Biochar: A Viable Method for Soil Improvement, Water Conservation, and Carbon Sequestration

Overview

Objectives/Goals The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of biochar additives on plant growth, soil water retention, soil bulk density, and soil pH when mixed in varying concentrations. Methods/Materials Soils with varying concentrations of biochar were tested for impact on plant growth over a period of six weeks. The control group contained only nutrient poor sandy loam. The experimental groups consisted of charcoal mixed thoroughly into the soil in amounts of 5%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% by mass. Nine sugar pea plants were planted in soil test group and measured for height and leaves over three, six-week trial periods. The plants were assessed for health by a biomass test. The soils were then analyzed for bulk density, water retention capability, and pH. These tests served as quantitative measures of soil improvement. Results Overall, a definitive pattern of plant growth emerged that correlated to the amount of charcoal in the soil. Plants grown in soils with charcoal grew at times 90% better than the plants grown in the control soil. Soils with higher concentrations of bone charcoal did not allow plants to germinate, however. On average, plants in the 25%, 50%, and 75% oak charcoal soils grew faster and larger. In the bone charcoal group, plants in the 5% and 10% soils were the fastest growing. Charcoal also proved to increase water retention capacity greatly, in one instance by 95% in 75% charcoal mixtures. Biochar also improved pH levels and reduced bulk density. Conclusions/Discussion The results indicate that charcoal had a profound impact on soil improvement. Biochar improved soil bulk density, water retention, and pH, which in turn would positively impact plant growth. Practical agricultural applications include a natural fertilizer, increased water retention and thus less water usage to grow crops, and a possible application in carbon sequestration fields. In the future, the experiment will test a larger diversity of plants, large scale application, and the possibility of creating a cycle of carbon sequestration.

Competition history

• CSEF 2010 Plant Biology · Entry S2008

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

Related projects

Closest projects by meaning, across every fair and year in the corpus.

Browse more like this

• All Plant Sciences projects
• CSEF Plant Sciences projects
• Every CSEF 2010 project