DETAILED ANALYSES OF 20-YEAR-OLD BIOCHAR
RECOVERED FROM BOLIVIAN LOW LAND
AGRICULTURAL SOILS
Nikolaus Foidl (1), S. D. Joseph (2), Paul Munroe (2), Y Lin (2), L.Van
Zwieten (3), Steve Kimber (3)
BIOCHAR STRIPES 4 YEARS OLD
BIOCHAR STRIPES 4 YEARS OLD
CHAINED DOWN FOREST
1. Venearth Group
2. School of Material Science and Engineering, University of NSW, NSW 2052 Australia
3. NSW Dept. of Primary Industries, Wollongbar, NSW 2477 Australia
UNIQUE SITUATION
. RANGE OF BIOMASS FEEDSTOCK
. RANGE OF TEMPERATURES DURING PRODUCTION OF PYROLYSIS
. PYROLYSIS CARRIED OUT UNDER O2 RICH AND STARVED CONDITIONS
. MIXING OF THE BIO CHAR INTO THE SOIL IN THE STRIPS
BIOCHAR INCORPORATED INTO STRIPS.
20 YEARS OF CONTINUOUS 3 TIMES A YEAR CROPPING
LARGE AREA FOR MEASURING YIELDS AND TAKING AGED BIOCHAR
SAMPLES
EXPERIMENTS WITH SALICYLIC ACID TO DETERMINE IF BIO CHAR
ENHANCES GROWTH PROMOTING SUBSTANCES
Bio char and torrefied wood from surface
to up to 50 cm depth
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Torrefied wood with nematodes and
termites
charred wood
Roots growing through a charcoal piece
Maize field with 4 charcoal stripes
Sunflowers in plot with 4 charcoal stripes
Charcoal stripe
plus overlapping charcoal stripe
Soil analysis and interpretation
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF BIOCHAR TAKEN
OUT OF A BOLIVIAN SOIL AFTER 18 YEARS
EC
Ds/m
pH (CaCL2)
Bray Phosph.
mg/kg
Colwell Phosph.
mg/kg
Total Nitrogen
%
Total Carbon
%
KCL extr. Nitrate mg/kg
KCL extr.Ammon. mg/kg
Aluminium
Calcium
Iron
Potassium
Magnesium
Manganese
Cobald
Molybdenum
Sodium
Phosphorus
0.34
6.9
2.4
120
1.0
57
19
3.6
%
0.058
%
4.9
%
0.097
%
0.14
%
0.19
mg/kg
43
mg/kg
12
mg/kg < 1.2
%
0.011
%
0.061
Calcium/Magnesium Ratio %
8.8
Aluminium Saturation
% < 0.03
Exchangeable Calcium
%
86
Exchangeable Potassium %
Exchangeable Magnesium %
3.6
9.8
Exchangeable Sodium
0.74
CEC
%
cmol(+)/kg
66
Microprobe Element Mapping
Böhm
Titration
Total acidity
4.851 mmol/g
Carboxylics
0.195 mmol/g
Lactonics
0.908 mmol/g
Phenolics
0.528 mmol/g
Total basicity
2.572 mmol/g
H2O
0.084
mmol/g
Microprobe Element Mapping
Microprobe Element Mapping
Raman Mapping of Bolivian char 18 years in
Aliphatic and aromatic compounds with similar concentration on surface
soil
Within
the char there are regions of high concentrations of carboxylic,
ketonic and lactonic functional groups
Before mapping
Average Intensity
Aliphatic
Carboxylic
AROMATIC
Ketone
Linear increase of positive influences over plants
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TEM,SEM,FTIR,RAMAN,NMR and liquid chromatography shows patterns of
formation of different phases and complexes on the surface of the bio char
The process of oxidative pyrolysis used in Bolivia probably results in the
chemisorptions of oxygen on the bio char before it is incorporated in the soil
with the consequent increase in acidic functional groups including carbonyl,
lactonic, hydroxylic, carboxylic, ketones, amides and quinonic groups.
