scholarly journals The Role of Biochar in Regulating the Carbon, Phosphorus, and Nitrogen Cycles Exemplified by Soil Systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5612
Author(s):  
Shu-Yuan Pan ◽  
Cheng-Di Dong ◽  
Jenn-Feng Su ◽  
Po-Yen Wang ◽  
Chiu-Wen Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Soil Amendment ◽  
Environmental Control ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Soil Environment ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Soil Systems ◽  
P Mineralization ◽  
Rich Material ◽  
Pyrolysis Of Biomass

Biochar is a carbon-rich material prepared from the pyrolysis of biomass under various conditions. Recently, biochar drew great attention due to its promising potential in climate change mitigation, soil amendment, and environmental control. Obviously, biochar can be a beneficial soil amendment in several ways including preventing nutrients loss due to leaching, increasing N and P mineralization, and enabling the microbial mediation of N2O and CO2 emissions. However, there are also conflicting reports on biochar effects, such as water logging and weathering induced change of surface properties that ultimately affects microbial growth and soil fertility. Despite the voluminous reports on soil and biochar properties, few studies have systematically addressed the effects of biochar on the sequestration of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in soils. Information on microbially-mediated transformation of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) species in the soil environment remains relatively uncertain. A systematic documentation of how biochar influences the fate and transport of carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen in soil is crucial to promoting biochar applications toward environmental sustainability. This report first provides an overview on the adsorption of carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen species on biochar, particularly in soil systems. Then, the biochar-mediated transformation of organic species, and the transport of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in soil systems are discussed. This review also reports on the weathering process of biochar and implications in the soil environment. Lastly, the current knowledge gaps and priority research directions for the biochar-amended systems in the future are assessed. This review focuses on literatures published in the past decade (2009–2021) on the adsorption, degradation, transport, weathering, and transformation of C, N, and P species in soil systems with respect to biochar applications.

Deinking sludge influences biomass, nitrogen and phosphorus status of several grass and legume species

1997 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
pp. 693-702 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Fierro ◽  
J. Norrie ◽  
A. Gosselin ◽  
C. J. Beauchamp
Keyword(s):  
Soil Amendment ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Agropyron Elongatum ◽  
Festuca Ovina ◽  
Melilotus Officinalis ◽  
Medicago Lupulina ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Galega Orientalis ◽  
Four Levels

In a greenhouse study, deinking sludge was evaluated as a soil amendment supplemented with four nitrogen (N) fertilization levels for the growth of the grasses Agropyron elongatum (Host.) Beauv. (tall wheatgrass), Alopecurus pratensis L. (meadow foxtail), Festuca ovina var. duriuscula (L). Koch (hard fescue), and four levels of phosphorus (P) for the growth of the legumes Galega orientalis Lam. (galega), Medicago lupulina L. (black medic), Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam (yellow sweet clover). Fertilizers were applied on the basis of sludge level to maintain uniform carbon (C)/N or C/P ratios across sludge treatments. In one experiment, sand was mixed with 0, 10, 20 or 30% sludge while, in a second experiment, mineral soil was mixed with 0, 27, 53 or 80% sludge (vol/vol). In sand mixtures of 30 and 20% sludge, grasses had similar or greater growth than in unamended mineral soil when N was added at about 6.5 and 8.4 g kg−1 deinking sludge, respectively. For all legumes but Medicago lupulina, P at about 0.8 g kg−1 sludge was required for these sand mixtures. In soil mixtures of 53 and 27% sludge, grasses grew well when supplemental N was about 5.3 and 6.9 g kg−1 sludge, respectively. Legumes required P at 0.5 and 1.2 g kg−1 sludge, respectively. In general, growth was closely related to total amount of added N or P in spite of the wide range of C/N or C/P ratios. When growing in media amended with sludge, grasses needed higher tissue N concentration for an equivalent growth than in control soil; legumes had similar tissue P concentration. The grasses Agropyron elongatum and Alopecurus pratensis as well as the legumes Melilotus officinalis and Galega orientalis are promising species for field testing, based on dry matter production. Deinking sludge can be used as soil amendment when adequate N and P supplements are provided. Key words: Soil amendment, papermill sludge, Agropyron elongatum, Alopecurus pratensis, Festuca ovina, Medicago lupulina, Galega orientalis, Melilotus officinalis

