Organic coating on biochar explains its nutrient retention and stimulation of soil fertility

Nikolas Hagemann, Stephen Joseph, Hans-Peter Schmidt, Claudia I. Kammann, Johannes Harter, Thomas Borch, Robert B. Young, Krisztina Varga, Sarasadat Taherymoosavi, K. Wade Elliott, Amy McKenna, Mihaela Albu, Claudia Mayrhofer, Martin Obst, Pellegrino Conte, Alba Dieguez-Alonso, Silvia Orsetti, Edisson Subdiaga, Sebastian Behrens and Andreas Kappler ()
Additional contact information
Nikolas Hagemann: University of Tuebingen
Stephen Joseph: School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Chemistry, University of Newcastle
Hans-Peter Schmidt: Ithaka Institute for Carbon Strategies
Claudia I. Kammann: Hochschule Geisenheim University
Johannes Harter: University of Tuebingen
Thomas Borch: Colorado State University
Robert B. Young: Colorado State University
Krisztina Varga: University of New Hampshire
Sarasadat Taherymoosavi: School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Chemistry, University of Newcastle
K. Wade Elliott: University of New Hampshire
Amy McKenna: Florida State University
Mihaela Albu: Austrian Cooperative Research, Centre for Electron Microscopy and Nanoanalysis
Claudia Mayrhofer: Austrian Cooperative Research, Centre for Electron Microscopy and Nanoanalysis
Martin Obst: BayCEER Analytics, University of Bayreuth
Pellegrino Conte: Università degli Studi di Palermo
Alba Dieguez-Alonso: Technische Universität Berlin
Silvia Orsetti: Center for Applied Geoscience, University of Tuebingen
Edisson Subdiaga: Center for Applied Geoscience, University of Tuebingen
Sebastian Behrens: University of Minnesota
Andreas Kappler: University of Tuebingen

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Amending soil with biochar (pyrolized biomass) is suggested as a globally applicable approach to address climate change and soil degradation by carbon sequestration, reducing soil-borne greenhouse-gas emissions and increasing soil nutrient retention. Biochar was shown to promote plant growth, especially when combined with nutrient-rich organic matter, e.g., co-composted biochar. Plant growth promotion was explained by slow release of nutrients, although a mechanistic understanding of nutrient storage in biochar is missing. Here we identify a complex, nutrient-rich organic coating on co-composted biochar that covers the outer and inner (pore) surfaces of biochar particles using high-resolution spectro(micro)scopy and mass spectrometry. Fast field cycling nuclear magnetic resonance, electrochemical analysis and gas adsorption demonstrated that this coating adds hydrophilicity, redox-active moieties, and additional mesoporosity, which strengthens biochar-water interactions and thus enhances nutrient retention. This implies that the functioning of biochar in soil is determined by the formation of an organic coating, rather than biochar surface oxidation, as previously suggested.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01123-0

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