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Wang J, Manning DAC, Stirling R, Lopez-Capel E, Werner D. Biochar benefits carbon off-setting in blue-green infrastructure soils - A lysimeter study. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 325:116639. [PMID: 36334450 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Carbon sequestration with amendments in blue-green infrastructure soils could off-set anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions to alleviate climate change. In this 3-year study, the effects of wheat straw and its biochar on carbon sequestration in an urban landscaping soil were investigated under realistic outdoor conditions using two large-scale lysimeters. Both amendments were carried out by incorporating pellets at 0-15 cm soil depth with an equivalent initial total carbon input of 2% of the dry soil weight. Soil carbon, carbon isotope ratios, dissolved carbon in leachates, CO2-C emissions, carbon fixed in above ground vegetation, soil water content, soil bulk electrical conductivity, and water infiltration rates, were then compared between the 2 lysimeters. After 3 years, we observed that, despite having a 17.2% lower vegetation growth, soil organic and inorganic carbon content was higher by 28.8% and 41.5%, respectively, in biochar as compared to wheat straw amended soil. Carbon isotope analysis confirmed the greater stability of the added carbon in the biochar amended soil. Water content was on average 23.2% and 13.0% in the straw pellet and biochar amended soil, respectively, whereas water infiltration rates were not significantly different between the two lysimeters. Overall, the incorporation of wheat straw biochar into soil could store an estimated 30 tonnes of carbon per hectare in city blue-green infrastructure spaces. Interviews involving institution stakeholders examined the feasibility of this biochar application. Stakeholders recognized the potential of biochar as an environment-friendly means for carbon offsetting, but were concerned about the practicality of biochar production and application into soil and increased maintenance work. Consequently, additional potential benefits of biochar for environmental management such as improving the quality of polluted run-off in stormwater treatment systems should be emphasized to make biochar an attractive proposition in sustainable urban development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqian Wang
- School of Engineering, Newcastle University, United Kingdom
| | - David A C Manning
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, United Kingdom
| | - Ross Stirling
- School of Engineering, Newcastle University, United Kingdom
| | - Elisa Lopez-Capel
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, United Kingdom
| | - David Werner
- School of Engineering, Newcastle University, United Kingdom.
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Effects of Nitrogen Conservation Measures on the Nitrogen Uptake by Cotton Plants and Nitrogen Residual in Soil Profile in Extremely Arid Areas of Xinjiang, China. Processes (Basel) 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/pr10020353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
This study researched the effects of using various nitrogen (N) conservation measures on the residual characteristics of nitrate and ammonium N in soil and the associated N uptake by cotton plants. A field experiment with six treatments was conducted, as follows, no N application (DT1), conventional N application (DT2), 60% conventional N application combined with DCD (DT3), 60% conventional N application combined with NBPT (DT4), 60% conventional N application combined with cotton straw returning (DT5), and 60% conventional N application combined with DCD, NBPT, and cotton straw returning (DT6). The results showed that the cotton straws in the DT5 treatment were beneficial for the vegetative growth of cotton seedlings. However, it was observed that the later performance of the plants in this sample was poor in terms of height, biomass, and yield of cotton. The plant height in the DT6 sample increased by 15 cm compared with those in DT1, and the soil and plant analyzer development (SPAD) values of the fourth leaf from the top of the DT6 plants were higher than those in the DT1 and DT4 samples. The DT6 plants (60% Urea + DCD + NBPT + cotton straw) increased N use efficiency by up to 47%, and no significant decrease in biomass and cotton yield was observed compared to the DT2 sample. The residual content of nitrate N in the tillage layer increased gradually over time between two rounds of drip irrigation treatment applications. Compared with the DT2 treatment, the other treatments resulted in lower residual nitrate N contents. In summary, the application of N fertilizers at a reduced rate combined with N conservation measures may increase N use efficiency and decrease the risk of non-point source N fertilizer pollution, while maintaining the cotton yield.