Long-term effect of cropping system and nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer on production and nitrogen economy of grain crops in a Brown Chernozem

2005 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. A. Campbell ◽  
R. P. Zentner ◽  
F. Selles ◽  
P. G. Jefferson ◽  
B. G. McConkey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
N Uptake ◽  
Yield Response ◽  
Average Response ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
N Yield ◽  
P Fertilizer

Assessment of the long-term impact of fertilizers and other management factors on crop production and environmental sustainability of cropping systems in the semi-arid Canadian prairies is needed. This paper discusses the long-term influence of N and P fertilizers on crop production, N uptake and water use of hard red spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and the effect of the preceding crop type [flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) and fall rye (Secale cereale L.)] on wheat grown on a medium-textured, Orthic Brown Chernozem at Swift Current, Saskatchewan. We analysed 36 yr of results (1967–2002) from eight crop rotation-fertility treatments: viz., fallow-wheat receiving N and P (F-W, N + P), three F-W-W treatments fertilized with (i) N + P, (ii) P only, and (iii) N only; two other 3-yr mixed rotations with N + P (i) F-flax-W (F-Flx-W) and (ii) F-fall rye-W (F-Rye-W); and two continuous wheat rotations (Cont W), one receiving N + P and the other only P. Growing season weather conditions during the 36-yr period were near the long-term mean, but the first 22 yr were generally drier than normal while the last 14 yr (1989–2002) had average to above-average growing conditions. This was partly responsible for grain and N yield being greater in the latter period than in the first 22 yr. The 36-yr average response of wheat grown on fallow to P fertilizer was 339 kg ha-1, while the response to N fertilizer over this period was only 123 kg ha-1. The 36-yr average response of wheat grown on stubble to N was 344 kg ha-1 for F-W-(W) and 393 kg ha-1 for Cont W. Neither flax nor fall rye influenced the yield response of the following wheat crops. Annualized grain production for F-W (N + P), F-W-W (+ N) and F-W-W (+ P) rotations were similar (1130 kg ha-1 yr-1); this was about 15% lower than for F-W-W (N + P), 40% lower than for Cont W (N + P), and 5% lower than for Cont W (+ P). Annualized aboveground N yield for Cont W (N + P) was 57% higher than for Cont W (+ P). Regressions were developed relating straw to grain yields for wheat, flax and fall rye. The amount of NO3-N left in the soil was directly related to amount of N applied and inversely to N removed in the crop. Thus, F-(W)-W (+ N) left about 28% more NO3-N in the rooting zone than F-(W)-W (N + P), while F-W-(W) (N + P) left 20% more than F-W-(W) (+ P), and Cont W (N + P) left 39% more than Cont W (+ P). F-Rye-W (N + P) left much less NO3-N in the soil than any other fallow-containing system and similar amounts to Cont W (N + P). Key words: Yields, grain protein, N and P fertilizer, straw/grain regressions, water use, soil nitrate

scholarly journals Recent Progress in Biochar-Based Photocatalysts for Wastewater Treatment: Synthesis, Mechanisms, and Applications

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 1019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiali Cui ◽  
Feng Zhang ◽  
Hongyan Li ◽  
Jianguo Cui ◽  
Yatao Ren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Sol Gel ◽  
Mesoporous Structure ◽  
Preparation Methods ◽  
In Situ Methods ◽  
Low Toxicity ◽  
Rich Material ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Pyrolysis Of Biomass

Biochar (BC) is a carbon-rich material produced from pyrolysis of biomass. In addition to its low toxicity, environmental compatibility, and low cost, BC has the desired advantages of well-developed mesoporous structure and abundant surface functional groups. In recent years, BC-based photocatalysts (BCPs) have played a significant role in many environmental fields. In this paper, we highlight the current progress and several exciting results of BCPs by focusing on their synthesis, characterization, mechanisms, and applications in wastewater treatment. Details on various preparation methods include sol–gel, hydrothermal/solvothermal, ultrasound, calcination, and in situ methods are summarized and discussed. The underlying mechanisms and the applications of BCPs for different semiconductors are reviewed. Furthermore, some future trends and potentials are outlined.

scholarly journals Dissemination of Environmental Information and its Effects on Stakeholders’ Decision-Making: A Comparative Study between Swedish and Polish Municipalities

