SDSU Biochar Projects

INTERACTIONS OF BIOCHAR
SOURCE/PROPERTIES IMPACTS
ON SOIL PROPERTIES, C
SEQUESTRATION POTENTIAL,
AND CROP MANAGEMENT
D.D. Malo and S.A. Clay (project leaders), T.E. Schumacher,
H.J. Woodard, D.E. Clay, and R.H. Gelderman, SDSU Plant
Science Department; and H. Lei and J.L. Julson, SDSU
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department
 Development of an interactive input/output
process and cost model with consideration of
impacts of the end use of the biochar on the
carbon status of the fuels or products made
in the thermal chemical conversion process

V. Kelley, J. Julson, K. Muthukumarappan SDSU

Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering Dept
S.A. Clay SDSU Plant Science Dept
G. Warmann SDSU Economics Dept
H. Lei Washington State University
Others involved in project

Research Associates:

Steph Hansen

Carrie Werkmeister

Bev Klein

Undergraduate training

Mitch Olson

Kaitlynn Krack

Dan Clay

Susie Rodriguez

Introduction

Materials

Methods

Results

Future research
Biochar

Co-product of pyrolysis,

an incineration method to gain energy (or
ethanol) from organic materials under low or
zero oxygen environments

Many different starting materials including

Wood

Corn stover

switchgrass

The end-product is typically a fine-grained,
highly porous charcoal
Why land spread biochar?

disposal method

reuse nutrients remaining in biochar

for carbon sequestration

other uses?
Soil characteristics or processes that
may be affected by biochar addition

Recent studies have focused on using biochar

as nutrient sources

Few studies have examined how biochar may
influence or interact with other soil processes
including:

Soil water holding capacity and release

Soil warming

Soil microbial activity

pH and EC (salt content)

Herbicide sorption
 SDSU AG and Biosystems Engineering Dept.
Task 1: Conversion process data collection-
collection- Year 1 Work

Assembled a microwave-
microwave- aided pyrolysis process.

Completed pyrolysis of woodchips, switchgrass
and corn stover samples-
samples- based on a central
composite experimental design.

Source of biochar for herbicide sorption studies.
Objective

Determine the

pH and EC of biochar produced from various materials
and conditions

herbicide sorption characteristics of biochar alone

Determine the influence of biochar amendments on

soil pH

soil EC

soil microbial communities

herbicide sorption
Materials

Biochar from three sources

Switchgrass

Corn Stover

Corn stover and switchgrass were processed by
SDSU Ag and Biosystems Engineering (Dr. J.
Julson and Dr. H. Lei)

Temperatures used were 550, 600, or 650 C

Processing time 8 to 25 minutes

9 samples of each material

Wood ash [obtained from CVec Plant
(Benson, MN)]
CVEC Plant* (Benson, MN)

* Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company - Source of

wood bioash/biochar used in initial parts of
project
 Low temperature
(550 C)

High temperature
(650 C)

Increasing time
Low temperature
(550 C)

High temperature
(650 C)

Increasing time
Corn stover biochar image from Scanning Electron Microscope (HITACHI S-3000N),
operated at 10 kV with pyrolysis condition at 550°C; The size of the hollow area was
around 2-10 µm.
Microbial Studies Initiated

Denaturing Gradient Gel electrophoresis
(DGGE). Three soils and two different levels
of biochar additions were established and are
being incubated. At selected times samples
are taken and DGGE and fluorescein
diacetate hydrolysis (FDA) tests will be run to
determine if changes in soil microbial
community occur as a result of
biochar/bioash additions.
Herbicide sorption studies

Two herbicides

Atrazine

2,4-D

Biochar alone or mixed with a Brandt silty
clay loam soil (pH 6.3) at

1% biochar (w/w) or

10% biochar (w/w)

