to quantify the effect sizes of biochar application on soil GHG emissions. Overall, biochar application significantly increased soil CH 4 and CO 2 emissions by an average of 15% and 16% but decreased soil N 2 O emissions by an average of 38%. The response ratio of biochar applications on soil GHG emissions was significantly different under various management strategies, biochar characteristics, and soil properties. The relative influence of biochar characteristics differed among soil GHG emissions, with the overall contribution of biochar characteristics to soil GHG emissions ranging from 29% (N 2 O) to 71% (CO 2 ). Soil pH, the biochar C:N ratio, and the biochar application rate were the most influential variables on soil CH 4 , CO 2 , and N 2 O emissions, respectively. With biochar application, global warming potential (impact of the emission of different greenhouse gases on their radiative forcing by agricultural practices) and the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions (emission rate of a given pollutant relative to the intensity of a specific activity) significantly decreased, and crop yield greatly increased, with an average response ratio of 23%, 41%, and 21%, respectively. Our findings provide a scientific basis for reducing soil GHG emissions and increasing crop yield through biochar application.

Keywords: biochar application; methane; carbon dioxide; nitrous oxide; agricultural soils; meta-analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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