Corncob Biochar Research Articles

Study on the effect of corn cob biochar on the performance of constructed rapid infiltration systems

The corn cob biochar (CCB600) was prepared at 600℃ with wasted corn cob as raw material. The modified corn cob biochar (CCB600-M) was prepared by modifying CCB600 with hydrochloric acid and ultrasonic. CCB600 and CCB600-M were added into constructed rapid infiltration (CRI) systems respectively as one of the filter materials, and their effect on wastewater treatment performance was investigated. The results showed that the average removal rates of COD, NH4+-N and TP in CRI reactor with adding CCB600-M were respectively 4.8%, 6.1% and 18.2% higher than those with adding CCB600, and respectively 9.3%, 11.4% and 39.7% higher than those without adding any biochars. The modified corn cob biochar was a new type of filter materials with excellent performance and low price, which can effectively improve the wastewater treatment performance of CRI systems.

Biogenic Nanoporous Oxides Recovery from By-Products of Bioenergy Production: Rice Husks and Corncob Biochars

Biogenic Nanoporous Oxides Recovery from By-Products of Bioenergy Production: Rice Husks and Corncob Biochars

Adsorption performances of corn cob-derived biochar in saturated and semi-saturated vertical-flow constructed wetlands for nutrient removal under erratic oxygen supply

In this study, corn cob biochar-established Vertical-Flow Constructed Wetland (saturated and semi-saturated systems) with varying oxygen supplying blueprints were initiated to purge methane-fermented wastewater from a piggery farm. Adsorption capacity results of Iodine (2.439 ± 0.120 mmol Iodine g−1) and methylene blue (5.86*10−7 ± 1.631*10−8 mmol MB g−1) revealed the presents of enough adsorption from the aqueous solution and large surface area estimations by the Iodine (307.9 m2 g−1) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller-BET (263.0 m2 g−1) measurements synchronously. The Bayesian statistical analysis approach was used to analyze the experimental data and the Langmuir model well described the adsorption data than the Freundlich model. The results exhibited the capability of corn cob biochar in removing nutrients from swine wastewater as prescribed shown by the adsorption mechanisms (Iodine and Methylene Blue (MB)) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images with a biofilm attached to the corn cob biomass. Both constructed wetland systems inferred their aptitude to reducing the concentration strengths of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), NH4+-N, and PO43− with higher removal efficiencies. The SEM images taken before and after the constructed wetland execution revealed that the biochar's surface had the attached biofilm of microbial communities that were present during the wetland's operation. The use of biochar in constructed wetlands with intermittent oxygen supply provides a better treatment of wastewater in rural areas of developing countries as a sustainable pollution control strategy.

Effect of H3PO4 oxidation of corn cob biochar on the adsorption of a commercial glyphosate formulation

Effect of H3PO4 oxidation of corn cob biochar on the adsorption of a commercial glyphosate formulation

Corncob biochar combined with Bacillus subtilis to reduce Cd availability in low Cd-contaminated soil.

Soil contamination by heavy metals such as Cd can pose a risk to the environment and human health. However, Cd is difficult to immobilize at low concentration levels in soil. Individually, Bacillus subtilis and biochar have been shown to be inefficient at immobilizing Cd in soil. In this study, corncob biochar was generated at different pyrolysis temperatures (300 °C-550 °C), and the Cd immobilization efficiency and performance of corncob biochar loaded with B. subtilis (CB@B) and corncob biochar alone (CB) were evaluated in solutions and in soil. The characterization (SEM and FTIR) of CB generated at different pyrolysis temperatures and CB generated at different pyrolysis temperatures in CB@B (300 °C-550 °C) indicated that a superior pore structure and abundant O-functional groups were obtained at a pyrolysis temperature of 400 °C for both CB@B and CB. The X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results indicate that the formation of Cd compounds was associated with the positive combined biosorption effect of the bacteria and biochar, electronic adsorption, activity of the O-functional groups (C[double bond, length as m-dash]O, COOH, OH, and Si-O-Si), and complexation between extracellular substances and Cd2+. Adsorption experiments were conducted in a solution to assess the effects of various operating parameters such as the time, pH, and adsorbent dose. The 400 °C-CB@B and 400 °C-CB samples achieved the largest reductions in the Cd concentration at 81.21% and 5.70%, respectively. Then, CaCl2 extraction experiments were conducted in soil, and using 0.25%-CB@B, a 55.21% decrease was realized in the Cd concentration after 56 days and a 16.71% increase was realized in soil pH to 8.38. No significant difference was observed in the CB-treated groups, among which 1.0%-CB achieved the largest reduction of 26.08% after 56 days and a 3.20% increase in the soil pH to 7.41. The Tessier sequential extraction method obtained similar trends. Overall, 400 °C-CB@B demonstrated outstanding immobilization efficiency and durability, indicating that it provided a safe and nutrient-rich habitat for B. subtilis to realize a synergistic effect for Cd immobilization.

