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Biochar: A Sustainable Approach for Enhancing

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 Chapter - 1
Biochar: A Sustainable Approach for Enhancing
Soil Fertility

Authors
Deshmukh A.V.
Ph.D. Research Scholar, Department of Soil Science and Agril.
Chemistry, College of Agriculture, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
Deshmukh K.V.
Ph.D. Research Scholar, Department of Entomology, Post
Graduate Institute, Mahatma Phule Krushi Vidhyapeeth, Rahuri
Maharashtra, India

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Page | 2
 Chapter - 1
Biochar: A Sustainable Approach for Enhancing Soil
Fertility
Deshmukh A.V. and Deshmukh K.V.

Abstract
Traditionally, residue burning has been a quick technique to remove any
remaining biomass from an agricultural field, allowing for additional land
preparation and planting. Field clearing, fertility improvement, insect control
and fertility enhancement are further justifications for purposeful burning.
The most common grain remnants are rice and wheat straws and burning
them in the field itself is the simplest way to clean it up. Burning agro-
residues results in approximately three-fourths of the greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions being CH4 and the remaining one-fourth being N2O. About 42 per
cent of GHGs are produced solely by the burning of wheat and paddy straws.
After plant biomass has been put through the thermo-chemical conversion
process (pyrolysis) at low temperatures (350-600 °C) in an atmosphere with
little to no oxygen, the result is biochar, a fine-grained, carbon-rich, porous
substance. The physical properties of soil, such as aggregate stability, water
holding capacity and other factors such as root penetration and reduced
erosion can all be improved by biochar. Furthermore, biochar can increase
soil fertility and soil organic matter due to its frequently alkaline pH value,
abundance of reactive surface functional groups, relatively high CEC, ash
content and labile C (5-10% of total fixed C). Therefore, it is important to
explicitly define and standardise the parameters of biochar, such as the
pyrolysis process (e.g., rapid, slow, highest treatment temperature, residence
duration) as well as the feedstock (e.g., wood, crop residues, animal dung).
Such precise guidelines would reinforce the application of biochar as a soil
supplement to preserve and improve soil health.
Keywords: Biochar, pyrolysis, crop residue, carbon sequestration, soil
fertility
Introduction
In 21st century, agriculture faces various challenges, i.e., it has to fulfil
food and industrial demands of growing population while currently

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protecting environment. As world population increasing so the demand for
food is increasing, the yearning for food increase to meet growing demand
must be done in a way that soil degradation is minimal and soil is prepared
to serve as sink rather than source of atmospheric pollutant like CO2, N2O,
CH4 etc.
Most of the agricultural production depends upon the use of synthetic
fertilizers from green revolution till today. Nutrient use efficiency decreased
and N2O emission increased due to overuse of fertilizers especially urea.
However, application of fertilizers alone is not a sustainable solution to
improve soil fertility and yield. Sustainable agriculture faces major problems
due to low nutrient status and quick mineralization of soil organic matter,
decrease in SOM contents leads to reduce CEC and under such condition the
efficiency of applied mineral fertilizer is low. In-addition most of the small-
scale farmers cannot afford to apply fertilizer regularly due to high cost. Soil
organic carbon is essential for increasing yield as it has capacity to hold
water and nutrients, provide a habitat for soil biota and improve soil
structure. Soil is a major reservoir of soil carbon and changes in the farming
practices responsible for reduction in soil organic carbon. Soil health is that
the foundation of an active and sustainable food system. As the land is
farmed, the agricultural process disturbs the natural soil system including
nutrient cycling and the release and uptake of nutrients.
Efficient use of biomass, available as crop residues and other farm
wastes, by converting it to a useful source of soil amendment/nutrient is one
of the ways to manage soil fertility. It is crucial to take care of an amount of
organic matter within the soil for maintaining physical, chemical and
biological integrity of the soil and for sustained agricultural productivity.
Identifying such environmental and soil degradation problems, biochar
research has progressed considerably with important key findings on
agronomic benefits, carbon sequestration, greenhouse emission, soil quality,
soil acidity, soil salinity, soil fertility etc.
Biochar
Bio= Biological in origin, Char = Charcoal
Biochar obtained by slow pyrolysis from biomass waste with the
first goal of soil improvement (Lehmann et al. 2006) its highly porous, fine-
grained, carbon dominant product having both organic and inorganic nature,
with large surface area possessing oxygen functional groups and aromatic
surfaces (Amonette and Joseph, 2009). According to the International
Biochar Initiative (IBI), biochar is defined as a solid material obtained from

