Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » New Orleans, Louisiana » Southern Regional Research Center » Commodity Utilization Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #311381
Title: Introduction to biochar as an agricultural and environmental amendment

Author
item GUO, MINGXIN - Delaware State University
item He, Zhongqi
item Uchimiya, Sophie

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/12/2016
Publication Date: 4/22/2016
Citation: Guo, M., He, Z., Uchimiya, S.M. 2016. Introduction to biochar as an agricultural and environmental amendment. In: Guo, M., He, Z., Uchimiya, S.M., editors. Agricultural and Environmental Applications of Biochar: Advances and Barriers. Soil Science Society of America Special Publication 63. Madison, WI:Soil Science Society of America. pp. 1-14.

Interpretive Summary: Biochar is fine-grained, recalcitrant charcoal made from heating vegetative biomass, bones, manure solids, and other plant-derived organic residues in an oxygen-free or oxygen-limited environment and used as a soil amendment for agricultural and environmental purposes. This chapter briefly introduces biochar in various agricultural and environmental applications for sustaining soil fertility, increasing crop production, enhancing carbon sequestration, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and improving animal health. However, the quality of biochar varies with feedstock materials, production conditions, and even storage. Due to lack of awareness and technological constraints, global production and utilization of biochar is currently in a fledgling state. Education and outreach are needed to expand the biochar industry.

Technical Abstract: This introductory chapter justifies and outlines biochar for current and potential agricultural and environmental applications. Biochar is fine-grained, recalcitrant charcoal made from heating vegetative biomass, bones, manure solids, and other plant-derived organic residues in an oxygen-free or oxygen-limited environment and used as a soil amendment for agricultural and environmental purposes. Persistent in the environment and retentive to water, nutrients and contaminants, biochar can be used in crop production as a soil conditioner for improving soil quality, enhancing fertilizer efficiency, promoting plant growth, increasing carbon sequestration, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It can also be used in environmental rehabilitation for remedying contaminated soils and reclaiming abandoned mine land. It can further be used in animal husbandry as a feed additive to improve livestock weight gain, as a barn bedding material to enhance animal health, and as a nutrient absorbent to treat animal waste. The quality of biochar, however, varies with feedstock materials, production conditions, and even storage. Due to lack of awareness and technological constraints, global production and utilization of biochar is currently in a fledgling state. Education and outreach are needed to expand the biochar industry.