Effect of Hemicellulose Extraction Pretreatment on Sulfonated Corncob Biochar for Catalytic Biodiesel Production

Effect of Hemicellulose Extraction Pretreatment on Sulfonated Corncob Biochar for Catalytic Biodiesel Production

Biochar amendment impacts on microbial community structures and biological and enzyme activities in a weathered tropical sandy loam

Microbial biomass and its activity influence soil quality to sustain crop productivity. A field experiment was conducted to investigate changes in soil microbial community structure, enzyme activities, and associated biological properties in response to biochar application in a tropical ecosystem. The treatments included control/no biochar (CT), 15-ton biochar ha−1 (BC-15), 30-ton biochar ha−1 (BC-30), and 30-ton corn cob biochar ha−1 + phosphate fertilizer (BC-30 + P). Biochar significantly increased microbial biomass C (by 4.5 to 8.2 folds) and N (by 1.4 to 2.7 folds), and mineralized C (by 1.2 to 1.7 folds). Incorporation of biochar at 30-ton ha−1 equally resulted in an efficient soil microbial activity by significantly decreasing specific maintenance respiration (qCO2) rates by 66 to 73%. Dehydrogenase and urease enzyme activities were increased by biochar amendments. Biochar treatments increased the abundance of arbuscular mycorrhiza (AMF) and soil fungi. However, only the BC-30 and BC-30 + P treated soils recorded increases in Gram-positive (G+) bacteria by 1.7 to 1.9 folds, and Gram-negative (G−) bacteria by 1.5 to 1.6 folds, respectively. For all functional groups of microbial communities, which included AMF, G+/G− bacteria, fungi, and actinobacteria, the highest concentration of total phospholipid fatty acid was observed when the soils were treated with 30-ton biochar ha−1. The most important soil factors that greatly contributed to the changes in microbial community composition were soil basal respiration, urease and dehydrogenase enzymes, microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen, metabolic quotient, and pH. The high fungal: bacteria in the soils treated with 30-ton biochar ha−1 implies that corn cob biochar amendment could increase C sequestration potential and enhance ecosystem stability in weathered tropical soils.

Impact of Biochar Application on Germination Behavior and Early Growth of Maize Seedlings: Insights from a Growth Room Experiment

Reduced germination and early crop maturity due to soil compaction, nutrients stress, and low moisture are major constraints to achieve optimum crop yield, ultimately resulting in significant economic damages and food shortages. Biochar, having the potential to improve physical and chemical properties of soil, can also improve nutrients and moisture access to plants. In the present study, a growth room experiment was conducted to assess biochar influence on maize seed germination, early growth of seedlings, and its physiological attributes. Corn cob biochar (CCB) was mixed with soil at different rates (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%, 2.5%, and 3% w/w) before seed sowing. Results obtained showed that increasing CCB application rate have neutral to positive effects on seed germination and seedling growth of maize. Biochar addition at the rate of 1.5% (w/w) significantly increased shoot dry biomass (40%), root dry biomass (32%), total chlorophyll content (a and b) (55%), germination percentage (13%), seedling vigor (85%), and relative water content (RWC) (68%), in comparison to un-amended control treatment. In addition to this, it also improved germination rate (GR) by 3% as compared to control treatment, while causing a reduction in mean emergence time (MET). Moreover, application of biochar (3%) also resulted in enhancement of antioxidant enzyme activity, particularly superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) by 13% and 17%, respectively. Conclusively, biochar application is an attractive approach to improve the initial phase of plant growth and provide better crop stand and essential sustainable high yields.

Treatment combination of corn cob biochar and bio land organic fertilizer as soil amendment in kale plant (brassica oleraceae var. acephala L.)

