The increasing risk of ammonia volatilization in farmland from the recovery product of magnesium-modified biochar after nitrogen and phosphorus adsorption

Abstract

Many studies have shown that magnesium modified biochar (MgBC) can recover nutrients from wastewater and be applied as an excellent slow-release fertilizer in farmland. However, the recovery products (NP-loaden MgBC), represented by struvite or magnesium phosphate, have a high degree of self-alkalinity, which may significantly increase the ammonia (NH3) volatilization in farmland. In this study, the optimal adsorption parameters, self-alkaline regulation process and co-adsorption mechanism of MgBC for ammonium ion (NH4+) and phosphate ion (PO43−) were studied through batch experiments. A field experiment was conducted with three treatments, including local conventional fertilization (N1B0) and the application of 5 t·ha−1 or 10 t·ha−1 NP-loaden MgBC in combination with local conventional fertilization (N1B1 and N1B2, respectively), to determine the impact of NP-loaden MgBC on NH3 volatilization, surface water c(NH4+-N) and pH. The results indicated that the maximum NH4+ and PO43− synergistic recovery of MgBC under the optimal adsorption parameters (dosage of 0.6 g·L−1; initial NH4+ and PO43− concentrations of 120 and 60 mg·L−1 and pH of 8) were 59.96 and 98.60 mg·g−1, respectively. Self-regulating alkaline MgBC maintained pH suitable for struvite, and precipitation mechanism controlled the adsorption. The presence of NP-loaden MgBC raised the pH levels in surface water during the basal fertilization stage and increased c(NH4+-N) in surface water during the topdressing stages. This, in turn, led to a significant increase in NH3 volatilization loss during the entire rice-growing period, with N1B1 and N1B2 experiencing a 23.87 % and 48.91 % increase respectively, compared to N1B0. Therefore, it is imperative to take into account the adverse impact of NP-laden MgBC on NH3 loss in paddy fields when considering its application in future field studies.