Assessing the potential of biochar and charcoal to improve soil hydraulic properties in the humid Ethiopian Highlands: The Anjeni watershed
Assessing the potential of biochar and charcoal to improve soil hydraulic properties in the humid Ethiopian Highlands: The Anjeni watershed
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DOI：
10.1016/j.geoderma.2014.12.015
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发表时间：
2015-04
期刊：
影响因子：
6.1
通讯作者：
H. Bayabil;C. Stoof;J. Lehmann;Birru Yitaferu;T. Steenhuis
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
H. Bayabil;C. Stoof;J. Lehmann;Birru Yitaferu;T. Steenhuis
生物炭已显示出恢复土壤水力特性的前景。然而，在发展中国家，生物炭的生产可能很昂贵，而木炭则很容易获得，而且很便宜。因此，本研究的目的是调查在发展中国家生产的一些木炭是否也有利于改善土壤水力特性，并探讨木炭是否有可能恢复退化的非洲土壤。在埃塞俄比亚高原的Anjeni流域进行了实验室和田间试验，以测量土壤的物理性质，包括土壤水分保持和渗透率。土壤主要是粘土，pH值在酸性范围内，有机碳含量低，稳定的渗透率在2和36毫米/小时之间。木质原料（金合欢，巴豆，桉树）木炭的掺入显着降低了水分保持在较低的张力（10和30千帕），导致在这些张力的相对导水系数增加。虽然木材（橡木）生物炭降低水分保持在低张力，玉米生物炭增加保留，但影响很小，不显着。令人惊讶的是，有效水含量没有受到任何修正的显著影响。总体研究结果表明，木炭添加剂可以改善退化土壤的土壤水力特性，从而有可能减少径流和侵蚀。
Biochar has shown promise for restoring soil hydraulic properties. However, biochar production could be expensive in the developing world, while charcoal is widely available and cheap. The objective of this study is therefore to investigate whether some of the charcoal made in developing countries can also be beneficial for improving soil hydraulic properties, and explore whether charcoal could potentially restore the degraded African soils. Laboratory and field experiments were conducted in the Anjeni watershed in the Ethiopian highlands, to measure soil physical properties including soil moisture retention and infiltration rates. Soils were dominantly clayey with pH in the acidic range, low organic carbon content, and steady infiltration rates ranging between 2 and 36 mm/h. Incorporation of woody feedstock (Acacia, Croton, and Eucalyptus) charcoals significantly decreased moisture retention at lower tensions (10 and 30 kPa), resulting in an increase in relative hydraulic conductivity coefficients at these tensions. While wood (oak) biochar decreased moisture retention at low tensions, corn biochar increased retention, but effects were only slight and not significant. Surprisingly, available water content was not significantly affected by any of the amendments. Overall findings suggest that wood charcoal amendments can improve soil hydraulic properties of degraded soils, thereby potentially reducing runoff and erosion.