- Title
- Lowering N₂O emissions from soils using eucalypt biochar: the importance of redox reactions
- Creator
- Quin, P.; Joseph, S.; Husson, O.; Donne, S.; Mitchell, D.; Munroe, P.; Phelan, D.; Cowie, A.; Van Zwieten, L.
- Relation
- Scientific Reports Vol. 5
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep16773
- Publisher
- Nature Publishing Group
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2015
- Description
- Agricultural soils are the primary anthropogenic source of atmospheric nitrous oxide (N₂O), contributing to global warming and depletion of stratospheric ozone. Biochar addition has shown potential to lower soil N₂O emission, with the mechanisms remaining unclear. We incubated eucalypt biochar (550 °C) - 0, 1 and 5% (w/w) in Ferralsol at 3 water regimes (12, 39 and 54% WFPS) - in a soil column, following gamma irradiation. After N2OO was injected at the base of the soil column, in the 0% biochar control 100% of expected injected N₂O was released into headspace, declining to 67% in the 5% amendment. In a 100% biochar column at 6% WFPS, only 16% of the expected N₂O was observed. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy identified changes in surface functional groups suggesting interactions between N₂O and the biochar surfaces. We have shown increases in -O-C = N /pyridine pyrrole/NH₃, suggesting reactions between N₂O and the carbon (C) matrix upon exposure to N₂O. With increasing rates of biochar application, higher pH adjusted redox potentials were observed at the lower water contents. Evidence suggests that biochar has taken part in redox reactions reducing N₂O to dinitrogen (N₂), in addition to adsorption of N₂O.
- Subject
- agricultural soils; biochar; emissions; nitrous oxide
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1329555
- Identifier
- uon:26191
- Identifier
- ISSN:2045-2322
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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