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Wang C, Pan Y, Zhang Z, Xiao R, Zhang M. Effect of straw decomposition on organic carbon fractions and aggregate stability in salt marshes. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 777:145852. [PMID: 33676213 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Straw addition can increase the content of soil organic carbon (SOC), and affect the content of aggregates and organic carbon fractions. The changes in aggregates and organic carbon fractions in the natural salt marsh, 10-year and 15-year freshwater pumping areas in the Yellow River Estuary were studied by 120-day field in situ culture experiments with Phragmites australis straw addition. The results showed that straw addition mainly enhanced the soil aggregate stability in the 10-year freshwater pumping area, and the organic carbon content of small macro-aggregates increased significantly by 26.36% (P < 0.05). In particular, the content of coarse particulate organic carbon (cPOC) with small macro-aggregates in all areas increased significantly with the addition of straw (P < 0.05). For small macro-aggregates in the 10-year pumping area, the cPOC contents increased significantly by 21.73 g/kg (P < 0.05); and were significantly higher than the fine particulate organic carbon (fPOC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (mSOC) contents, as the fPOC contents in micro-aggregates increased by 85.92% (P < 0.05). Additionally, the cPOC contents of small macro-aggregates and fPOC contents of micro-aggregates increased by 34.59% and 43.24% in the 15-year pumping area. The contents of mSOC were the lowest in different aggregates across all areas. Thus, straw addition had a significant effect on the contents of cPOC and fPOC, while freshwater pumping in the YRE could affect the distribution of fPOC and mSOC with aggregates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Yueyan Pan
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Zhenming Zhang
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Rong Xiao
- College of Environment and Resources, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China.
| | - Mingxiang Zhang
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
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Abstract
The exercise of biochar in agribusiness has increased proportionally in recent years. It has been indicated that biochar application could strengthen soil fertility benefits, such as improvement in soil microbial activity, abatement of bulk density, amelioration of nutrient and water-holding capacity and immutability of soil organic matter. Additionally, biochar amendment could also improve nutrient availability such as phosphorus and nitrogen in different types of soil. Most interestingly, the locally available wastes are pyrolyzed to biochar to improve the relationship among plants, soil and the environment. This can also be of higher importance to small-scale farming, and the biochar produced can be utilized in farms for the improvement of crop productivity. Thus, biochar could be a potential amendment to a soil that could help in achieving sustainable agriculture and environment. However, before mainstream formulation and renowned biochar use, several challenges must be taken into consideration, as the beneficial impacts and potential use of biochar seem highly appealing. This review is based on confined knowledge taken from different field-, laboratory- and greenhouse-based studies. It is well known that the properties of biochar vary with feedstock, pyrolysis temperature (300, 350, 400, 500, and 600 °C) and methodology of preparation. It is of high concern to further investigate the negative consequences: hydrophobicity; large scale application in farmland; production cost, primarily energy demand; and environmental threat, as well as affordability of feedstock. Nonetheless, the current literature reflects that biochar could be a significant amendment to the agroecosystem in order to tackle the challenges and threats observed in sustainable agriculture (crop production and soil fertility) and the environment (reducing greenhouse gas emission).
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Wang Q, Nielsen UG. Applications of solid-state NMR spectroscopy in environmental science. SOLID STATE NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE 2020; 110:101698. [PMID: 33130521 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssnmr.2020.101698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary field, which integrates chemical, physical, and biological sciences to study environmental problems and human impact on the environment. This article highlights the use of solid-state NMR spectroscopy (SSNMR) in studies of environmental processes and remediation with examples from both laboratory studies and samples collected in the field. The contemporary topics presented include soil chemistry, environmental remediation (e.g., heavy metals and radionuclides removal, carbon dioxide mineralization), and phosphorus recovery. SSNMR is a powerful technique, which provides atomic-level information about speciation in complex environmental samples as well as the interactions between pollutants and minerals/organic matter on different environmental interfaces. The challenges in the application of SSNMR in environmental science (e.g., measurement of paramagnetic nuclei and low-gamma nuclei) are also discussed, and perspectives are provided for the future research efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Wang
- Department of Physics, Chemistry, and Pharmacy, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230, Odense M, Denmark
| | - Ulla Gro Nielsen
- Department of Physics, Chemistry, and Pharmacy, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230, Odense M, Denmark.
