scholarly journals Investigating the Influence of Biochar Particle Size and Depth of Placement on Nitrous Oxide (N2O) Emissions from Simulated Urine Patches

Agriculture ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 175
Author(s):  
Ainul Mahmud ◽  
Marta Camps-Arbestain ◽  
Mike Hedley

The use of biochar reduces nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from soils under specific conditions yet the mechanisms through which interactions occur are not fully understood. The objectives of this glasshouse study were to investigate the effect of (i) biochar particle size, and (ii) the impact of soil inversion—through simulated mouldboard ploughing—on N2O emissions from soils to which cattle urine was applied. Pine biochar (550 °C) with two different particle sizes (<2 mm and >4 mm) was mixed either into the top soil layer at the original 0–10 cm depth in the soil column or at 10–20 cm depth by inverting the top soil to simulate ploughing. Nitrous oxide emissions were monitored for every two to three days, up to seven weeks during the summer trial and measurements were repeated during the autumn trial. We found that the use of large particle size biochar in the inverted soil had significant impact on increasing the cumulative N2O emissions in autumn trial, possibly through changes in the water hydraulic conductivity of the soil column and increased water retention at the boundary between soil layers. This study thus highlights the importance of the role of biochar particle size and the method of biochar placement on soil physical properties and the implications of these on N2O emissions.

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tabassum Abbasi ◽  
Tasneem Abbasi ◽  
Chirchom Luithui ◽  
Shahid Abbas Abbasi

Paddy fields, which are shallow man-made wetlands, are estimated to be responsible for ~11% of the total methane emissions attributed to anthropogenic sources. The role of water use in driving these emissions, and the apportioning of the emissions to individual countries engaged in paddy cultivation, are aspects that have been mired in controversy and disagreement. This is largely due to the fact that methane (CH4) emissions not only change with the cultivar type but also regions, climate, soil type, soil conditions, manner of irrigation, type and quantity of fertilizer added—to name a few. The factors which can influence these aspects also encompass a wide range, and have origins in causes which can be physical, chemical, biological, and combinations of these. Exceedingly complex feedback mechanisms, exerting different magnitudes and types of influences on CH4 emissions under different conditions, are operative. Similar is the case of nitrous oxide (N2O); indeed, the present level of understanding of the factors which influence the quantum of its emission is still more patchy. This makes it difficult to even understand precisely the role of the myriad factors, less so model them. The challenge is made even more daunting by the fact that accurate and precise data on most of these aspects is lacking. This makes it nearly impossible to develop analytical models linking causes with effects vis a vis CH4 and N2O emissions from paddy fields. For situations like this the bioinspired artificial intelligence technique of artificial neural network (ANN), which can model a phenomenon on the basis of past data and without the explicit understanding of the mechanism phenomena, may prove useful. However, no such model for CH4 or N2O has been developed so far. Hence the present work was undertaken. It describes ANN-based models developed by us to predict CH4 and N2O emissions using soil characteristics, fertilizer inputs, and rice cultivar yield as inputs. Upon testing the predictive ability of the models with sets of data not used in model development, it was seen that there was excellent agreement between model forecasts and experimental findings, leading to correlations coefficients of 0.991 and 0.96, and root mean square error (RMSE) of 11.17 and 261.3, respectively, for CH4 and N2O emissions. Thus, the models can be used to estimate CH4 and N2O emissions from all those continuously flooded paddy wetlands for which data on total organic carbon, soil electrical conductivity, applied nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, NPK, and grain yield is available.


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 770
Author(s):  
Cong Wang ◽  
Barbara Amon ◽  
Karsten Schulz ◽  
Bano Mehdi

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a long-lived greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. Emissions of N2O mainly stem from agricultural soils. This review highlights the principal factors from peer-reviewed literature affecting N2O emissions from agricultural soils, by grouping the factors into three categories: environmental, management and measurement. Within these categories, each impact factor is explained in detail and its influence on N2O emissions from the soil is summarized. It is also shown how each impact factor influences other impact factors. Process-based simulation models used for estimating N2O emissions are reviewed regarding their ability to consider the impact factors in simulating N2O. The model strengths and weaknesses in simulating N2O emissions from managed soils are summarized. Finally, three selected process-based simulation models (Daily Century (DAYCENT), DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC), and Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT)) are discussed that are widely used to simulate N2O emissions from cropping systems. Their ability to simulate N2O emissions is evaluated by describing the model components that are relevant to N2O processes and their representation in the model.