Kale is rich in vitamins and easy to cultivate, yet land degradation often occurs. The combination of corn cob biochar and Bio land organic liquid fertilizer as soil amendment materials can reduce land degradation. This study aims to determine a proper dose combination of corn cob biochar and Bio Land on growing and yielding Kale. Results showed that the treatment using the combination of corn cob biochar and Bio Land affected the number of leaves, fresh weight, and plant height. Corn cob biochar dose of 6 t/ha and Bio Land of 15 l/ha were shown significantly improved the number of kale leaves, which were 25.50 strands at 5 mst, chlorophyll of 51.42 spad units, leaf area of 1164.5 cm3, root volume of 10.40 cm3. Kale leaves also reached fresh weight of 200.46 g, and dry weight of 26.81 g. Both soil’s physical and chemical properties were increased in the number of organic C, pH, nitrogen elements, and cation exchange capacity (CEC). The combination of corn cob biochar and Bio Land enhanced the growing and yielding of kale, in which the readily-available corn cob’s and Bio Land’s nutrients accelerated absorption. Higher dose of combination between corn cob biochar and Bio Land resulted in higher kale yield.

Pemanfaatan Biochar sebagai Pembawa Rhizobium terhadap Pembentukan Bintil Akar dan Hasil Tanaman Kedelai (Glycine max L. Merril)

The Utilization of Biochar as a Carrier of Rhizobium for the formation of root nodules and Yield of Soybean (Glycine max L. Merril). This study aims to determine the effect of the type of raw materials and particle size of biochar as a Rhizobium carrier on the formation of nodules in soybean plants. This research was conducted from September to November 2020 at the Experimental Station and Laboratory of Soil and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Udayana University. The research design used was a randomized block design with nested patterns with 2 factorials and 3 replications. The treatment factors consisted of B1 = bamboo biochar, B2 = albasia wood biochar, B3 = corncob biochar, B4 = young coconut skin biochar, P1 = (0,15-0,50 mm), P2 = (>0,50-1,68 mm), P3 = (>1,68-3,36 mm). The parameters observed included effective nodule, nodule size, total bacterial population, ammonium, nitrate, and plant yield. The result of the analysis showed that the type of biochar raw materials had a very significant effect on the parameters of effective nodules, nodules size, total bacterial population and plant yield, but had no significant effect on soil chemical parameters. The treatment of biochar particle size had a very significant effect on the parameters of effective nodules, total bacterial population, and plant yield, and had a significant effect on the size of nodules, but had no significant effect on soil chemical parameters. The conclusion of this study is that the type of raw material for albasia wood biochar is effective as a Rhizobium carrier, which is indicated by the high number of effective nodules, nodules size and total bacterial population of 0,15-1,68 mm particles.

Low-cost corn cob biochar for pesticides removal from water

This work aimed to study the isotherm and kinetics of adsorption of a mixture of 10 pesticides (viz., atrazine, chlorfenvinphos, chlorpyrifos, cyprodinil, diazinon, dimethoate, diuron, ethion, malathion, and profenofos) on corn cob biochar (CCB) in an aqueous solution. CCB is a low-cost adsorbent produced from pyrolysis at 500°C for 3 h in an oxygen-limited condition. It was characterized by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to determine the residual pesticide concentration. Adsorption equilibrium and kinetics were investigated by using batch adsorption experiments. The optimized pH, contact time, adsorbent dose, and initial pesticides concentration for the maximum adsorption rates were found to be 3, 60 min, 10 g/L, and 500 μg/L, respectively. The sorption of all pesticides by CCB was found to enhance by decreasing pH; since the removal percentage of atrazine increased from 57 to 74 % by decreasing the pH from 9 to 3. The Langmuir model represented the adsorption process better than the Freundlich model with R2 values ranging from 0.957 to 0.999. Adsorption kinetic data were fitted well with the pseudo-first order kinetic model. Accordingly, CCB can be used as an effective low-cost agricultural waste that could be applied for removing pesticide residues from water.