0.01 M CaCl2 with or without herbicide was
added 4:1(v/w) when soil was present or 5:1
(v/w) if biochar alone

Measured

pH

EC

Herbicide remaining in solution after 24 hr of
agitation,

sorption coefficient (Kd) for each herbicide was
calculated

Three replications/trt; replicated in time
Results to date
Wood Chip Bioash/Biochar
Properties

% Total Carbon = range from 37.7 to 36.4
with average of 37.0%)

% Total Nitrogen = range from 0.15 to 0.17
with average of 0.16%)

C:N ratio = range of 249:1 to 224:1 with an
average of 239:1
Wood Chip Bioash/Biochar
Properties

pH values (range from 11.8 to 9.8 with
average of 11.0)

Electrical conductivity [salt measurement]
(range = 2.9 to 4.7 average = 3.6 dS m-1)

Water soluble bases (Na+ = 11.6 cmolc kg-1;
K+ = 19.1 cmolc kg-1; Mg2+ = 0.04 cmolc kg-1;
and Ca2+ = 3.5 cmolc kg-1)
 Switchgrass Biochar EC
3
2.5
2
EC (dS/m) 1.5 10
1 16
22
0.5
0
550 600 650
Processing temperature
Soil EC
Wood chip EC = 3.6
 Switchgrass biochar pH

10 * 671 C

7 10
16
6 22
10% soil
5

3
550 600 650
Processing temperature
Switchgrass vs Corn stover Biochar pH

7
pH 10
16
5
20

3
550S 550C 650S 650C
Processing Temperature
 Atrazine sorption by switchgrass
biochar
50

40

30
Kd * 10
20 16
22
10

0
550 600 650 Atrazine
sorption by
Temperature soil
 Atrazine sorption by corn stover
biochar
90
80
70
60
50
Kd 10
40
30 16
20 22
10
0
550 600 650
Temperature
 Kd atrazine in soil with 10%
switchgrass biochar
16
14
12
10
Kd 8
10
6
4 16
2 22
0
550 600 650
Kd atrazine to
Processing temperature soil = 3.8
 Kd atrazine in soil with 10% corn
stover biochar
12
10
8
Kd 6 10
4 16
2 22
0
550 600 650
Kd atrazine to
Processing temperature soil = 3.8
Atrazine

Atrazine sorption is known to increase at when soil
pH is either low (<5) or high (>8)

The increased sorption (Kd) when biochar is present
implies

Increased herbicide rates to get consistent weed
control

Longer residence time at high pH (due to unavailability
to soil microbes)

Shorter residence time at low pH (due to chemical
hydroxylation)

Changed leaching potential
 2,4-D sorption by switchgrass biochar

50

40

30
Kd * 10
20 16
10 22

0
550 600 650 Kd 2,4-D to
soil = 1.0
Temperature
 Kd 2,4-D in soil with 10%
switchgrass biochar
16
14
12
10
Kd 8 10
6
16
4
2 22
0
550 600 650
Processing temperature
2,4-D sorption
by soil
2,4-D

2,4-D is not a soil applied herbicide, however,
small sorption coefficients to soil due to it’s
negative charge give a model compound as
comparison

2,4-D sorption also increased when specific
biochar types were added

Less leaching by the negative compounds

Longer residence time
 Example of how Kd value affects
leaching through a matrix

Input values for each scenario:

Kd = 1
Matrix layer = 20 and Pore value = 85

Kd = 1 Red line = breakthrough curve of

nonadsorbed carrier (water)

Green line = breakthrough curve for chemical

of interest

Kd = 4
Kd = 9

Simulation
run through
NetLogo 4.1
SDSU AG and Biosystems Engineering Dept.
Year 2 Plan - Conversion process data collection

Determine composition of biofuels components.

Determine composition of biochars.

Determine energy content of biofuels components.

Analyze mass and energy flow data.
Plant Science Dept.
Year 2 Plan

Examine herbicide sorption characteristics
using wood ash

Examine desorption characteristics when
biochar is amended to soil

Examine herbicide availability to plants in
greenhouse studies

Column leaching experiments