Evaluation of the potential of feedstock combinations and their biochars for soil amendment

One of the approaches for recycling and reusing agricultural and animal wastes is to pyrolyse the residues and subsequently use them as soil amendments. The prevalence of several feedstocks suggests that it is necessary to investigate the optimal combinations of feedstocks and pyrolysis temperature for use as soil amendments. This study was done to evaluate five combinations of raw materials (sugarcane bagasse, rice husk, cow manure and pine wood) and their biochars produced by slow pyrolysis at 300°C and 500°C for soil amendment. Several physicochemical properties (electrical conductivity (EC), pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), total organic matter content (C) total porosity (TP), total nitrogen (N), particle density (PD) and bulk density (BD)) were investigated. Comparison among feedstocks showed that the highest PD, BD and CEC were observed in WM (cow manure-pine wood). The pyrolysis process increased the PD, TP, N and monovalent cations and decreased EC, CEC and BD. Compared to the feedstock, pyrolysis increased the N content, but higher temperatures lowered the N content. Pyrolysis at 500°C reduced the EC, N, CEC and biochar yield by 18%, 13%, 21% and 24% respectively, compared to 300°C. Pyrolysis at 500°C increased the pH, Na+ and K+ by 17%, 12% and 22%, respectively, compared to 300°C. Considering the physicochemical properties of biochar and the costs, the bagasse-wood-rice (BWR) combination and temperature of 300°C are suggested for biochar production for soil amendment.

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Physical attributes of a Dystroferric Red Latosol (Oxisol) under different management systems

Revista Agrogeoambiental ◽

10.18406/2316-1817v11n120191198 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Leandro Campos Pinto ◽

Wantuir Filipe Teixeira Chagas ◽

Francisco Hélcio Canuto Amaral

Keyword(s):

Bulk Density ◽

Soil Structure ◽

Particle Density ◽

Geometric Mean ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

Total Porosity ◽

Biological Properties ◽

Matter Content ◽

Native Vegetation ◽

Red Latosol

The relationship of management and soil quality may be evaluated by the behavior of soil physical, chemical and biological properties. In the assessment of soil structure, it is sought attributes in the view of measuring the porosity and the distribution of pores by size and its implication to permeability and rigidity of the pores, as well as the stability of the units that composes soil structure. The aim of this research was to assess the structure of a Dystroferric Red Latosol (Oxisol) under conventional corn crop, conventional coffee crop, eucalyptus crop and an equilibrium reference (native vegetation), by the determination of the particle density, bulk density, calculated total porosity, microporosity, macroporosity, moisture saturation, determined total porosity, blocked pores and aggregated stability. Soil under native vegetation presented the lowest values of particle density, probably due to the greatest soil organic matter content in this environment. It was verified a tendency of increasing blocked pores and decreasing bulk density. As expected, bulk density varied from 0.87 to 1.03 g cm-3, showing an inversely proportional distribution related to total porosity. The largest values of geometric mean diameter presented by the soil under native vegetation are due to thegreater structuration degree of this soil, which contributes to the stabilization of the aggregates in this environment. The native vegetation environment presented a better soil physical quality in relation to other land uses.

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A Comparative Study of Various Methods of Handling Missing Data in UNSODA

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture11080727 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 727

Author(s):

Yingpeng Fu ◽

Hongjian Liao ◽

Longlong Lv

Keyword(s):