The chemical structure characteristics of dissolved black carbon and their binding with phenanthrene

The elucidation of interactions between the dissolved black carbon (DBC) in biochar and hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) is crucial for controlling the environmental behavior of HOCs. The complicated chemical structures of DBCs result in diverse interaction mechanisms between DBCs and HOCs, which were driven by different chemical structures in DBCs. In the present study, ten DBCs were extracted from rice straw and corncob biochars and their chemical structures were characterized and analyzed. The binding of phenanthrene (Phen) with DBC were studied through fluorescence quenching experiments. DBCs with low concentration (1 mg C/L) were found to complex with high amounts of Phen per unit mass. No significant difference was found in the amount of the bound Phen per unit amount of DBC when the concentration of DBC increased beyond >5 mg C/L. The dominant mechanisms involved in the binding of Phen by DBCs are speculated to be hydrophobic interactions, π–π electron donor–acceptor (EDA), and chemical partition, which was driven by the fatty carbon chain, aromatic rings, and quinone groups or ester groups, respectively. This study elucidates the interactions between DBC and Phen, which is of great significance for understanding the environmental behavior of HOCs.

An efficient, green and sustainable potassium hydroxide activated magnetic corn cob biochar for imidacloprid removal

The extensive use of imidacloprid (IMI) has led to its being frequently detected in natural water, also caused the potential damage to the ecosystem. Development of efficient, green and sustainable technique is demanded to eliminate this problem. A novel biochar (KMCBC) derived from agriculture waste of corn cob was first time co-modified by potassium hydroxide (KOH), ferric chloride (FeCl3) and zinc chloride (ZnCl2), which showed the greater adsorption amount (410 mg g−1 at 298 K) for imidacloprid (IMI). Pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm models fitted well with the experimental data, together with the physicochemical characterization analysis, demonstrating that the adsorption process of IMI by KMCBC might be mainly controlled by micropore filling, π-π electron donor-acceptor and functional groups interactions (H-bonding and complexation). Additionally, the thermodynamics parameters suggested that IMI adsorption in this study was a spontaneous, endothermic and randomly increasing process. Besides, KMCBC owned the easy separation performance and promising environmental safety, also exhibited a high selective adsorption capacity regardless of solution pH (its optimum adsorption performance for IMI was obtained at pH = 5), inorganic ions strength and humic acid (HA) concentrations. The regenerated KMCBC (synergistic ultrasound/ethanol) could sustainably and efficiently adsorb IMI in the reuse cycles. Therefore, this study provided an efficient, green and sustainable adsorbent of KMCBC for IMI removal.

Effect of acidified biochar on soil phosphorus availability and fertilizer use efficiency of maize (Zea mays L.)

This study evaluated the impact of various biochars prepared from different sources and their acidified forms on soil phosphorus (P) availability and fertilizer use efficiency (FUE) of maize (Zea mays L.) crop. Plastic pots of 20 kg capacity (59 × 46 × 15 cm) were filled with 15 kg soil and seven seeds of hybrid maize (cv. Pioneer 30Y87) were sown in each pot. Various biochars and their acidified forms, including green waste biochar (GWB), acidified green waste biochar (AGWB), corncob biochar (CCB) and acidified corncob biochar (ACCB) were added in each pot t 90 g/pot before seed sowing. The control treatments were; T1 (C + 50% P), T2 (C + 75% P) and T3 (C + 100% P). The experimental treatments included T4 (CCB + 50% P), T5 (CCB + 75% P), T6 (CCB + 100% P), T7 (ACCB + 50% P), T8 (ACCB + 75% P), T9 (ACCB + 100%P), T10 (GWB + 50%P), T11 (GWB + 75%P), T12 (GWB + 100%P), T13 (AGWB + 50%P), T14 (AGWB + 75%P) and T15 (AGWB + 100%P). Results indicated that soil pH decreased (8.5 with AGWB compared to 8.76 with C), soil organic carbon (SOC) was significantly improved with all treatments. Soil electrical conductivity (EC) and cation exchange capacity (CEC) were also influenced by GWB (26 cmolckg−1) and ACCB (7.25 cmolckg−1). Bioavailability of P was highest (90 mg kg−1) with AGWB compared to control treatments. Similarly, addition of GWB and AGWB along with 50% P recorded significant improvement in plant height and fresh weight compared to control treatments. Therefore, it is suggested that among all the biochar types, AGWB is capable of improving chemical properties of the studied soil, growth, yield and nutrient uptake in maize crop compared to sole the application of P-fertilizers.

