title: Acidic sandy soil improvement with biochar - A microcosm study.
abstract: Biochar produced from a wide range of organic materials by pyrolysis has been reported as a means to improve soil physical properties, fertility and crop productivity. However, there is a lack of studies on the complex effects of biochar both on the degraded sandy soil physico-chemical properties and the soil biota as well as on toxicity, particularly in combined application with fertilizer and compost. A 7-week microcosm experiment was conducted to improve the quality of an acidic sandy soil combining variations in biochar types and amounts, compost and fertilizer application rates. The applied biochars were produced from different feedstocks such as grain husks, paper fibre sludge and wood screenings. The main purpose of the microcosm experiment was to assess the efficiency and applicability of different biochars as soil amendment prior to field trials and to choose the most efficient biochar to improve the fertility, biological activity and physical properties of acidic sandy soils. We complemented the methodology with ecotoxicity assessment to evaluate the possible risks to the soil as habitat for microbes, plants and animals. There was clear evidence of biochar-soil interactions positively affecting both the physico-chemical properties of the tested acidic sandy soil and the soil biota. Our results suggest that the grain husk and the paper fibre sludge biochars applied to the tested soil at 1% and 0.5 w/w% rate mixed with compost, respectively can supply a more liveable habitat for plants and soil living animals than the acidic sandy soil without treatment.
authors: Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, H-1111 Budapest, Műegyetem rkp. 3, Hungary. Electronic address: mmolnar@mail.bme.hu.
authors: Mónika
authors: M
authors: Molnár
authors: Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, H-1111 Budapest, Műegyetem rkp. 3, Hungary.
authors: Emese
authors: E
authors: Vaszita
authors: Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, H-1111 Budapest, Műegyetem rkp. 3, Hungary.
authors: Éva
authors: É
authors: Farkas
authors: Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, H-1111 Budapest, Műegyetem rkp. 3, Hungary.
authors: Éva
authors: É
authors: Ujaczki
authors: Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, H-1111 Budapest, Műegyetem rkp. 3, Hungary.
authors: Ildikó
authors: I
authors: Fekete-Kertész
authors: Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, H-1111 Budapest, Műegyetem rkp. 3, Hungary.
authors: Mária
authors: M
authors: Tolner
authors: Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, H-1111 Budapest, Műegyetem rkp. 3, Hungary.
authors: Orsolya
authors: O
authors: Klebercz
authors: Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, H-1111 Budapest, Műegyetem rkp. 3, Hungary.
authors: Csaba
authors: C
authors: Kirchkeszner
authors: Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, H-1111 Budapest, Műegyetem rkp. 3, Hungary.
authors: Katalin
authors: K
authors: Gruiz
authors: Institute for Soil Sciences and Agricultural Chemistry, Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1022 Budapest, Herman Ottó street 15, Hungary.
authors: Nikolett
authors: N
authors: Uzinger
authors: Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, H-1111 Budapest, Műegyetem rkp. 3, Hungary.
authors: Viktória
authors: V
authors: Feigl
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002606:Charcoal / Q000737:chemistry*; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation / Q000379:methods*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000187:drug effects; D064307:Microbiota / Q000187:drug effects; D010944:Plants / Q000187:drug effects; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; C540010:biochar; D002606:Charcoal
keywords: Acidic sandy soil; Biochar; Ecotoxicity; Soil improvement; Soil physico-chemical properties