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the thermochemical conversion (i.e., heating or pyrolysis) of biomass (e.g.,
wood, crop residue, manure, biosolids, etc) in an oxygen limited
environment. Various evidences indicate towards the usage of biochar in the
field from the time of immemorial, for example the Amazon basin. It has
been discovered that the soil up to 2 meters in depth throughout the Amazon
basin are the region of terra preta.
Terra preta meaning ‘Black earth’ in Portuguese. It is a soil building
technique developed by ancient Amazonian civilization at least 7000 years
ago as a solution to permanently solve the problems of poor tropical soil
fertility. The first deposits were discovered in 1870 but it has only been last
10 years that significant interest and study have been initiated. Farmers know
the importance of rich, deeply cultivated, well-drained soil but often have
difficulty achieving it on the land they use. The soil contains at least three
times the organic matter than other areas of Amazon basin. Scientist believed
that deeply dark colour of soil is due to plant carbons which are retained in
soil for thousand years these where the result of clearing the land and
charring the tree. This is quite different than slash and burn practice.
Biochar is a fine-grained, carbon-rich, porous by-product of the thermo-
chemical conversion process (pyrolysis) of plant biomass at low
temperatures (350-600 °C) in an oxygen-depleted atmosphere (Amonette and
Joseph, 2009). Biochar is a mixture of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), oxygen
(O), nitrogen (N), sulphur (S) and ash in various quantities, rather than pure
carbon (Masek, 2009). The primary feature of biochar and char that makes it
appealing as a soil supplement is its highly porous structure, which may help
with water retention and soil surface area. It is important to note that there is
a wide variety of char products produced industrially.
To differentiate between the various carbonaceous products, the
following terms have been defined:
1. Char is a solid product made of organic material which has been
thermally decomposed. For instance, char from a forest fire and
shoot from incomplete hydrocarbon combustion.
2. Charcoal: It is obtained from thermal decomposition of wood and
other related organic material, usually used as a fuel.
3. Activated carbon: After heating char at high temperature usually at
500 oC or above, it has high adsorption capacity. It is being used for
cleansing (Sohi et al. 2009).
As the biochar usually produced under limited or no oxygen conditions
to avoid the oxidation of carbon present in feedstock passed through thermal

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treatment while in the presence of oxygen this carbon will be oxidize. The
oxidation of carbon converts biomass into ash (devoid of carbon) and loss of
almost all the aromatic compounds and nutrients except minerals. Biochar is
popular because it is a highly porous, carbonaceous, aromatic compound
with such a high heating value that's also resistant to biological degradation
and act as a pollutant removal. However, open or high oxygen firing is a
kind of burning, and the resulting carbon compound or ash will not have the
same qualities as biochar. use of oxygen rich environment result in
combustion and resulted into emission of gases CO2, H20, SO2, N2O etc.
Char could be produced at high temperatures, over long periods of time,
and with a controlled oxygen supply for application such as activated carbon.
Basic charcoal-making systems, on the other hand (such as clay kilns),
operate at low temperature and the reaction does not occur under closely
controlled conditions. Traditional charcoal production should be known to as
'carbonization,' which entails burying biomass with soil prior to ignition or
wet biomass combustion. Torrefaction is the process of drying and roasting
biomass at even lower temperatures (Arias et al., 2008). Biochar derived
from pyrolysis, as well as traditional charcoal and char have several
fundamental features linked to carbon sequestration (long residence time)
and soil fertility (soil conditioning effect). An in-depth investigation of
biochar-rich dark earths in the Amazon (terra preta) has resulted in a greater
understanding of biochar’s unique properties as a soil enhancer.
Biochar has the potential to remediate contaminated soil while also
providing environmental benefits. Biochar application in the soil, according
to Lehmann (2007) and Powlson et al. (2011) not only improves soil quality
and nutrient cycling but also has the best potential for long-term carbon
sequestration.
Crop residue burning in agricultural fields and loss of biomass through
forest fire
In India, 72-127 Mt of agricultural wastes are burned on-farm, according
to different reports (Pathak et al., 2006). Open field burning of agricultural
residues is said to be an age-old technique for increasing soil fertility in
terms of P and K but it often results in a loss of other nutrients (such as N
and S), organic matter and microbial activity, all of which are necessary for
greater soil health. Maintaining a threshold level of organic matter in rainfed
soil, on the other hand is essential for maintaining soil physical, chemical
and biological activities in order to accomplish optimal agricultural
productivity and environmental functions (Grace, 2008).