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 9-47
Author(s):  
Anna Cregård ◽  
Iwona Sobis
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Natural Environment ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Environmental Information ◽  
Development Economic ◽  
Agenda 21 ◽  
Positive Effects

Abstract According to Action Agenda 21, which was adopted at the Rio Conference in 1992, sustainable development is a major objective for local and global development. Economic growth, good living conditions, and protection of the earth’s natural environment are important to all people in the world. This article focuses on one aspect of sustainable development, i.e. on environmental sustainability. Research shows that local government can take a leading position in protecting the natural environment and disseminating information on it among stakeholders. However, our knowledge about the dissemination of environmental information practices among stakeholders is limited. The purpose of this research is to fill a gap in current knowledge, to describe and compare the practical work with dissemination of such information among stakeholders in Swedish and Polish municipalities. The questions to be answered are: What environmental information is collected and produced by the local government ? At what stakeholders is such information targeted ? and What effects does it have on decision-making by stakeholders in the investigated municipalities ? The study is based on state regulations, the homepages of municipal offices, and policy documents, official reports, and semi-structured interviews with key managers responsible for the protection of the natural environment in the studied municipalities. Data were collected from late 2015 to early 2017. This research indicates that dissemination of environmental information has a positive effect on the decision-making of internal stakeholders. In both countries, the municipal authorities follow the EU recommendations, resulting in innovative work and growing environmental awareness among the municipal authorities, the residents, and other stakeholders. Improvement of the natural environment is perceived as “a must” for the future. Nonetheless, especially larger municipalities face challenges because the production and dissemination of environmental information is time-consuming. In the long run, however, surprisingly positive effects on the local protection of the natural environment appear.

scholarly journals Changes of tannin and nutrients during decomposition of branchlets of Casuarina equisetifolia plantation in subtropical coastal areas of China

2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (No. 2) ◽  
pp. 74-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhang LH ◽  
Zhang SJ ◽  
Ye GF ◽  
Shao HB ◽  
Lin GH ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Condensed Tannins ◽  
Total Phenolics ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Phosphorus Concentration ◽  
Casuarina Equisetifolia ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Litterbag Experiment ◽  
Time Required

A litterbag experiment was conducted to investigate the changes of tannins and nutrients in branchlets at different decomposition stages of Casuarina equisetifolia in southern subtropical coastal zone, China, using the colorimetric assays. The time required for the loss of half of the initial dry weight (t<sub>50</sub>) was 9.13 months. Total phenolics (TP), extractable condensed tannins (ECT), protein-bound condensed tannins (PBCT), total condensed tannins (TCT) and protein precipitation capacity (PPC) of branchlets litter decreased rapidly, while fibre-bound condensed tannins (FBCT) increased during decomposition. Nitrogen and phosphorus concentration of the branchlet litter both increased gradually during decay. Negative correlations between TP and nitrogen or phosphorus, as well as TCT and nitrogen or phosphorus were found. These chemical changes enhanced the current knowledge on the potential ecological role of nutrient transformation in tannins in C. equisetifolia plantations.

scholarly journals Antibiotic resistance: turning evolutionary principles into clinical reality

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan I Andersson ◽  
Nathalie Q Balaban ◽  
Fernando Baquero ◽  
Patrice Courvalin ◽  
Philippe Glaser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Environmental Control ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Modern Medicine ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Bacterial Physiology ◽  
The Past ◽  
Clinical Reality ◽  
The Individual

ABSTRACT Antibiotic resistance is one of the major challenges facing modern medicine worldwide. The past few decades have witnessed rapid progress in our understanding of the multiple factors that affect the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance at the population level and the level of the individual patient. However, the process of translating this progress into health policy and clinical practice has been slow. Here, we attempt to consolidate current knowledge about the evolution and ecology of antibiotic resistance into a roadmap for future research as well as clinical and environmental control of antibiotic resistance. At the population level, we examine emergence, transmission and dissemination of antibiotic resistance, and at the patient level, we examine adaptation involving bacterial physiology and host resilience. Finally, we describe new approaches and technologies for improving diagnosis and treatment and minimizing the spread of resistance.

Innovation, multi-utility service businesses and sustainable cities: where might be the next breakthrough?