Benefits of Corn-Cob Biochar to the Microbial and Enzymatic Activity of Soybean Plants Grown in Soils Contaminated with Heavy Metals

Synchronous effects of biochar on heavy metals stress, microbial activity and nodulation process in the soil are rarely addressed. This work studied the effects, under greenhouse conditions, of selected heavy metals Cd2+, Pb2+ and Ni2+ on soybean plants grown in two different soils amended with biochar, and studied their effect on the microbial and enzymatic activity. As a result of the interference between heavy metals and biochar, biochar overcame heavy metal problems and maintained a microbial population of major groups (bacteria–fungi). There was an increase in the degree of resistance (RS) of the major microbial groups to heavy metals when biochar was added to the soil under study. Numbers of bacterial nodules significantly increased, particularly by using the higher rate of biochar compared to the control, either by adding biochar alone or by mixing it with the selected heavy metals. The arginase activity was increased by 25.5% and 37.1% in clay and sandy soil, respectively, compared to the control. For urease (UR), the activity was increased by 105% and 83.8% in clay and sandy soil, respectively, compared to the control. As a result, considerations of using biochar as a soil amendment should be first priority.

Electrochemical sensor based on corncob biochar layer supported chitosan-MIPs for determination of dibutyl phthalate (DBP)

The new corncob biochar layer supported chitosan-based molecular imprinting electrochemical sensor was successfully prepared. Compared with the bare electrode, the new sensor had a good imprinted effect. • A MIP-DBP-CTS/F-CC 3 /GCE novel senor was prepared by molecular imprinting. • The sensor combined the advantages of F-CC 3 and MIP achieved high sensitivity and selective detection of DBP. • The sensor for DBP exhibits a low detection limit of 2.6 nM. • The designed sensor was successfully applied to DBP detection in rice wine purchased in the market. A highly selective and sensitive electrochemical sensor (MIP-DBP-CTS/F-CC 3 /GCE) for dibutyl phthalate (DBP) detection was prepared. Firstly the functional corncob biochar (F-CC 3 ) was cast on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) to form F-CC 3 film. Then, the pretreated GCEs were further modified by molecularly imprinted polymers synthesized with CTS as functional monomer, DBP as the template molecule, glutaraldehyde as the crosslinking agent. The MIP-DBP-CTS/F-CC 3 /GCE sensor was characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results showed that the utilization of conductive F-CC 3 as interlayer spacers efficiently inhibited the aggregation of CTS and formed a well-defined porous structure, as a result of increasing the effective surface area, an enhancement of the electrical conductivity was observed. This sensor takes advantages of molecularly imprinted technique and F-CC 3 biomass materials to achieve high selectivity and high sensitivity for the determination of DBP. The as-prepared molecular imprinting sensor, under the optimized conditions, presented a good linear relationship ( R 2 = 0.9929) between the response current Δ I and the DBP concentration ranging of 0 ~ 1.8 μM with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.0026 μM. Besides, this newly developed sensor was utilized for the detection of DBP in rice wine purchased in the market with satisfactory results.

Effect of co-applied corncob biochar with farmyard manure and NPK fertilizer on tropical soil

Biochar has shown a positive impact on degraded soils. However, the effect of co-applied biochar with farmyard manure and inorganic fertilizer on soil chemical characteristics, yield, nutrient constituent and economic analysis of cucumber did not receive adequate research attention in sub-Saharan Africa. A field experiment was conducted on sandy clay loam soil with biochar at 10 t/ha individually or combined with farmyard manure and NPK using cucumber as a test crop. The co-applied biochar with the 5t/ha farmyard manure and NPK significantly increased soil pH, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, total organic carbon and effective cation exchangeable capacity than the sole application of the NPK fertilizer and the farmyard manure. Cucumber yield, net income, nutrient content such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were significantly higher in the co-applied biochar with farmyard manure and NPK than the sole application of the NPK and the manure. Co-applied biochar with inorganic NPK showed higher soil available phosphorus, nitrogen, cucumber yield and net income than the co-applied biochar with farmyard manure. Similarly, co-applied biochar with NPK plots observed higher macronutrient constituents than the co-applied biochar with farmyard manure. These findings revealed that combined biochar with NPK proved to be an effective reclamation strategy to improve low fertile soils in the tropics than the co-applied biochar with farmyard manure. • Applied biochar in combination with farmyard manure and inorganic fertilizer on the tropical soil was studied. • Co-applied biochar with farmyard manure increased soil pH than the biochar and NPK fertilizer addition. • Co-applied biochar with NPK fertilizer increased available phosphorus and nitrogen than the co-applied biochar with compost. • Biochar and NPKfertilizer addition observed higher nutrient constituents of the cucumber than the biochar and farmyard manure addition. • Co-applied biochar with NPK fertilizer obtained higher net income than the biochar and farmyard manure addition.

