Carbon Mineralization Dynamics of Switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum ) Biochar in a Northern Florida Soil

Yuch-Ping Hsieh () and Kristina Hatakka
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Yuch-Ping Hsieh: Center for Water Resources, College of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL 32307, USA
Kristina Hatakka: Center for Water Resources, College of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL 32307, USA

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 10, 1-10

Abstract: Biochar has been considered one of the viable solutions for atmospheric carbon sequestration because of its resistance to mineralization in soils. However, our knowledge of the mineralization rates of biochar in soils is still inconclusive due to the drawbacks of either the study methods or insufficient characterization of the studied materials or both. The objectives of this study were (1) to characterize switchgrass (SG) biochar by multi-element scanning thermal analysis (MESTA), and (2) to determine the mineralization rates of the SG biochar carbon (BC) in soil by the 13 C tracer method. The results indicated that the 400 °C and the 600 °C SG biochars were not significantly different in chemical composition or thermal stability. A MESTA thermogram of the SG feedstock can predict the yield and thermal stability of the resulting biochar. The 13 C tracer determined the mineralization rates and deduced the corresponding mean residence times (MRTs) of the BC, SG-C, and native SOC to be 347 years, 4 years, and 65 years, respectively. The MRT of BC should be a minimal estimate because of the limited incubation period. Even so, the MRT was already two orders of magnitude greater than that of the SG feedstock indicating the carbon sequestration potential of the biochar in soil.

Keywords: switchgrass; biochar; multi-element scanning thermal analysis; native soil organic carbon; mineralization rates; mean residence times; stable carbon isotope; C3 and C4 plants (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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