Missing Data ◽

Missing Values ◽

Soil Property ◽

Particle Density ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

Nonparametric Tests ◽

Matter Content ◽

Support Vector ◽

Soil Database ◽

Property Data

UNSODA, a free international soil database, is very popular and has been used in many fields. However, missing soil property data have limited the utility of this dataset, especially for data-driven models. Here, three machine learning-based methods, i.e., random forest (RF) regression, support vector (SVR) regression, and artificial neural network (ANN) regression, and two statistics-based methods, i.e., mean and multiple imputation (MI), were used to impute the missing soil property data, including pH, saturated hydraulic conductivity (SHC), organic matter content (OMC), porosity (PO), and particle density (PD). The missing upper depths (DU) and lower depths (DL) for the sampling locations were also imputed. Before imputing the missing values in UNSODA, a missing value simulation was performed and evaluated quantitatively. Next, nonparametric tests and multiple linear regression were performed to qualitatively evaluate the reliability of these five imputation methods. Results showed that RMSEs and MAEs of all features fluctuated within acceptable ranges. RF imputation and MI presented the lowest RMSEs and MAEs; both methods are good at explaining the variability of data. The standard error, coefficient of variance, and standard deviation decreased significantly after imputation, and there were no significant differences before and after imputation. Together, DU, pH, SHC, OMC, PO, and PD explained 91.0%, 63.9%, 88.5%, 59.4%, and 90.2% of the variation in BD using RF, SVR, ANN, mean, and MI, respectively; and this value was 99.8% when missing values were discarded. This study suggests that the RF and MI methods may be better for imputing the missing data in UNSODA.

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Physicochemical Properties of Handere Clays and Their Use as a Building Material

Journal of Chemistry ◽

10.1155/2015/374245 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Yasin Erdoğan

Keyword(s):

Physicochemical Properties ◽

Building Materials ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

Volcanic Glass ◽

Mineralogical Composition ◽

Matter Content ◽

Loss On Ignition ◽

X Ray Diffraction ◽

Clay Deposits

Handere clay deposits were discovered at Adana in Turkey. These clay units primarily consist of uncoloured claystone, pebbly sandstone, sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone marl and include gypsum lenses and clay levels of various thicknesses in places. The physicochemical properties of these clays have been investigated by different techniques including Scanning Electron and Elemental Analysis (SEM and EDS), mineralogical analyses, chemical and physical analyses, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), and Atterberg (Consistency) Limits Test. The mineralogical composition deduced from XRD is wide (smectite + palygorskite + illite ± feldspar ± chlorite ± quartz ± calcite ± serpentine) due to the high smectite contents (≈85%). SEM studies reveal that smectite minerals are composed of irregular platy leaves and show honeycomb pattern in the form of wavy leaves in places. The leaves presenting an array with surface edge contact are usually concentrated in the dissolution voids and fractures of volcanic glass. Organic matter content and loss on ignition analysis of raw materials are good for all the studied samples. In summary, Handere clays can be used as building materials in bricks, roof tiles, and cement and as a binder.

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PEMBUATAN PUPUK ORGANIK DARI KOTORAN SAPI DAN JERAMI PADI DENGAN PROSES FERMENTASI MENGGUNAKAN BIOAKTIVATOR M-DEC

Jurnal Inovasi Teknik Kimia ◽

10.31942/inteka.v5i1.3399 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ahmad Shobib

Keyword(s):

Rice Straw ◽

Fermentation Process ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Organic Fertilizer ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

Organic Content ◽

Matter Content ◽

Cow Manure ◽

Aerobic Fermentation ◽

Fermentation Time

Cow manure can be used for making organic fertilizer because it contains nutrients such as Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K). Rice straw has a high C-Organic content. Adding straw compost will increase soil organic matter content. The study aims to determine the fermentation process that occurs so as to produce organic fertilize, know the effect of fermentation time and the effect of the composition of raw materials for cow manure and rice straw on the process of making organic fertilizer to the content of organic fertilizer according to SNI 7603 : 2018. The method use by aerobic fermentation is by mixing cow manure and rice straw and M-Dec bioactivators by comparison 3 : 1, 2 : 2,1 : 3 and fermentation time 7, 14, 21, 28 days. The parameters tested are C-organic, Nitrogen (N), C/N ratio, Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K). The best quality organic fertilizer in the treatment of cow manure : rice straw with a ratio of 2 : 2 on the 28th day fermentation process namely C-organic content 34,63 %, C/N ratio is 25, macro nutrient content N+P2O5+K2O of 3,14 % that has met SNI 7763 : 2018. Keyword: M-Dec bioactivator, aerobic fermentation, cow manure, rice straw, C/N ratio

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Influence of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles on Soil Physicochemical Properties and Arachis hypogea Rhizosphere Microbial Community