Adsorption and reaction of mainly redox active cations (Fe,Mn,Al etc.) onto the
amorphous carbon/oxygen surfaces has occurred. The reactions that take
place are complex and a range of bonding can occur (covalent, ionic, ligand,
electrostatic )
Chemisorbed oxygen forms oxidized functional groups e.g. carbonyl, lactonic,
hydroxylic,carboxylic, ketones , amides and quinonic groups on top of the bio
char surface
Oxidized poly-saccarides and carboxylic groups (amino-acids, other organic
acids,peptides and proteins etc.) from degrading organic matter are
electrostatic attached to the functional groups on top of the bio char surface
increasing their ability to retain mineral ions and water
Chemisorbed oxygen produces good amounts of Fulvic and Humic acids in the
bio char, both with very high CEC and mineral-chelating power
Organo-mineral complexes with a wide range of effects on soil and biota are
formed
Macro-aggregates with water holding pores are formed
Substances which change genetic
expression in plants
C8H6O3
? Butenolide 3-methyl-2H-furo-2,3-c-pyran-2-one
CH3
Only one C atom difference
O
Salicylic acid 2-Hydroxybenzoic acid
C7H6O3
OH
OH
Applied as single substances there is a linear increase in productivity in plants
Applied as combo (edafic and / or foliar) the gene expression in plants changes
Chunk or silenced genes are activated, active genes are silenced
136 TO 150 TONS Of BIOCHAR PER HA
Without bio char,with salicylic acid
With bio char, with salicylic acid
Root system diameter is 3 to 4 times
bigger with bio char and salicylic acid
( 50 x 50 cm)
Excessive secondary Higher chlorophyll
root growth
content in leaves,
bigger leave area
All cobs per shank at the
same flowering stage
Reversal of apical
dominance at the
same shank
Neutralization of
apical dominance
Reversal of apical
dominance
Multiple cobs at the same
shank
Multiple cobs per plant
and shank
Several axles with cobs All cobs are fully
pollinated
To the left enhanced cob size with up to 720 seeds
per cob,to the right this is the response without
charcoal and without Salicylic acid
2400 seeds in one plant
3 shanks with 3/5/5 cobs
per shank
Synchronizing pollination all cobs are fully
pollinated
Multiple female flowers in one Normal untreated soy root
with average nodulation
plant with 10 to 14 cm
by Rhizobia
diameter
Charcoal stripe , Salicylic
acid applied on Sunflowers
Head diameter between 35
and 40 cm
Charcoal stripe, Salicylic acid applied
Soy root with up to 280 nodules all
active
Comparison of the same seed in bio char
+ SalicylicAcid applied and non applied
non bio char plants
18 cm
38 cm
Final Comments
.The importance of bio char for plant growth is its ability to reduce the
energy requirements for the complex set of inorganic and biomolecular
reactions that take place in the rhizosphere . Its ability to degrade to
produce a range of organic and metallo-organic compounds, cations and
anions are probably as important as its recalctricance in its degradability
towards bio-and plant- genetic active substances and its catalytic function,
not so much in its recalcitrance
.The interaction of bio char on a mineral level leads to linear improvement
of the growth conditions of soil biota and plants (increase in CEC,Mineral
retention,etc.)”Mor(e)on- theory” applies in a wide range (0 to 250 tons
charcoal /ha) until saturation.
.The substances produced on the surface of the bio char or in interaction
with the clays are precursor substances or direct interacting substances
which in presence of other immune system stimulating substances are
influencing the gene-expression of soil-biota and plants (synergy effects)
-Plants have a highly sensitive chemoreception system that plays an important
- role not only for signaling substances but as well for triggering substances,
- triggering levels are not linear, they are in quantum steps
-Other substances than the group of butenolides are the different organic acids,
- jasmonates,chitosan, chitin,hormones and hormone like substances etc.
-which all can be derived from the lactonic, quinonic, hydroxylic, carbonyl,
- carboxylic and ketonic groups etc. by cracking, rearrangement or re-synthesis
-with at the time unknown growth influencing or gene expression
-influencing actions
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