Abstract
Biochar application has been reported to improve the physical, chemical, and hydrological properties of soil. However, the information about the size fraction composition of the applied biochar as a factor that may have an impact on the properties of soil-biochar mixtures is often underappreciated. Our research shows how sunflower husk biochar (pyrolyzed at 650 °C) can modify the water retention characteristics of arable sandy soil depending on the biochar dose (up to 9.52 wt.%) and particle size (<50 µm, 50–100 µm, 100–250 µm). For comparison, we used soil samples mixed with biochar passed through 2 mm sieve and an unamended reference. The addition of sieved biochar to the soil caused a 30% increase in the available water content (AWC) in comparing to the soil without biochar. However, the most notable improvement (doubling the reference AWC value from 0.078 m3 m−3 to 0.157 m3 m−3) was observed at the lowest doses of biochar (0.95 and 2.24 wt.%) and for the finest size fractions (below 100 µm). The water retention effects on sandy soil are explained as the interplay between the dose, the size of biochar particles, and the porous properties of biochar fractions.
Highlights
Biochar is a porous material produced by the thermal carbonization of biomass in the limited presence or absence of oxygen
We attempt to improve hydro-physical properties of arable sandy soil by applying different doses of biochar and we focus on the influence of its size fraction, which is not common in the literature
The present study showed the water retention properties of sandy soil amended with low-porosity sunflower husk biochar up to 9.52 wt.% content and different size fractions
Summary
Biochar is a porous material produced by the thermal carbonization of biomass in the limited presence or absence of oxygen It can be made of a variety of feedstock materials based on agro-forestry biomass and industry organic residuals, including wood, crops, husk, sludge, and manure. Typical studies on biochar cover its application as a fuel, a remedy for polluted soils, and a soil-amendment material for CO2 sequestration improving soil quality for better growth of crops. The latter area of study is important from the perspective of agriculture, especially in the light of climate change. A canonical example of biochar-enriched soil is Terra Preta in the Amazon Basin
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