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Changes in organic molecular marker signatures in soils amended with biochar during a three-year experiment with maize on a Fluvisol

Irena Atanassova, Milena Harizanova, Maya Benkova, Stefan Doerr Orcid Logo

Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics, Volume: 70, Issue: 4, Pages: 401 - 409

Swansea University Author: Stefan Doerr Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.2478/johh-2022-0025

Abstract

Biochar is widely used as a soil amendment to improve soil properties and as a tool to absorb net carbon from the atmosphere. In this study we determined the signatures of organic molecular markers in soil following the incorporation of 5 and 10 t/ha biochar in a Fluvisol, cultivated with maize at t...

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Published in: Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics
ISSN: 1338-4333
Published: Walter de Gruyter GmbH 2022
Online Access: Check full text

URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa62175
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Abstract: Biochar is widely used as a soil amendment to improve soil properties and as a tool to absorb net carbon from the atmosphere. In this study we determined the signatures of organic molecular markers in soil following the incorporation of 5 and 10 t/ha biochar in a Fluvisol, cultivated with maize at the experimental field of the ISSAPP "N. Poushkarov"institute in Bulgaria. The n-alkane distribution in the biochar treated soils was uni- or bimodal maximizing at n-C17 alkane, n-C18 or C18 branched alkanes, i.e. there was an imprint of biomass burning, e.g. from the biochar due to predominance of short chain (< C20) homologues and increased microbial activity (presence of branched alkanes). This is also confirmed by the values for the average chain length (ACL) of n-alkanes which indicated prevalence of homologues of shorter chain (20-21 C atoms) in the variants of longer biochar residence time. There was evidence of trans-13-docosenamide, which originated from biochar. Fatty acids and fatty alcohols distributions also implicate microbial contribution to soil organic matter (SOM), supporting the suggestion that biochar addition can improve soil microbiological status.
Keywords: Biochar; Organic molecular markers; Fluvisol
College: Faculty of Science and Engineering
Funders: The study was financially supported by the Project KP 06-H26/7 (2018-2021) of the NSF of the Ministry of Education and Science in Bulgaria.
Issue: 4
Start Page: 401
End Page: 409