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Song X, Yang J, Hussain Q, Liu X, Zhang J, Cui D. Stable isotopes reveal the formation diversity of humic substances derived from different cotton straw-based materials. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 740:140202. [PMID: 32569918 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Revised: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Humic substances (HS) are essential in environment processes and carbon (C) sequestration in soils. In this study, organic materials such as cotton straw and its derived compost and biochar were added to the soil on a C-equivalent basis and incubated for 30 and 180 days in order to investigate the different forms of plant biomass derived C sequestration in HS. The C distribution in humic acid (HA), fulvic acid (FA), and humin (Hu) derived from organic materials was investigated using the 13C isotope method, while the catalase, sucrose, and β-glucosidase activities were also determined. The results showed that C3 distribution of Hu derived from straw, compost and biochar increased from 40.94% to 67.12%, 74.47% and 80.75%, respectively. In addition, the increase of C3 distribution of HA or FA derived from straw, compost and biochar were 4.69%, 10.09% and 1.49%, respectively. There were significantly positive correlations between catalase, sucrase and β-glucosidase activities and C3 derived HA and FA. The principal component analysis showed that catalase, sucrase and β-glucosidase were explained mainly by the first principal component indicating a significant correlation. These findings suggest that straw, compost and biochar are mainly sequestrated in Hu. Comparatively, the straw and compost are more likely to contribute to the formation of HA and FA in soil, but biochar favors the Hu, which helps in soil C sequestration. The formation of HA and FA derived from organic materials was supported by catalase, sucrase and β-glucosidase activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyun Song
- College of Resources and Environment, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, PR China; Qingdao Engineering Research Center for Rural Environment, College of Resources and Environment, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, PR China
| | - Jingkai Yang
- College of Resources and Environment, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, PR China
| | - Qaiser Hussain
- Institute of Soil Science, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - Xinwei Liu
- College of Resources and Environment, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, PR China
| | - Jinjing Zhang
- College of Resources and Environment, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, PR China
| | - Dejie Cui
- College of Resources and Environment, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, PR China; Qingdao Engineering Research Center for Rural Environment, College of Resources and Environment, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, PR China.
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Lu H, Yan M, Wong MH, Mo WY, Wang Y, Chen XW, Wang JJ. Effects of biochar on soil microbial community and functional genes of a landfill cover three years after ecological restoration. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 717:137133. [PMID: 32062262 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Revised: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Landfills, as the most common approach to disposing of municipal solid waste worldwide, disturb native ecosystems and create a need for ecological restoration. The restoration of landfill cover with biochar has shown immediate potential to improve soil microbial functions within one year. However, such characteristics could change after a longer period of time. Here, soil properties, microbial communities, and microbial functional genes related to nutrient cycling were investigated three years after the biochar amendment of the topsoil of a subtropical landfill cover. The results showed that the levels of soil organic matter, water content, total carbon (C), total nitrogen (N) and total phosphorus (P) of biochar-amended soils were higher than those of control soil. Different soil microbial community structures were observed in the biochar-amended and control soils. Nine phyla, including Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria, but not Actinobacteria or Chloroflexi, were enriched in the biochar-amended soil. Although the impact of biochar on shaping microbial communities increased after a longer period of restoration, no differences were observed in soils that were amended using different biochar:soil ratios. The abundances of functional genes related to C and N cycling decreased, whereas those of genes related to P cycling were higher in soils that received biochar amendment. This finding suggests that compared with the control soil, biochar-amended soils were less active in processes involved in C and N cycling but enhanced in processes related to P cycling. This study can serve as a reference for future ecological restoration of degraded lands using biochar.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hang Lu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Mengxue Yan
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Ming Hung Wong
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; Consortium on Health, Environment, Education and Research (CHEER), Department of Science and Environmental Studies, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tai Po, Hong Kong, China
| | - Wing Yin Mo
- Consortium on Health, Environment, Education and Research (CHEER), Department of Science and Environmental Studies, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tai Po, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yinghui Wang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Xun Wen Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China.
| | - Jun-Jian Wang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China.
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