Predicting the effects of biochar on soil carbon, greenhouse gas emissions and crop yield in lowland agricultural soils in England; greenhouse and on-farm experiments.

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Predicting the effects of biochar on soil carbon,
greenhouse gas emissions and crop yield in
lowland agricultural soils in England greenhouse
and on-farm experiments.

• Biochar is the carbon rich product obtained when
  biomass is heated in a closed container with
  little or no available air

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Oxisol and terra preta in Amazonia
biochar
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Advances in Agronomy 2010 pp 47-82
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Benefits of biochar

• Immobilizes C in soil (102-103 years)
• Reduces fertilizer requirements
• Reduces GHG emissions especially N2O (c. 1 of N
  in N fertilizer ends up in N in N2O)
• Increases water supply to plants

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 1. Efficient vehicles  2. Reduced use of
vehicles  3. Efficient buildings  4. Efficient
baseload coal plants  5. Gas baseload power for
coal baseload power  6. Capture CO2 at baseload
power plant  7. Capture CO2 at H2 plant  8.
Capture CO2 at coal-to- synfuels plant  9.
Nuclear power for coal power  10. Wind power for
coal power  11. PV power for coal power  12. Wind
H2 in fuel-cell car for ....... gasoline in
hybrid car  13. Biomass fuel for fossil fuel  14.
Reduced deforestation, plus ......
reforestation, afforestation,  15. Conservation
tillage  16. Biochar
Pacala Socolow 2004 Science 305, 968
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Stable isotopes to follow C and N

• C4 Miscanthus biochar in C3 soil
• 15N ammonium nitrate fertilizer

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year 1 greenhouse experiment

• How does biochar affect growth?
• Is it potentially toxic? Paracelsus "the dose
  makes the poison"
• Crop yield and reduction of fertilizer input
• N2O including 15N from fertilizer
• CO2 including 13C (C from C4 biochar)
• CH4
• Soil C including 13C (C from C4 biochar)

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Years 2 3 Field experiment, 3 biochar levels,
4 N levels
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Field experiment, 3 biochar levels, 4 N levels, 4
replicates 48 plots
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Years 2 3 on-farm experiment

• Crop yield and reduction of fertilizer input
• N2O including 15N from fertilizer
• CO2 including 13C (C from C4 biochar)
• CH4
• Soil C including 13C (C from C4 biochar)

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