| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4430000 | Science of The Total Environment | 2011 | 5 Pages |
Countries with sewage treatment plants produce on average 27 kg of dried biosolids/person/yr. Concerns about nitrate leaching limit the rate at which biosolids are added to soil. We sought to determine whether biochar, a form of charcoal that is added to soil, could reduce nitrate leaching from biosolids amended soil. We set up 24 (0.5 m × 0.75 m) lysimeters, filled with two soil types (Templeton Silt Loam and Ashley Dene silt loam) and amended with combinations of biochar (102 t/ha equivalent) and biosolids (600 and 1200 kg N/ha equivalent). Pasture and leachates were sampled over 5 months. Nitrate leaching from biochar plus biosolids amended soils were reduced to levels at or below the control treatments. Pasture N concentrations were similarly affected by biochar addition. Future research should focus on unravelling the mechanism responsible for the change in the nitrogen cycle in soils amended with biosolids and biochar.
► Biochar plus biosolids reduced nitrate leaching when the mixture was applied to soil. ► At rate equivalent to 1200 kg N/ha, the mixture significantly increased pasture growth. ► At rate equivalent to 1200 kg N/ha, nitrate leaching was not significantly different from the control. ► Biosolids plus biochar could significantly increase soil carbon over the long term.
