Quantifying the acceptance and adoption dynamics of biochar and co-biochar as a sustainable soil amendment

Abstract

Biochar, a carbonized biomass, can be used as a soil amendment for improving soil fertility and productivity as well as ensuring agricultural sustainability. Biochar can be produced from different materials and at different conditions, so its quality varies greatly as a soil amendment. In this respect, the present study aimed to explore the effectiveness of 4 biochars as a soil ameliorator for securing soil health. The biochars were produced from 3 different biomasses viz., rice straw, sawdust and water hyacinth and their mixture (co-biochar at 1:1:1) at 400 °C. The biomasses and the biochars were characterized and the results revealed that conversion of biomasses into biochars caused a significant (p<0.05) increase in almost all of the biochar properties. Among the 4 biochars, water hyacinth biochar showed higher ash content, water holding capacity, surface area and total P, K, S, Ca and Zn. So, water hyacinth biochar could be a better choice as a soil amendment than the other three biochars. However, rice straw biochar showed higher cation exchange capacity (CEC), total N and Na and conversion efficiency of C, N, P, K, Na and Zn. Whereas, the co-biochar illustrated higher yield and showed the second highest in fixed C, CEC, total S, Ca and Zn and also in conversion efficiency of C, P, S, Na, K and Ca. Finally, it can be assumed to produce a co-biochar using rice straw at a higher ratio which might have a high potential for C storage and for supplying all of the essential plant nutrients.