International Journal of Plant & Soil Science ◽

10.9734/ijpss/2020/v32i830333 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 88-100

Author(s):

Progress Oghenerume ◽

Samuel Eduok ◽

Basil Ita ◽

Ofonime John ◽

Inemesit Bassey

Keyword(s):

Zinc Oxide ◽

Physicochemical Properties ◽

Soil Type ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

Matter Content ◽

Phosphorus Concentration ◽

Soil Physicochemical Properties ◽

Amended Soils ◽

Loam Soil ◽

Amended Soil

We evaluated the effect of 4000 mg zinc oxide (ZnO, 99%, 30 nm) nanoparticle on the physicochemical and microbiological properties of organic manure amended ultisol and loam soil cultivated with Arachis hypogaea using standard methods. The results indicate varying effects on the physicochemical properties in relation to the soil type. The pH of the control ultisol at 7.85 ± 0.17 and 8.3 ± 0.12 in the amended ultisol whereas, the control loam was 7.15 ± 0.17 and 7.41 ± 0.11 in the amended soil indicating 1.06- and 1.04-times higher difference than the controls respectively. Phosphorus concentration at 57.82 ± 0.54%, 50.81 ± 0.22% and 55.97 ± 0.04%, 59.97 ± 0.02% was 1.14 times lower in the ZnO amended ultisol and 1.07 times higher in amended loam soil compared to the respective controls. The organic matter content in the control and amended ultisol was 2.28 ± 0.32% and 0.91 ± 0.02%, 3.68 ± 0.36% and 0.36 ± 0.02% in the control and amended loam soil. The concentration of nitrate in the control ultisol was 0.05 ± 0.01% and 0.03 ± 0.01% in the amended soil. The nitrate in the control loam soil was 0.08 ± 0.01% relative to 0.02 ± 0.01% in the treated soil and these differences were significant at p = 0.05. The concentration of nutritive salts was reduced and in contrast iron, copper, exchangeable acids, exchange capacity, clay and silt increased in the amended soils. Further to this, heterotrophic ammonia and nitrate-oxidizing bacterial population were inhibited in the amended soils and denitrifying organisms were stimulated. The organisms were members of the genera Pseudomonas, Xanthobacter, Enterobacter, Bacillus, Lactobacillus, Citrobacter, Nitrosomonas, Agromyces and Rhizobium. ZnO nanoparticles altered the soil physicochemical properties which exacerbated the negative effect on microbial abundance and varied with the soil type.

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Soil fertility and leaf nutrient status of litchi orchard sites

Dhaka University Journal of Biological Sciences ◽

10.3329/dujbs.v30i2.54640 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 141-149

Author(s):

Tasnim Zannat ◽

Farhana Firoz Meem ◽

Rubaiat Sharmin Promi ◽

Umme Qulsum Poppy ◽

MK Rahman

Keyword(s):

Particle Density ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Nutrient Status ◽

Matter Content ◽

Average Particle ◽

Total N ◽

Available N ◽

Dominant Soil ◽

Physico Chemical

Twelve soil and twelve leaf samples were collected from twelve litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) orchards from different locations of Dinajpur to evaluate some physico-chemical properties and nutrient status of soil, and concentration of nutrients in litchi leaf. The pH of the soil varied from very strong acidic to medium acidic (4.8 - 5.7), organic matter content varied from 0.84 - 1.88%, EC varied from 302.4 - 310.2 μS/cm. The dominant soil textural class was clay loam. The average particle density was 2.49g/cm3. Total N, P, K and S in soils were 0.053 - 0.180%, 0.02 - 0.07%, 0.046 - 0.370 meq/100 g, and 0.015 - 0.028%, respectively. Available N, P, K, S, Zn, Fe, Mn and B in soils 30.40 - 57.8 mg/kg, 10.53 - 14.33 mg/kg, 0.03 - 0.32 meq/100 g, 20.03-34.80 mg/kg, 0.68-1.50 μg/g, 31.8 - 41.5 μg/g, 6.75 - 7.39 μg/g and 0.25-0.51 μg/g, respectively. The concentration of total N, P, K, S, Zn and Mn in the leaf were 1.74 - 2.20%, 0.11 - 0.188%, 0.104- 0.198%, 0.129 - 0.430%, 12 - 14 μg/g and 30 - 74 μg/g, respectively. The overall results indicated that the fertility status of the soils under the litchi plantation in the Dinajpur area are medium fertile. So, farmers could be advised to grow litchi plants after applying amendments to the soils to improve the physico-chemical properties in the Dinajpur area of Bangladesh. Dhaka Univ. J. Biol. Sci. 30(2): 141-149, 2021 (July)