2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 8345-8379 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Eickenscheidt ◽  
R. Brumme ◽  
E. Veldkamp

Abstract. The impact of atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition on nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in forest ecosystems is still unclear. The objective of our study was to investigate the direct contribution of N deposition to N2O emissions in temperate forests exposed to chronic high N deposition using a 15N labelling technique. In a Norway spruce stand (Picea abies) and in a beech stand (Fagus sylvatica) in the Solling, Germany, we added a low concentrated 15N-labelled ammoniumnitrate solution to simulate N deposition. Nitrous oxide fluxes and 15N isotope abundances in N2O were measured using the closed chamber method combined with 15N isotope analyses. Emissions of N2O were higher in the beech stand (2.6 ± 0.6 kg N ha−1 yr−1) than in the spruce stand (0.3 ± 0.1 kg N ha−1 yr−1). We observed a direct effect of N input on 15N2O emissions, which lasted less than three weeks and was mainly caused by denitrification. No progressive increase in 15N enrichment of N2O occurred over a one-year experiment, which we explained by immobilisation of deposited N. The annual emission factor for N2O from deposited N was 0.1% for the spruce stand and 0.6% for the beech stand. Standard methods used in the literature applied to the same stands grossly overestimated emission factors with values of up to 25%. Only 6–13% of the total N2O emissions were derived from direct N deposition. Whether the remaining emissions resulted from accumulated anthropogenic N deposition or native N, can not be distinguish with the applied methods. The 15N tracer technique represents a precise tool, which may improve estimates of the current contribution of N deposition on N2O emissions.


2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 621-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Eickenscheidt ◽  
R. Brumme ◽  
E. Veldkamp

Abstract. The impact of atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition on nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in forest ecosystems is still unclear. Our study assessed the direct contribution of N deposition to N2O emissions in temperate forests exposed to chronic high N depositions using a 15N labelling technique. In a Norway spruce stand (Picea abies) and in a beech stand (Fagus sylvatica) at the Solling, Germany, we used a low concentrated 15N-labelled ammonium-nitrate solution to simulate N deposition. Nitrous oxide fluxes and 15N isotope abundances in N2O were measured using the closed chamber method combined with 15N isotope analyses. Emissions of N2O were higher in the beech stand (2.6 ± 0.6 kg N ha−1 yr−1) than in the spruce stand (0.3 ± 0.1 kg N ha−1 yr−1). We observed a direct effect of N input on 15N-N2O emissions, which lasted for less than three weeks and was mainly caused by denitrification. No further increase in 15N enrichment of N2O occurred during a one-year experiment, which was probably due to immobilisation of deposited N. The annual emission factor for N2O from deposited N was 0.1% for the spruce stand and 0.6% for the beech stand. Standard methods used in the literature applied to the same stands grossly overestimated emission factors with values of up to 25%. Only 6–13% of the total N2O emissions were derived from direct N depositions. Whether the remaining emissions resulted from accumulated anthropogenic N depositions or native soil N, could not be distinguished with the applied methods. The 15N tracer technique is a useful tool, which may improve estimates of the current contribution of N deposition to N2O emissions.


BioResources ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 3210-3223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiane Dicke ◽  
Carsten Lühr ◽  
Ruth Ellerbrock ◽  
Jan Mumme ◽  
Jürgen Kern

The impact on carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions when applying hydrothermally carbonized (HTC) char to soil was investigated in a laboratory experiment with two HTC chars made from hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) dust and incubated for 131 d. Two fractions of hemp dust were collected during fiber processing (from fractionation and suction) and were carbonized at 230 °C for 6 h in water. Non-treated and water-washed HTC chars were used in incubation experiments, doubling the carbon concentration of the soil. As a result of adding HTC char to soil, CO2 emissions increased significantly in all cases compared to the control treatment. Washing the HTC chars easily removed dissolvable carbon (C) compounds, which significantly decreased CO2 emissions. Nitrous oxide emissions, following the incorporation of HTC char, did not differ from those of the control sample; however, washed HTC char treatments tended to emit less N2O than the corresponding unwashed samples. Hydrothermally carbonized char obtained from the suction of dust may play a greater role as a soil conditioner than HTC char from dust by fractionation because dust from suction accumulates to a larger degree during hemp fiber processing.


Soil Research ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 342 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. D. Schwenke ◽  
B. M. Haigh

Delaying the accumulation of soil nitrate from urea applied at sowing should mitigate nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions without compromising optimum crop production. This delay may be achieved chemically using a nitrification inhibitor such as 3,4 dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP), or physically by coating urea with a degradable polymer (PCU). In five field experiments across three summers, the impact of DMPP-coated urea applied at sowing on soil mineral nitrogen (N), N2O emissions and yields of grain sorghum or sunflower grown on sub-tropical Vertosols was assessed. At two experiments, DMPP effects on plant N uptake, soil N movement and total N loss were determined with 15N. One experiment included PCU and several blends: urea+DMPP-urea; urea+PCU; urea+DMPP-urea+PCU. Averaged across all experiments, DMPP reduced cumulative N2O emitted by 92% (range: 65–123%) and N2O emission factor (EF: percent of applied N emitted) by 88%. There was no statistical difference in N2O emitted between the 0N control and DMPP-urea. PCU reduced N2O emitted by 27% and EF by 34%. The urea+DMPP-urea blend also nullified urea-induced N2O, but urea+PCU increased N2O emissions and decreased grain yield due to a mismatch between soil N availability and plant N demand. DMPP arrested 15N movement in soil and reduced total 15N loss from 35% to 15% at one of the two 15N experiments. Applying DMPP-urea at sowing is an effective N strategy that nullifies urea-induced N2O emissions, maintains crop yield, and retains N in the soil–plant system. Negative impacts of the PCU+urea blend highlight the influence of growing season conditions on fertiliser N release.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Khadim Dawar ◽  
Shah Fahad ◽  
M. M. R. Jahangir ◽  
Iqbal Munir ◽  
Syed Sartaj Alam ◽  
...  