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 Further, forest covers more than 60 per cent of the land in the hill
ecosystem of NE and lot of forest waste biomass is readily available for use
in agriculture. In addition, a lot of forest biomass is burnt in shifting
cultivation (slash-and-burn method). Residue burning traditionally provides
a fast way to clear the agricultural field of residual biomass and facilitating
further land preparation and planting. Clearing fields, improving fertility and
pest and pasture management are some of the other reasons for purposeful
burning. It also offers a quick approach to control weeds, insects and
diseases either by eradicating them or altering their natural habitat.
Furthermore, in northwest India, the duration between rice harvesting and
wheat sowing is about 15-20 days. As a result, farmers prefer to burn rice
stalks in the field rather than harvesting them for other purposes. Burning is
also thought to increase soil fertility, despite the fact that it has a different
effect on soil fertility. It improves the short-term availability of some
nutrients (such as P and K) and lowers soil acidity, while it depletes other
minerals (e.g., N and S), organic matter and microbial activity required for
maintaining better soil health.
Rice and wheat straws are the most common cereal residues and burning
those in the field is the quickest way to clean the field. For example, 23 per
cent of rice straw residue produced is surplus and is either left in the field as
uncollected or to a large extent open-field burnt. In Punjab alone 70 to 80
million tonnes of rice and wheat straw are burned each year, releasing
around 140 million tonnes of CO2, as well as methane, nitrous oxide and
other pollutants into the atmosphere (Punia et al., 2008). Approximately
three-quarters of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agro-residues
burning were CH4, with the remaining one-fourth being N2O. GHGs are
produced by burning wheat and paddy straws alone, which accounts for
around 42 per cent of total emissions.
Biochar sequestration in terrestrial ecosystem
More than half of the carbon would be sequestered in very stable form if
woody above ground biomass were converted into biochar using only a
simple kiln technique and applied to soil. Slash and char are a less
environmentally friendly alternative to slash and burn. Charring is the
process of partially burning biomass that results from slashing, which
removes hydrogen and oxygen while leaving a carbon Skelton. When a
substance is exposed to high temperature, it chars, which is an incomplete
combustion.

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 Table 1: Estimates of crop residue availability in India
Sr. No. Residue type Crop residue availability (Mt yr-1)
1. Arhar 5.7
2. Bajra 15.8
3. Cotton 52.9
4. Groundnut (Shelly-stalks) 15.1
5. Jowar (Cobs, Stalks, Husk) 24.2
6. Maize (Stalk, Cobs) 27.0
7. Paddy 170.0
8. Wheat 112.0
9. Soyabean stalk 9.9
10. Sugarcane 12.1

Due to lack of proper crop residue management practises in India, large

quantities of unwanted and excess crop and agroforestry leftovers are
becoming a source of concern. The above Table shows estimates of crop and
woody residue availability in India from various sources. In India, 523 Mt of
crop wastes are produced annually with 127 Mt being surplus (Pathak et al.,
2006). The amount of crop wastes created is 500 Mt, with a surplus of 141
Mt, according to MNRE (2009). Oilseeds (29 Mt), pulses (13 Mt), and
cotton (53 Mt) produce the most residues in India (IARI, 2012) and are
therefore niche crops for rain-fed regions. Cotton stalk and pigeon pea stalk
excess crop leftovers are estimated to be 11.8 Mt and 9.0 Mt, respectively,
every year (IARI, 2012). Castor bean production in India is the highest in the
world, a typical rainfed crop that generates 18.0 Mt of residues annually.
Due to different constraints, these residues are either partially used or not
utilised at all (Murali et al. 2010).
Biochar production technology
Biochar production from a variety of high-molecular lingo cellulosic
residue resource is a carbon-neutral process (Thomsen et al., 2011). A

