A soil incubation experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of biochar application (2% w/w) on urea hydrolysis and inorganic nitrogen accumulation. Fresh biochars were produced from maize stover that was pyrolyzed at 300 °C, 500 °C, and 700 °C. Then the matured biochars were obtained via a 50 days maturing process. Biochar prepared at 700 °C strongly accelerated the urea hydrolysis and...

The characteristics of biochar vary with pyrolysis temperature. Chloropicrin (CP) is an effective fumigant for controlling soil-borne pests. This study investigated the characteristics of biochars prepared at 300, 500, and 700 ◦C by michelia alba (Magnolia denudata) wood and evaluated their capacity to adsorb CP. The study also determined the potential influence of biochar, which was added to s...

While it is clear that biochar can alter soil N2O emissions, data on NO impacts are scarce. Reports range from 0 to 67% soil NO emission reductions postbiochar amendment. We use regional air quality and health cost models to assess how these soil NO reductions could influence U.S. air quality and health costs. We find that at 67% soil NO reduction, widespread application of biochar to fertilize...

Nonactivated and activated biochars have been successfully prepared by bananas at different thermotreatment temperatures. The activated biochar generated at 900°C (Biochar-act900) exhibited improved oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performances in alkaline media, in terms of the onset potential and generated current density. Rotating disk electron result shows...

The physical and chemical properties of biochar vary based on feedstock sources and production conditions, making it possible to engineer biochars with specific functions (e.g. carbon sequestration, soil quality improvements, or contaminant sorption). In 2013, the International Biochar Initiative (IBI) made publically available their Standardized Product Definition and Product Testing Guideline...

Biochar production and subsequent soil incorporation could provide carbon farming solutions to global climate change and escalating food demand. There is evidence that biochar amendment causes fundamental changes in soil nutrient cycles, often resulting in marked increases in crop production, particularly in acidic and in infertile soils with low soil organic matter contents, although comparabl...

Biochar modification has received significant research attention due to its attractive and fruitful rewards in improving biochar performances. However, the determinants of modified biochars’ stability ability aged biochars remove heavy metals have not been comprehensively evaluated. Therefore, three commonly used functional groups (5% 10% H2O2-modified (BCH5 BCH20); 25% 65% HNO3-modified (BCA25...

The Boehm titration, originally developed to characterize carbon blacks and activated carbons, has earned growing attention as a method for characterization of acid and base properties of biochar (Boehm, 1994; Goertzen et al., 2010). The method is based on the principle that strong acids and bases will react with all bases and acids, respectively, whereas the conjugate bases of weak acids will ...

Biochar application to agricultural soils is an interesting emerging technology with promising potential for long-term carbon storage, sustainable waste disposal, and soil fertility enhancement. Extensive information exists in the literature on the highly beneficial properties of biochar. Nevertheless, systematic application of biochar on European agricultural soils may have wide ranging policy...

Reductive dechlorination is the primary pathway for environmental removal of pentachlorophenol (PCP) in soil under anaerobic condition. This process has been verified to be coupled with other soil redox processes of typical biogenic elements such as carbon, iron and sulfur. Meanwhile, biochar has received increasing interest in its potential for remediation of contaminated soil, with the effect...