Organic coating on biochar explains its nutrient retention and stimulation of soil fertility.
- Hagemann N Geomicrobiology, Center for Applied Geosciences, University of Tuebingen, Sigwartstrasse 10, Tuebingen, 72076, Germany.
- Joseph S School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Chemistry, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
- Schmidt HP Ithaka Institute for Carbon Strategies, Ancienne Eglise 9, Arbaz, 1974, Switzerland.
- Kammann CI Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, WG Climate Change Research for Special Crops, Hochschule Geisenheim University, von-Lade Str. 1, Geisenheim, 65366, Germany.
- Harter J Geomicrobiology, Center for Applied Geosciences, University of Tuebingen, Sigwartstrasse 10, Tuebingen, 72076, Germany.
- Borch T Department of Soil and Crop Sciences and Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA.
- Young RB Department of Soil and Crop Sciences and Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA.
- Varga K Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, 03824, USA.
- Taherymoosavi S School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Chemistry, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
- Elliott KW Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, 03824, USA.
- McKenna A National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida State University, 1800 East Paul Dirac Drive, Tallahassee, FL, 32310-4005, USA.
- Albu M Austrian Cooperative Research, Centre for Electron Microscopy and Nanoanalysis, Steyrergasse 17, Graz, 8010, Austria.
- Mayrhofer C Austrian Cooperative Research, Centre for Electron Microscopy and Nanoanalysis, Steyrergasse 17, Graz, 8010, Austria.
- Obst M BayCEER Analytics, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, 95440, Germany.
- Conte P Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Forestali, Università degli Studi di Palermo, v.le delle Scienze ed. 4, Palermo, 90128, Italy.
- Dieguez-Alonso A Institute of Energy Engineering, Chair for Energy Process Engineering and Conversion Technologies for Renewable Energies, Technische Universität Berlin, Fasanenstraße 89, Berlin, 10623, Germany.
- Orsetti S Environmental Mineralogy and Chemistry, Center for Applied Geoscience, University of Tuebingen, Sigwartstrasse 10, Tuebingen, 72076, Germany.
- Subdiaga E Environmental Mineralogy and Chemistry, Center for Applied Geoscience, University of Tuebingen, Sigwartstrasse 10, Tuebingen, 72076, Germany.
- Behrens S Department for Civil, Environmental, and Geo-Engineering, University of Minnesota, 500 Pillsbury Drive S.E, Minneapolis, MN, 55455-0116, USA.
- Kappler A Geomicrobiology, Center for Applied Geosciences, University of Tuebingen, Sigwartstrasse 10, Tuebingen, 72076, Germany. andreas.kappler@uni-tuebingen.de.
- 2017-10-24
Published in:
- Nature communications. - 2017
English
Amending soil with biochar (pyrolized biomass) is suggested as a globally applicable approach to address climate change and soil degradation by carbon sequestration, reducing soil-borne greenhouse-gas emissions and increasing soil nutrient retention. Biochar was shown to promote plant growth, especially when combined with nutrient-rich organic matter, e.g., co-composted biochar. Plant growth promotion was explained by slow release of nutrients, although a mechanistic understanding of nutrient storage in biochar is missing. Here we identify a complex, nutrient-rich organic coating on co-composted biochar that covers the outer and inner (pore) surfaces of biochar particles using high-resolution spectro(micro)scopy and mass spectrometry. Fast field cycling nuclear magnetic resonance, electrochemical analysis and gas adsorption demonstrated that this coating adds hydrophilicity, redox-active moieties, and additional mesoporosity, which strengthens biochar-water interactions and thus enhances nutrient retention. This implies that the functioning of biochar in soil is determined by the formation of an organic coating, rather than biochar surface oxidation, as previously suggested.
- Language
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- English
- Open access status
- gold
- Identifiers
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- DOI 10.1038/s41467-017-01123-0
- PMID 29057875
- Persistent URL
- https://sonar.ch/global/documents/31024
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