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variety of thermal conversion processes can be used to prepare biochar.
Pyrolysis systems employed to process unused and excess crop and agro
forestry residues for biochar production can be categorized into four types:
1) Slow pyrolysis
2) Fast pyrolysis
3) Flash pyrolysis
4) Gasification
Slow pyrolysis at lower temperatures (400-500 °C) and longer contact
durations produces a substantial production of biochar (35%) in many cases
(Meyer et al., 2011). Faster pyrolysis or gasification occurs at greater
temperatures (800 °C) and produces a high yield of combustible gases (12%)
in comparison to solid biochar (Laird et al., 2009). Feedstocks are subjected
to a burst of heat energy in the case of flash pyrolysis, which lasts between 1
and 5 seconds. Slow pyrolysis is the most often used method. This method
uses direct thermo-chemical decomposition (exothermic reaction) to convert
low-density residue matrix into biochar in a closed reactor at temperatures
ranging from 450 to 500 degrees Celsius.
Methods of biochar preparation
1) Heap method
2) CRIDA biochar kiln
3) IARI drum method
1) Heap method
Charcoal making is one of the traditional practices to generate income in
various parts of India. For making charcoal in the traditional way, a stack of
pyramid-like structure (earth kiln) is built by retaining wood logs and plant
roots. Vents are opened starting at the top and working lower to allow
combustion products to escape. When the smoke production stops, the
cooling process begins by covering the stack with a moist earth layer. Before
the soil is removed and the biochar created is separated from the surrounding
carbonised sections, the cooling process takes several days. Among earth
kilns, earth-mound kilns with a chimney are the most advanced. The ability
to change the diameter of the chimney according to the oxygen demand, as
well as accurate control of the chimney draught, which is based on height,
leads in superior pyrolysis process management. During the off-season,
biochar is made from Prosopis juliferais in the rain-fed regions of Tamil
Nadu’s Ramanathapuram district. The heap method of charcoal generation is
commonly used since it is simple and inexpensive. To cover the heap

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structure holding wood logs, coconut fibre wastes, paddy straw or any other
accessible agriculture waste are mixed with clay soil to make a paste.
Finally, it is covered with soil from the outside and sprayed with water. After
3-4 days of burning inside the heap, the entire wood logs are turned to
charcoal. For industrial purposes, the charcoal is carried to several districts
in Tamil Nadu as well as to states such as Maharashtra and Gujarat.
2) CRIDA biochar klin
Both the needs of managing the loading rate and the rate of thermo-
chemical conversion phases in order to halt the process when all of the crop
and agro-forestry residues have been converted to biochar were addressed in
the construction of the kiln. To meet the demands of small and marginal
farmers, a low-cost portable kiln unit was designed. The cost of one kiln unit
is approximately 1200 rupees, which includes the cost of the metal drum,
vent making expenses and side fittings.
The following is a quick description of the kiln (Venkatesh et al., 2015):
 The cylindrical metal drum kiln of roughly 212 L capacity is based
on a single barrel design of vertical structure with perforated base
and operates on the bottom-lit direct natural up-draft principle.
 The kiln is about 28 cm in radius and 86 cm high, with one square
shaped hole of 16 x 16 cm cut at the kiln top for loading residues,
which may be closed at the end of conversion by a metal lid (about
26 cm in length and 26 cm in width) with a handle (110 cm).015).
3) IARI drum method
Purakayastha et al. (2012) developed a cylindrical low-cost pyrolysis
kiln made from fire brick at IARI, New Delhi. The gap between the two-fire
brick wall is filled with perlite which acts as insulator to check the heat loss
through dissipation. The used oil drum was placed on a stand inside the brick
kiln for heating. The drum is filled with agricultural residues with not too
tight packing and the drum is closed from the top with a metal lid having
provision for escape of syngas. Heating is provided by wood log externally
at the bottom of the drum until the desired temperature (300-400oC) is
reached. This method requires two hours for complete preparation of good
quality biochar with biochar yield of approximately 50 per cent. The cost of
fabrication of pyrolysis kiln is approximately Rs. 50,000. Biochar could also
be prepared in oil drum without construction of fire brick kiln.
Methods of biochar application in soil
Biochar, like any other organic amendment can be applied to soil in a
variety of ways, including broadcasting, banding, spot placement and deep

