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Effects of contrasting biochars on the leaching of inorganic nitrogen from soil

  • Biochar and Agricultural Sustainability (SI APBC 2018)
  • Published:
Journal of Soils and Sediments Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The use of excessive nitrogen (N) fertilizers usually causes soil N leaching, eutrophication, and water pollution. Nevertheless, biochars may play an important role in decreasing N losses from soil to waterways. The objectives of this study were to explore the effect of contrasting biochars on the leaching of key inorganic N species during the N transformation processes in a biochar-amended soil.

Materials and methods

A column leaching experiment was carried out through a soil treated with 2% (w/w) application rate of dead pig-derived biochar (DPB), ultrasonic-modified dead pig-derived biochar (UPB), or Platanus orientalis branch-derived biochar (POB). The DPB contained 5% N, which was much greater than that in the POB (1% N). The amount of ammonium and nitrate N (NH4+-N and NO3-N) in the leachate samples from the soil treated with different biochars were collected and analyzed periodically.

Results and discussion

After 20 weeks of incubation, the cumulative NH4+-N leaching loss from the control treatment was 1.87, 2.00, and 2.07 times greater than that from the POB-, DPB-, and UPB-treated soils (P < 0.05). Biochar application reduced NH4+-N leaching from the soil, likely because of NH4+ ion retention and adsorption on biochar surface areas and pore spaces. The cumulative NO3-N in the leachate from the biochar-amended soil was significantly lower than that of the untreated control, in the order of POB < UPB = DPB < untreated control. With the application of DPB and UPB, the cumulative inorganic N (especially NO3-N) leaching loss was significantly higher by up to 50%, compared with the POB treatment (P < 0.05). The suppression of nitrate leaching may be due to microbial N immobilization, resulting from the addition of different biochars. It is apparent that the ultrasonic modification process of DPB caused no further inhibition of inorganic N leaching from the soil via incorporating the UPB.

Conclusions

Despite the relatively high N concentration in the DPB, 2% of DPB dosage reduced inorganic N leaching from the amended soil. Therefore, regardless of the biochar N concentrations, biochars could be used to improve N fertilizer use efficiency by reducing N leaching loss from soils.

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Funding

This study was funded by the Natural Science Foundation of China (21577131, 21876027) and the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province, China (2017A030311019).

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Correspondence to Hailong Wang.

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Responsible editor: Yong Sik Ok

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Feng, Y., Yang, X., Singh, B.P. et al. Effects of contrasting biochars on the leaching of inorganic nitrogen from soil. J Soils Sediments 20, 3017–3026 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-019-02369-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-019-02369-5

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