IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i10p4060-d1393359.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Carbon Mineralization Dynamics of Switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum ) Biochar in a Northern Florida Soil

Author

Listed:
  • Yuch-Ping Hsieh

    (Center for Water Resources, College of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL 32307, USA)

  • Kristina Hatakka

    (Center for Water Resources, College of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL 32307, USA)

Abstract

Biochar has been considered one of the viable solutions for atmospheric carbon sequestration because of its resistance to mineralization in soils. However, our knowledge of the mineralization rates of biochar in soils is still inconclusive due to the drawbacks of either the study methods or insufficient characterization of the studied materials or both. The objectives of this study were (1) to characterize switchgrass (SG) biochar by multi-element scanning thermal analysis (MESTA), and (2) to determine the mineralization rates of the SG biochar carbon (BC) in soil by the 13 C tracer method. The results indicated that the 400 °C and the 600 °C SG biochars were not significantly different in chemical composition or thermal stability. A MESTA thermogram of the SG feedstock can predict the yield and thermal stability of the resulting biochar. The 13 C tracer determined the mineralization rates and deduced the corresponding mean residence times (MRTs) of the BC, SG-C, and native SOC to be 347 years, 4 years, and 65 years, respectively. The MRT of BC should be a minimal estimate because of the limited incubation period. Even so, the MRT was already two orders of magnitude greater than that of the SG feedstock indicating the carbon sequestration potential of the biochar in soil.

Suggested Citation

  • Yuch-Ping Hsieh & Kristina Hatakka, 2024. "Carbon Mineralization Dynamics of Switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum ) Biochar in a Northern Florida Soil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-10, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:10:p:4060-:d:1393359
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/10/4060/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/10/4060/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Keywords

    switchgrass; biochar; multi-element scanning thermal analysis; native soil organic carbon; mineralization rates; mean residence times; stable carbon isotope; C3 and C4 plants;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C3 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables
    • C4 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods: Special Topics

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:10:p:4060-:d:1393359. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.