Integrated Constructed Wetland‐Microbial Fuel Cell using Biochar as Wetland Matrix: Influence on Power Generation and Textile Wastewater Treatment

AbstractThe present study aims at integrating Constructed Wetland using biochar as matrix with Microbial Fuel Cell (CW‐MFC) and evaluating its effect on textile wastewater (TW) treatment in the form of removal of COD, Color and TDS along with Bioelectricity generation. Two vertical down flow systems of CW‐MFC were investigated for TW treatment and system reusability (with and without corn cob biochar) in batch mode with retention time of 10 days for 10 cycles. The performance of CW‐MFC with the corn cob biochar (CW‐MFC−A) was better than the CW‐MFC without corn cob biochar (CW‐MFC−B) in terms of parameters of TW treatment, bioelectricity generation and matrix reusability. The maximum power density, COD removal efficiency, decolorization efficiency and TDS reduction as obtained with CW‐MFC−A (102.08 mW/m2; 83 %; 90 %; 84 % respectively) were higher in comparison to the values obtained in CW‐MFC−B (78.24 mW/m2; 66 %; 65 %; 67 % respectively). Furthermore, the germination assessment studies using the treated effluent from CW‐MFC−A resulted in 100 % germination of Vigna radiata seeds indicating the usefulness of corn cob biochar as wetland matrix for treatment of wastewaters.

Corn Cob-Derived Biochar Improves the Growth of Saline-Irrigated Quinoa in Different Orders of Egyptian Soils

Biochar is one of the important recycling methods in sustainable development, as it ensures the transformation of agricultural wastes into fertilizers and conditioners that improve soil properties and fertility. In the current study, corn cob-derived biochar (CB) was used to reduce the negative effects of saline water on quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa cv. Utosaya Q37) grown on Aridisols and Entisols, which are the major soil groups of Egyptian soils. Quinoa plants were cultivated in pot experiment and were irrigated with saline water (EC = 10 dS m−1). The experiment contained three treatments, including control without any treatment, biochar at a rate of 1% (w/w) (BC1), and biochar at a rate of 3% (w/w) (BC3). The findings of the current study showed that BC treatments realized significant effects on soil salinity, pH, soil organic matter (SOM), and plant availability and nutrients’ uptake in the two soils types. BC3 increased the SOM in Entisols and Aridisols by 23 and 44%; moreover, the dry biomass of quinoa plants was ameliorated by 81 and 41%, respectively, compared with the control. Addition of biochar to soil increased the nutrients’ use efficiencies by quinoa plants for the two studied Egyptian soils. Biochar addition caused significant increases in the use efficiency of nitrogen (NUF), phosphorus (PUE), and potassium (KUE) by quinoa plants. BC3 increased NUE, PUE, and KUS by 81, 81, and 80% for Entisols, while these increases were 40, 41, and 42% in the case of Aridisols. Based on the obtained results, the application of corn cob biochar improves the soil quality and alleviates the negative effects of saline irrigation on quinoa plants grown on Aridisols and Entisols Egyptian soils. Biochar can be used as a soil amendment in arid and semi-arid regions to reduce the salinity hazards.

Corn-cob Biochar Characterization and Application Effects to Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) Evolution in Acid Soil Added with Different Types of Fertilizers

Biochar, a carbon (C) rich material produced from biomass, is an inexpensive means of removing C from the atmosphere by incorporating it into the soil, where C sinks are formed for sequestration. The slow release of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the soil is related to C sequestration, long-term storage of CO2, or other forms of C that help lessen CO2 concentration. An incubation study was conducted in a laboratory to determine the effect of corn-cob biochar (CCB) application on Luisiana clay (Orthoxic Palehumults) acidic soil. The CO2 evolution from the incubation of various mixtures of organic materials, inorganic fertilizers added with CCB was measured using a titration of hydrochloric acid (HCl). The biochar application rate was 10 t/ha, and the organic fertilizers at 5 t/ha. Results show that CCB contained essential plant elements like C, K (potassium), Si (silicon), Cu (copper), Na (sodium), and Cl (chlorine). It also possesses a large surface area and high average pore size. The CO2 evolution increased in the first two weeks with a peak at Day 2, and the amount of cumulative CO2 decreased after that in all treatments during the incubation period. Treatments with CCB showed a constant reduction in the amount of CO2