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banding. The method of adding biochar to soil on the other hand is
determined by the farming system, available machinery, and manpower.
Biochar application by hand is well known, but it is not feasible on a big
scale due to labour intensity and human health risks from extended contact
with biochar particulates in the air. A tractor-propelled lime spreader has
been used in various large-scale biochar studies in developed countries.
While the technique lends itself to precise output calibration and uniform
application, environmental air quality and product loss owing to wind and
water erosion are major challenges. Similarly, deep banding of biochar has
been successfully implemented in several wheat fields in Western Australia.
This low-impact application method deposits biochar directly into the
rhizosphere, and may be viable for previously established crops, and
perennial cropping systems. However, relatively low rates of application are
technically possible with one pass (3 t/ha), and the process is relatively
labour intensive. Additionally, issues with pneumatic clogging due to
biochar particle size distribution and air quality remain.
Due to slower leaching rates, mixing biochar with composts and
manures may minimise smells and increase nutrient performance over time.
Mixtures can be used to mix the top soil uniformly or to top-dress tree
plantings without incorporating them. Although the amount of dust in the air
would be reduced, biochar application tonnages per hectare might be low,
and additional equipment would be required to mix the compost into top
soils, raising costs and carbon footprint. Line trenching and backfilling may
allow for higher biochar application rates in soil for carbon sequestration
while also improving soil agronomic performance. Though labour and
carbon costly, the practice's high saturation rates and increased agronomic
productivity may make it profitable. Deep banding, on the other hand, is a
popular choice.
Systemic potential mechanism of biochar in soil and plant system
Bioavailability and plant uptake of essential nutrients improve in
response to biochar application, especially when additional nutrients are
present. Biochar’s potential in soil and plants is represented in a systematic
way. Significant increases in plant productivity have been reported
depending on the amount of biochar added to the soil but these studies are
mostly from the tropics. There has been no rigorous examination of the
potential agricultural effects of biochar application in temperate locations,
nor of the likelihood of using such soils as long-term carbon storage sites.
Soil application of biochar, on the other hand, can permanently appropriate
C in the soil and reduce net CO2 emissions. Increase agricultural yield by

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improving physico-chemical and biological characteristics, nutrient release
patterns and lowering denitrification and soil contaminants. Biochar can be
used to not only retain carbon in the soil but also to restore vital organic
matter that has been lost due to the removal of biomass from agro- and/or
forestry systems for energy production. As a result, biochar has the potential
to give two economic benefits at the same time. One benefit is that it has the
potential to improve the agronomic and environmental sustainability of
biomass production systems. Two, by offsetting feedstock purchases with
money from biochar sales, it may increase the economic viability of bio
energy businesses. Biochar has the capacity to produce revenue and boost
the sustainability of agriculture and environment.
Characteristics of biochar
The first step in understanding the mechanism of operation of any
amendment is to characterize it. The physical and chemical elements of
biochar determine its characteristics. The quality and possible usage of
biochar may be influenced by the form and size of the feedstock and
pyrolysis result. Although the relationship between char qualities and these
uses is not well understood, biochar's importance is based on its physical and
chemical properties. The first step toward understanding the mechanism of
action of biochar in soil is to properly characterise it. Biochar’s
biogeochemical characterisation aids in identifying its agronomic value and
impact on soil processes.
Physical properties Chemical Properties Biological Properties
Decreases bulk density, Liming effect provides net Enhances the abundance,
improves soil workability, carbon benefit compared activity and diversity of
reduces labour and tractor to standard liming. beneficial soil bacteria,
tillage and minimizing fuel actinomycetes and
emissions. arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi.
High negative charge of Enhance the fertilizer use High surface area, porous
biochar promotes soil efficiency, reduce the structure and nutrient
aggregation and structure. need for more expensive retentive capacity of biochar
fertilizers and improves provides favourable
the bioavailability of microhabitats by protecting
phosphorus and sulphur to them from drought,
crops. competition and predation.
Positive effect on crop Carbon negative process,
productivity by retaining stable carbon, longer
plant available soil moisture residence period and
due to its high surface area reduces Green House Gas
and porosity. emissions from soil.

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Average pH and CEC of biochar’s based on pyrolysis temperature
Impact of pyrolysis temperature on pH and Cation exchange capacity of
biochar studied by Ippolito et al., (2015) and they observed that pH of
biochar increased with increasing in pyrolysis temperature and its opposite
trend were observed in case of cation exchange capacity.
Table 2: Effect of pyrolysis temperature on pH and CEC of biochar

Pyrolysis Temp. pH CEC

<300 5.01 32.7
300-399 7.60 37.1
400-499 8.10 19.1
500-599 8.71 28.3
600-699 9.00 12.6
700-799 9.83 3.9
>800 10.80 4.4