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Villarroel Walker ◽  
M. B. Beck
Keyword(s):  
Food Waste ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Social Nature ◽  
Financial Benefits ◽  
Waste Handling ◽  
Service Businesses ◽  
Nitrogen Phosphorus

A Multi-sectoral Systems Analysis (MSA) model has been constructed for exploring and managing cross-sectoral impacts (both synergies and antagonisms) resulting from technology and policy interventions in the design and stewardship of city infrastructures. This MSA is based on Substance Flow Analysis. It accounts for the flows of water, nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon, and energy into, around, and out of the water, energy, food, waste-handling, and forestry sectors of city-watershed systems. Applications of the MSA to two case studies of the Metropolitan Atlanta Area in Georgia, USA, and the Greater London Area, UK, are compared. The impacts and financial benefits are assessed for four candidate technological innovations in the water sector: urine-separating toilets; pyrolysis of sewage sludge; combined food-waste and wastewater conveyance/treatment; and production of algae-based biofuels from sewage. System-wide environmental sustainability is gauged on four accounts, of attaining progressively more ambitious targets of resource savings/recovery in respect of water, energy, and nutrients (both nitrogen- and phosphorus-based). The paper closes by demonstrating how the MSA can provide assistance in framing questions of a more financial and social nature, i.e., those of ‘Who reaps the rewards?’ and ‘Who bears the costs?’ of the various prospective technological changes and (possibly) breakthroughs.

scholarly journals The digitalization in EMAS-registered organizations: evidences from Italy and Poland

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 673-695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rossella Canestrino ◽  
Marek Ćwiklicki ◽  
Piotr Kafel ◽  
Magdalena Wojnarowska ◽  
Pierpaolo Magliocca
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
National Language ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to investigate the scope of digitalization in the EMAS-registered organizations for better understanding its extent in environmental committed firms' activities.Design/methodology/approachA content analysis was employed to examine the environmental statements of the EMAS-registered organizations. About 60 Italian and Polish entities were selected from the EMAS database using simple random sampling method.FindingsThe article fills the gap in the theory of managing change in an environmental context, suggesting that the action plan for sustainable development does not meet the objectives of digitalization. Organizations registered in EMAS do not express a strong tendency to introduce ICT in the pursuit of environmental goals, which is contrary to the assumptions about the benefits of digitalization for sustainable development.Research limitations/implicationsThe first limitation refers to the small size of the sample. Since environmental statements are always published in national languages, only two countries – Italy and Poland – were chosen for investigation. The use of national language hinders comparison, but the inclusion of more registered organizations could give additional explanations. Secondly, the content analysis would have benefited from the collection of additional source of information (webpages and company documentations), since many firms do not refer to digitalization in the environmental statements. Gathering primary data from managers explaining the motives behind their strategic environmental decisions could be also useful.Practical implicationsGiving the agreement about the environmental advantages of digitalization, this study offers to the practitioners the chance to catch new opportunities within the field of environmental sustainability by the employment of more integrated approach to digitalization.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to examine two dynamically developing areas, namely digitalization and environmental sustainability. This study enriches current knowledge about both areas, examining the level of digitalization of European high-environmental performing firms. In doing this, it reports lack of important use of digitalization in the action plans for environmental commitments in Polish and Italian EMAS-registered organizations.

Structure and physiology of Sitka spruce roots

1987 ◽  
Vol 93 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 131-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. P. Coutts ◽  
J. J. Philipson
Keyword(s):  
Relative Size ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Sitka Spruce ◽  
Lateral Spread ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Soil Environment ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Tree Stability ◽  
Primary Roots ◽  
Survival And Development

SynopsisThe growth and development of Sitka spruce roots is reviewed against the practical background of tree stability. Two features of the roots which make Sitka spruce liable to windthrow on upland sites are the shallow development in unfavourable soil conditions, and restricted lateral spread and anchorage caused by some forms of cultivation. Responses to different aspects of the soil environment are discussed, with emphasis on mineral nutrition, drying of the soil, waterlogging and temperature. The development of a small number of major woody roots from an assortment of primary laterals on the transplant occurs at an early age and is determined both by the relative size and vigour of the primary roots and by their local environment. The roots, which respond to increases in nitrogen and phosphorus supply with enhanced growth, are sensitive to drying of the soil and are particularly so to waterlogging, but they show no unusual response to soil temperature. Adventitious roots can play a role in the survival and development of the root system.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document