Representativeness of European biochar research: part II – pot and laboratory studies

Abstract

Biochar research is extensive and there are many pot and laboratory studies carried out in Europe to investigate the mechanistic understanding that govern its impact on soil processes. A survey was conducted in order to find out how representative these studies under controlled experimental conditions are of actual environmental conditions in Europe and biomass availability and conversion technologies. The survey consisted of various key questions related to types of soil and biochar used, experimental conditions and effects of biochar additions on soil chemical, biological and physical properties. This representativeness study showed that soil texture and soil organic carbon contents used by researchers are well reflected in the current biochar research in Europe (through comparison with published literature), but less so for soil pH and soil type. This study provides scope for future work to complement existing research findings, avoiding unnecessary repetitions and highlighting existing research gaps.

Keywords:

• biochar
• soil
• Europe
• pot experiments
• laboratory scale
• representativeness

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ruben Sakrabani

Ruben SAKRABANI. PhD, Senior Lecturer in Soil Chemistry, Cranfield Soil and Agrifood Institute, Cranfield University, 30 peer-reviewed articles. H-index 12 (Google Scholar).

Jürgen Kern

Jürgen KERN. PhD, Senior Scientist of Biogeochemistry, Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy, Germany, 1211 citations. H-index 16 (Google Scholar).

Utra Mankasingh

Utra MANKASINGH. PhD, Research Fellow in the Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Iceland. 6 publications in international peer reviewed journals, 3 major reports, 159 citation; H-index 4 (Google Scholar).

Costanza Zavalloni

Costanza ZAVALLONI. PhD, Assistant Professor in plant science in the Agricultural Studies program, California State University Stanislaus, Turlock, 19 peer-reviewed articles in international scientific journals, 1 book chapter, 514 citations, H-index 11 (Google Scholar).

Giulia Zanchettin

Giulia ZANCHETTIN. MSc graduate student in Ecology and Soil Science and was funded under the Short Term Scientific Mission (within the Biochar COST Action) to analyse representativeness datasets.

Ana Catarina Bastos

Ana Catarina BASTOS. PhD, research fellow of the Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT), at Department of Biology and Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), University of Aveiro, Portugal. 22 publications in international peer-reviewed journals, 1 European Commission report, 4 book chapters. 1745 citations; H-index 13 (Google Scholar).

Priit Tammeorg

Priit TAMMEORG. DSc, Postdoctoral Researcher in Agroecology, Dept of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, 11 peer-reviewed articles in international scientific journals, H-index 6 (TR WoS).

Simon Jeffery

Simon JEFFERY. PhD, Senior Lecturer at Harper Adams University, Department of Crop and Environment Sciences, 2031 citations, H-index 16 (Google Scholar).

Bruno Glaser

Bruno GLASER. PhD, Professor of Soil Biogeochemistry, Institute of Agronomy and Nutritional Sciences, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany, 140 peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals. H-index 39 (WoS).

Frank G. A. Verheijen

Frank G. A. VERHEIJEN. PhD, research fellow of the Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT), Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), University of Aveiro, Portugal. 25 publications in international peer-reviewed journals, 7 major European reports, 5 book chapters. 2348 citations; H-index 16 (Google Scholar).