Impact of biochar application in salt affected soil

The addition of biochar to salt-affected soil resulted in a reduction in
soil pH due to sodium salt leaching from the biochar modified soil. In
addition to the decrease in ESP, adding biochar to the soil may have resulted
in the formation of organic acid and carbon dioxide during biochar
degradation, and the acidic functional group released during the oxidation
process of organic manure and biochar may be responsible for the decrease
in soil pH. Biochar boosted soil cation exchange capacity because of its high
surface charge density and large surface area per unit mass. The continual
supply of Ca, Mg and other cations in biochar may explain the reduction in
soil salinity and sodicity. These cations lead to replace the exchangeable
sodium from soil matrix to form a new stable aggregate.
The addition of biochar increases the cation exchange capacity of soil
through two mechanisms: the biochar's increased surface area for cation
absorption and the presence of a higher surface charge density generates a
higher degree of oxidation. In a saline sodic soil, lowering ESP should be
followed by an increase in CEC and a decrease in soil exchangeable Na
concentration. As a result, applying biochar to a saline-sodic soil can help
with remediation by adding Ca and Mg, improving aggregate stability,
hydraulic conductivity, and possibly increasing salt leaching.
Impact of biochar application in acidic soil
In acidic soil, the pH of biochar plays an important function in raising
the pH. The presence of alkaline pH (8.4-10.8) biochar in the biochar-

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applied soil is principally responsible for the increase in soil pH. In acidic
red soil, biochar treatment also increased EC value, hence increasing EC was
not hazardous to the crop. Biochar’s high carbon content is responsible for
organic carbon build-up, which is ascribed to the biochar's low level of
degradation and refractory nature in soil. Due to the general hydroxyl and
carboxyl groups, as well as the biochar's high surface area and varied
charges, the cation exchange capacity increases when it is applied. As
biochar has a lower bulk density than mineral soils, it can increase the
volume of unit weight soil while lowering the bulk density. Biochar
application raised available nitrogen in the biochar system mostly due to
improved soil moisture retention and root growth, which resulted in greater
nitrogen fixation in the soil. Apart from releasing nitrogen from maize and
red gramme stalk biochar, which includes a considerable quantity of nitrogen
in its composition, biochar also efficiently adsorbs ammonia (NH3) and
works as a binder for ammonia in soil, potentially reducing ammonia
volatilization from soil surfaces. Biochar’s higher nutrient retention ability
kept more nitrate nitrogen in the soil, resulting in enhanced nutrient supply
to plants and fewer nutrient losses through leaching.
Biochar serves as a home for soil microorganisms engaged in N, P and S
transformation, as well as having the ability to maintain the existence of
adsorbed bacteria that can influence soil processes.
The strong adsorption and desorption potential of biochar, as well as the
presence of K-rich ash in the biochar, might increase the accessible
phosphorous level in soil. Biochar's timely availability of nutrients, mostly N
and P, boosts dry matter accumulation and improves crop growth, which has
a favourable impact on the plant's physiological function and, as a result,
improves crop production.
Impact of biochar application on soil organic carbon and beneficial
microorganisms
The superiority of biochar in terms of organic carbon content is due to
its large surface area, which creates micropores for beneficial
microorganisms to live in, hence boosting the organic carbon content of the
soil. The use of biochar with a high organic carbon content may have
resulted in a higher organic carbon content in the soil at harvest.
Biochar’s porous structure, high internal surface area and capacity to
absorb soluble organic matter and gases, as well as inorganic nutrients, make
it a potential candidate for beneficial microorganism colonisation, growth
and reproduction. Biochar’s high porosity allows it to retain more moisture,

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resulting in an increase in the soil's water retention capacity. Water is a
universal biological solvent, and its presence in biochar pores increased the
habitability of biochar sustainability. Smaller pores will attract and retain
capillary soil water for much longer than larger pores, and water is a
universal biological solvent and its presence in biochar pores increased the
habitability of biochar sustainability.
Conclusion
Use of biochar in agricultural systems is one of the viable options that
can enhance natural rate of carbon sequestration in the soil and reduce farm
waste. Application of biochar favourably influenced the soil bulk density,
pH, organic carbon, CEC and microbial load in soil. These positive changes
in the biochar applied soil increase and regulate the nutrients availability to
plants. Synergetic interaction of all the above soil properties ultimately
enhances the yield of crop. Thus, the biochar formation from crop residue
could be a better strategy in improving soil physical, chemical and biological
condition, SOC storage, crop performance and overall Soil fertility and
sustainability.
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