BIOCHAR IN AGRICULTURE PROSPECTS AND IMPLICATIONS
Presented by
Md. Wahiduzzaman
Exam roll: 2003
Class Roll: FH-043
Registration No.: 2013-513-032
Introduction
The term biochar denotes black carbon formed by the pyrolysis of
biomass, i.e. by heating biomass under oxygen-free or stress
environment, so that it is not subject to complete combustion.
Biochar has the potential to increase soil fertility and crop
productivity.
Biochar can also be used for carbon sequestration and for mitigating
Green House Gas(GHG) emission.
Biochars improve soil-water holding capacity(WHC), cation
exchange capacity(CEC) and Carbon content.
Application of biochar carbon allows cycling of nutrients back into
the agricultural soils and sequestering carbon in a recalcitrant form.
Objective
 To share the knowledge about biochar, its production scheme and
its effect on agriculture.
 To find out the importance of biochar on crop productivity and soil
fertility.
 To identify the contribution of biochar in reducing green house gas
emission.
 To find out the efficiency of biochar as an organic amendment.
Production technology
Biochar improves soil quality
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Reduced leaching of nitrogen into ground water.
Increased cation-exchange capacity resulting in improved soil fertility.
Moderating of soil acidity.
Increased water retention.
Increased number of beneficial soil microbes.
Increased C storage.
Biochar and crop nutrition
 Presence of biochar could increase bacterial N2-fixation .
 The process of pyrolysis enhances the availability of P relative to biochar carbon.
 Combinations of biochar and applied fertilizer cause yield enhancements via
reduced fertilizer leaching.
 Nutrient bioavialibility and plant uptake of K, Ca, Zn and Cu have in some cases
increased in response to biochar application.
 Biochar application enhances the subsequent mineralization of P.
Impact of biochar on carbon
sequestration
 Increased C stock is the most pronounced effect of biochar soil
application.
 Biochar removes CO2 from the atmosphere as more C is sequestrated
than emitted.
 The long lasting stability of biochar is the basic foundation when
considering it as a C-sequestration technique.
 C-mineralization is usually higher in biochar amended soil.
Carbon sequestration by biochar
Impact of biochar on environment
 Biochar reduces the emission of CO2 to the atmosphere.
 Biochar application significantly lower the N2O emission in rice paddy and
other crop ecosystems.
 Biochar application reduces the emission of CH4 gas.
 Biochar can adsorb anthropogenic chemicals such as steroid hormones
and heavy metals when added to soil or water.
 phosphate in biochar formed precipitates of Cu and Pb to enhance their
fixation in soil.
Adverse effect of biochar on crop
productivity
 Improper biochar application may decrease the crop productivity and can
deteriorate the soil quality.
 High C/N ratios , hydrophobic biochar properties, and liming of alkaline
intolerant species are responsible for yield reduction.
 Moreover, the addition of biochar may reduce the relative proportion of
easily active SOC pool, thus lowering the soil quality.
 Biochar application to soil can cause waterlogging in heavy clay soils.
 As the biochar are in the dust form, they may be dangerous to humans
during their application to agricultural soils.
Potentialities of biochar in soils of
Bangladesh
 Leaching loss of nutrients caused by high rainfall and flooding is a serious
constraint to soil fertility and agricultural production, which can be solved
with biochar amendment.
 In Bangladesh, a vast area of land is highly weathered where P fixation is
a general phenomenon, here application of biochar could be a solution.
 The present status of soil organic matter(SOM) is alarmingly low and
consequently, now, the crop production is challenged. Biochar is a
recalcitrant type of organic matter with high residence time, it would be a
great option for increasing SOM in our soil.
Conclusion
• This can be concluded that, biochar could be a big
alternative of synthetic fertilizer since it increases soil fertility
and crop production and at the same time maintain the
environment
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