AbstractIn this study, we explored the role of biochar (BC) and/or urease inhibitor (UI) in mitigating ammonia (NH3) and nitrous oxide (N2O) discharge from urea fertilized wheat cultivated fields in Pakistan (34.01°N, 71.71°E). The experiment included five treatments [control, urea (150 kg N ha−1), BC (10 Mg ha−1), urea + BC and urea + BC + UI (1 L ton−1)], which were all repeated four times and were carried out in a randomized complete block design. Urea supplementation along with BC and BC + UI reduced soil NH3 emissions by 27% and 69%, respectively, compared to sole urea application. Nitrous oxide emissions from urea fertilized plots were also reduced by 24% and 53% applying BC and BC + UI, respectively, compared to urea alone. Application of BC with urea improved the grain yield, shoot biomass, and total N uptake of wheat by 13%, 24%, and 12%, respectively, compared to urea alone. Moreover, UI further promoted biomass and grain yield, and N assimilation in wheat by 38%, 22% and 27%, respectively, over sole urea application. In conclusion, application of BC and/or UI can mitigate NH3 and N2O emissions from urea fertilized soil, improve N use efficiency (NUE) and overall crop productivity.


Author(s):  
Muhammad Khalid Anser ◽  
Danish Iqbal Godil ◽  
Muhammad Azhar Khan ◽  
Abdelmohsen A. Nassani ◽  
Khalid Zaman ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 4928
Author(s):  
Alicia Vanessa Jeffary ◽  
Osumanu Haruna Ahmed ◽  
Roland Kueh Jui Heng ◽  
Liza Nuriati Lim Kim Choo ◽  
Latifah Omar ◽  
...  

Farming systems on peat soils are novel, considering the complexities of these organic soil. Since peat soils effectively capture greenhouse gases in their natural state, cultivating peat soils with annual or perennial crops such as pineapples necessitates the monitoring of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, especially from cultivated peat lands, due to a lack of data on N2O emissions. An on-farm experiment was carried out to determine the movement of N2O in pineapple production on peat soil. Additionally, the experiment was carried out to determine if the peat soil temperature and the N2O emissions were related. The chamber method was used to capture the N2O fluxes daily (for dry and wet seasons) after which gas chromatography was used to determine N2O followed by expressing the emission of this gas in t ha−1 yr−1. The movement of N2O horizontally (832 t N2O ha−1 yr−1) during the dry period was higher than in the wet period (599 t N2O ha−1 yr−1) because of C and N substrate in the peat soil, in addition to the fertilizer used in fertilizing the pineapple plants. The vertical movement of N2O (44 t N2O ha−1 yr−1) was higher in the dry season relative to N2O emission (38 t N2O ha−1 yr−1) during the wet season because of nitrification and denitrification of N fertilizer. The peat soil temperature did not affect the direction (horizontal and vertical) of the N2O emission, suggesting that these factors are not related. Therefore, it can be concluded that N2O movement in peat soils under pineapple cultivation on peat lands occurs horizontally and vertically, regardless of season, and there is a need to ensure minimum tilling of the cultivated peat soils to prevent them from being an N2O source instead of an N2O sink.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1014
Author(s):  
Liza Nuriati Lim Kim Choo ◽  
Osumanu Haruna Ahmed ◽  
Nik Muhamad Nik Majid ◽  
Zakry Fitri Abd Aziz

Burning pineapple residues on peat soils before pineapple replanting raises concerns on hazards of peat fires. A study was conducted to determine whether ash produced from pineapple residues could be used to minimize carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in cultivated tropical peatlands. The effects of pineapple residue ash fertilization on CO2 and N2O emissions from a peat soil grown with pineapple were determined using closed chamber method with the following treatments: (i) 25, 50, 70, and 100% of the suggested rate of pineapple residue ash + NPK fertilizer, (ii) NPK fertilizer, and (iii) peat soil only. Soils treated with pineapple residue ash (25%) decreased CO2 and N2O emissions relative to soils without ash due to adsorption of organic compounds, ammonium, and nitrate ions onto the charged surface of ash through hydrogen bonding. The ability of the ash to maintain higher soil pH during pineapple growth primarily contributed to low CO2 and N2O emissions. Co-application of pineapple residue ash and compound NPK fertilizer also improves soil ammonium and nitrate availability, and fruit quality of pineapples. Compound NPK fertilizers can be amended with pineapple residue ash to minimize CO2 and N2O emissions without reducing peat soil and pineapple productivity.


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