Biochar Applications In Agriculture And Environment Management

This book provides up-to-date information on biochar use in management of soil health, agriculture productivity, green-house gases, restoration ecology and environment. Biochar application to nutrient deficient and disturbed soils is a viable option which may promotes advances in food safety and food security to human nutrition and overall fundamental research in the agricultural sciences. The book describes in detail how the recalcitrant biochar is able to persist for long periods of time and work as a shelter for soil microbial colonisation and their biomass/numbers. This book also includes contents related to important role of biochar applications in the restoration of contaminated agricultural soils. The book will be of particular interest to students, teachers and researchers in the disciplines.

Biochar is the carbon-rich product when biomass (such as wood, manure or crop residues) is heated in a closed container with little or no available air. It can be used to improve agriculture and the environment in several ways, and its stability in soil and superior nutrient-retention properties make it an ideal soil amendment to increase crop yields. In addition to this, biochar sequestration, in combination with sustainable biomass production, can be carbon-negative and therefore used to actively remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, with major implications for mitigation of climate change. Biochar production can also be combined with bioenergy production through the use of the gases that are given off in the pyrolysis process. This book is the first to synthesize the expanding research literature on this topic. The book's interdisciplinary approach, which covers engineering, environmental sciences, agricultural sciences, economics and policy, is a vital tool at this stage of biochar technology development. This comprehensive overview of current knowledge will be of interest to advanced students, researchers and professionals in a wide range of disciplines.

Agricultural and Environmental Applications of Biochar: Advances and Barriers: Over the past decade, biochar has been intensively studied by agricultural and environmental scientists and applied as a soil quality enhancer and environmental ameliorator in various trials worldwide. This book, with 21 chapters by 57 accomplished international researchers, reports on the recent advances of biochar research and the global status of biochar application. Scientific findings, uncertainties, and barriers to practice of biochar amendment for sustaining soil fertility, improving crop production, promoting animal performance, remediating water and land, and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions are synthesized. The book presents a whole picture of biochar in its production, characterization, application, and development. Agricultural and Environmental Applications of Biochar: Advances and Barrier highlights the mechanisms and processes of biochar amendment for achieving stunning agricultural and environmental benefits. Composition and characteristics of biochar, its interactions with contaminants and soil constituents, and its transformation in the environment are illustrated to enlighten the achievements of biochar amendment in improving soil physical, chemical, and biological quality and animal health, reducing soil greenhouse gas emissions, and decontaminating stormwater and mine sites. Additional emphasis is given to the pyrogenic carbon in Terra Preta soils and Japanese Andosols, the pyrolysis technology for converting agricultural byproducts to biochar, and the existing economic and technical barriers to wide application of biochar in Australia, China, New Zealand, North America, and Europe. Readers will appreciate the comprehensive review on the up-to-date biochar research and application and gain critical guidance in best biochar generation and utilization.

Biochar is the carbon-rich product which occurs when biomass (such as wood, manure or crop residues) is heated in a closed container with little or no available air. It can be used to improve agriculture and the environment in several ways, and its persistence in soil and nutrient-retention properties make it an ideal soil amendment to increase crop yields. In addition to this, biochar sequestration, in combination with sustainable biomass production, can be carbon-negative and therefore used to actively remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, with potentially major implications for mitigation of climate change. Biochar production can also be combined with bioenergy production through the use of the gases that are given off in the pyrolysis process. The first edition of this book, published in 2009, was the definitive work reviewing the expanding research literature on this topic. Since then, the rate of research activity has increased at least ten-fold, and biochar products are now commercially available as soil amendments. This second edition includes not only substantially updated chapters, but also additional chapters: on environmental risk assessment; on new uses of biochar in composting and potting mixes; a new and controversial field of studying the effects of biochar on soil carbon cycles; on traditional use with very recent discoveries that biochar was used not only in the Amazon but also in Africa and Asia; on changes in water availability and soil water dynamics; and on sustainability and certification. The book therefore continues to represent the most comprehensive compilation of current knowledge on all aspects of biochar.

Biochar is a carbon-rich material produced from the pyrolysis of organic materials from agricultural and forestry biomass at a relatively low temperature in the absence of oxygen. As such, it has potential for solving many agricultural and environmental problems.This book is divided into five sections: “Introduction,” “Production and Legislation of Biochar,” “Applications of Biochar for Soil Fertility Improvement,” “Role of Biochar for Soil Remediation and Ameliorating Salinity Effects” and “Applications of Biochar for Water Treatment.” Chapters address topics such as the pros and cons of biochar, its production, and its role in remediating and treating contaminated soils and water.

Biochar in Agriculture for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals introduces the state-of-the-art of biochar for agricultural applications to actualize sustainable development goals and highlight current challenges and the way forward. The book focuses on scientific knowledge and biochar technologies for agricultural soil improvement and plant growth. Sections provide state-of-the-art knowledge on biochar production and characterization, focus on biochar for agricultural application and soil improvement, discuss the roles of biochar for environmental improvement in farmland to relieve water and waste management as well as climate change, highlight biochar used for boosting bioeconomy and clean energy, and discuss future prospects. This book will be important to agricultural engineers and researchers as well as those seeking to improve overall soil and environmental conditions through the use of biochar. Focuses on biochar utilization in agricultural applications, targeting deeper elaboration of biochar as a cost-effective and renewable material in field-scale agriculture applications Highlights biochar’s role in boosting the bioeconomy which shows great potential for promoting a circular economy and maximizing environmental, social and economic benefits Connects biochar applications with sustainable development goals

Biochar and its implementation as a renewable-based material is one of the topics on which the research community has focused the greatest energy in the last twenty years. This book provides readers with a scientific and technological overview of biochar, including new technologies for biochar production, new environmental and agronomic applications (e.g. biochar as growing media component or biochar application for mine land reclamation) and some emerging biochar applications in different fields (e.g. energy storage and catalysis). A special emphasis is placed on analyzing the links between the different stages of the value chain, underpinning the economic viability of biochar systems.Biochar as a Renewable-Based Material: With Applications in Agriculture, the Environment and Energy is designed as a textbook for graduate and postgraduate courses as well as a handbook for early-stage scientists, policy makers and potential technology customers. The book is written by internationally recognized scientists with a variety of complementary backgrounds.

Biochar prepared from agricultural biomass has received considerable attention because of the huge availability of ago-waste at zero cost, flexibility, high efficiency, renewability, faster contaminant removal rate, ability to treat concentrated effluent and reduction of sludge production after the treatment. This book on biochar is a comprehensive account of preparation of biochar from agricultural waste. It provides a roadmap in development of future strategy for pollution abatement and sustainable waste management. This book contains up-to-date information on biochar and its role in environment protection. The book covers useful information and applications of biochar to research scholars, academicians, agronomists, scientists and environmentalist working in the field of environment protection, bioremediation, waste management and climate change mitigation.