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Effect of Biogas Digestate and Mineral Fertilisation on the Soil Properties and Yield and Nutritional Value of Switchgrass Forage

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy10040490 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 490

Author(s):

Aleksandra Głowacka ◽

Bogdan Szostak ◽

Renata Klebaniuk

Keyword(s):

Physicochemical Properties ◽

Panicum Virgatum ◽

Nutritional Value ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

Application Rate ◽

Matter Content ◽

Forage Yield ◽

Biogas Digestate ◽

Green Fodder ◽

Silty Loam

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a three-year application of digestate from an agricultural biogas plant on the physicochemical properties of highly acidic pHKCl 4.4 ± 0.23, silty loam soils with low macronutrient content and on the yield and nutritional value of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) biomass harvested for green fodder. The experiment included the following treatments: (1) O (control)—no fertilisation, (2) NPK—mineral fertilisation with (in kg ha−1) 150 N, 53.0 P and 105 K, (3) biogas digestate at 30 m3 ha−1 and (4) biogas digestate at 60 m3 ha−1. The higher application rate of biogas digestate significantly reduced soil acidity to pHKCl 4.9 ± 0.18 and improved its sorption properties. It also increased the soil organic matter content from 5.6 ± 0.21 to 6.4 ± 0.22 g Corg kg−1 and of K and Zn. The higher level of biogas digestate significantly increased switchgrass yield to 5.15 ± 0.26 t ha−1. The lower application rate of biogas digestate resulted in forage yield of 4.30 ± 0.20 t ha−1 comparable to that obtained after mineral fertilisation (4.33 ± 0.22 t ha−1). Following application of mineral fertilisers and the higher level of biogas digestate, the number of panicles per plant (150 ± 2.49–157 ± 0.6.17), panicle height (107 ± 1.98–114 ± 2.08), crude ash content (61.2 ± 0.43–65.5 ± 0.38) and protein content (106 ± 0.59–92 ± 1.11) in the switchgrass biomass from the first cut were higher than in the case of unfertilised soil (110 ± 3.81, 93 ± 1.32, 55.5 ± 0.40, 80.3 ± 0.37). The use of mineral fertilisers and biogas digestate increased the content of protein, P and Mg in biomass from the second cut. The results suggest that the use of digestate improved the physicochemical properties of highly acidic soil and increased the yield of switchgrass forage without diminishing its nutritional value.

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Radionuclides and heavy metal contents in phosphogypsum samples in comparison to cerrado soils

Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo ◽

10.1590/s0100-06832009000500038 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 33 (5) ◽

pp. 1481-1488 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Vanusa Maria Feliciano Jacomino ◽

Kerley Alberto Pereira de Oliveira ◽

Maria Helena Tirollo Taddei ◽

Maria Célia Siqueira ◽

Maria Eleonora Deschamps Pires Carneiro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Solid Waste ◽

