Effects of Soil Application of Different Biochars on Selected Soil Chemical Properties

Abstract

An incubation study was conducted to determine if biochars created using different feedstocks and under different reactor conditions would differentially influence specific soil chemical properties. A Nicollet surface soil (fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Aquic Hapludoll) was mixed with 17 different biochars and a nitrogen fertilizer (urea). The biochars were created with different feedstocks and different reactor conditions. Soil tests for total nitrogen (N), total organic carbon (C), ammonium N (NH₄ ⁺-N), and nitrate N (NO₃ ⁻-N) were run. Results show that the feedstock used to create the biochar influenced how it affected the specific soil chemical properties measured. Results also suggest that the conditions within the reactor influence how the biochar will affect the soil chemical properties measured.

Keywords:

• Biochar
• carbon
• corn
• switchgrass

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge A. J. Pollard, Cody Ellens, Jared Brown, Patrick Meehan, Karl Broer, and Catherine Brewer for providing the biochar samples.