Soil Amendment ◽

Natural Radionuclides ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

Maximum Level ◽

Mineralogical Composition ◽

Matter Content ◽

Soil Samples ◽

226Ra Activity

Phosphogysum (PG) or agricultural gypsum, a solid waste from the phosphate fertilizer industry, is used as soil amendment, especially on soils in the Cerrado region, in Brazil. This material may however contain natural radionuclides and metals which can be transferred to soils, plants and water sources. This paper presents and discusses the results of physical and chemical analyses that characterized samples of PG and compares them to the results found in two typical soils of the Cerrado, a clayey and sandy one. These analyses included: solid waste classification, evaluation of organic matter content and of P, K, Ca, Mg, and Al concentrations and of the mineralogical composition. Natural radionuclides and metal concentrations in PG and soil samples were also measured. Phosphogypsum was classified as Class II A - Not Dangerous, Not Inert, Not Corrosive and Not Reactive. The organic matter content in the soil samples was low and potential acidity high. In the mean, the specific 226Ra activity in the phosphogypsum samples (252 Bq kg-1) was below the maximum level recommended by USEPA, which is 370 Bq kg-1 for agricultural use. In addition, this study verified that natural radionuclides and metals concentrations in PG were lower than in the clayey Oxisol of Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais, Brazil. These results indicated that the application of phosphogypsum as soil amendment in agriculture would not cause a significant impact on the environment.

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PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF GLEYSOLIC SOILS IN THE LOWLANDS OF QUEBEC

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.4141/cjss79-007 ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 59 (1) ◽

pp. 69-78 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

C. R. DE KIMPE ◽

G. R. MEHUYS

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Pore Diameter ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

Aggregate Stability ◽

Total Porosity ◽

Matter Content ◽

Soil Series ◽

Mean Values ◽

Small Pore ◽

Agricultural Areas

Clay-rich soils were sampled in the agricultural areas of Montreal, Quebec and Lake St-Jean. Undisrupted soil blocks and bulk samples were taken by horizon in the Ste-Rosalie, Kamouraska and Normandin soil series. Aggregate stability increased with the organic matter content. Bulk density was generally highest in the B horizons. Porosity ranged from 39 to 56% of the total soil volume and the most representative pore diameter varied from 0.706 to 0.048 μm with the largest diameter being found in the Ap horizons. The distribution of porosity among large, medium and small pores in the Ste-Rosalie soil differed from that in the Kamouraska and Normandin soils. In the former, medium pores accounted for only a few percent of total porosity, while the pores were more evenly distributed in the latter soils. Medium pore contents decreased, while small pore contents increased, with increasing clay contents. No significant relationship was observed between large pores and clay percentages. Hydraulic conductivity, with mean values ranging from 3.5 to 109.3 cm/h, was significantly related to the large pore class.

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Restorative effects of amendments on artificially degraded soils in the Southern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria.

10.36265/njss.2020.300115 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 124-132

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Hydraulic Conductivity ◽

Soil Depth ◽

Block Design ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

Poultry Manure ◽

Total Porosity ◽

Matter Content ◽

Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity ◽

Yield Reduction

An evaluation of the productivity of degraded alfisols at Makurdi and Otobi, Nigeria, using artificial desurfacing techniques (ADT) was carried out in 2012 and 2013 cropping seasons. The study was a split-split plot experiment arranged in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. The soil was desurfaced at 0 – 5, 0 – 10, 0 – 15, 0 – 20 cm and the undesurfaced soil, 0 cm (control) depths. The restorative amendments were 9 t ha-1 of poultry dropping as an organic source of manure, N:P2O5:K2O as an inorganic source of manure and zero application as control. Soybean variety TGX 1448-2E and maize variety, Oba super II were used as test crop. Saturated hydraulic conductivity was significantly (P = 0.05) lower at 20 cm (29.08 cm hr-1 ), but did not differ significantly at 0 to 10 cm depths. Soil pH of 5.58 was recorded at 0 cm depth and it decreased to 5.05 at 20 cm depth. Also, organic matter content (1.71 – 1.00 g kg-1 ), total nitrogen (0.12 – 0.08 g kg-1 ) as well as CEC (7.39 – 6.24 cmol kg-1 ) recorded a significant decrease with increase in soil depth from 0 to 20 cm depths. Application of poultry manure increased total porosity and saturated hydraulic conductivity as well as organic matter content across desurfaced depths. Soybean number of leaves was significantly (P = 0.05) reduced at 4, 7, and 10 WAP with increased topsoil removal. The highest grain yield of soybean (1474 kg ha-1 ) was recorded on poultry manure treated plots which were significantly higher (p = 0.05) than other treatments. Application of poultry manure caused 20 % soybean yield reduction at 5 depth, and a 56 % reduction at 20 cm depth.

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