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Characterization of halophyte biochar and its effects on water and salt contents in saline soil

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Abstract

Biochar is a beneficial soil amendment; however, biochar-based properties are mainly determined by the feedstocks and the pyrolysis temperature. Nevertheless, considering the vast biomass of halophyte, little is known about how the halophyte-derived biochar improves saline soils. In this study, we firstly produced biochars by using three different halophytes, including Tamarix chinensis (recretohalophyte), Suaeda salsa (euhalophyte), and Phragmites australis (pseudo-halophyte) at 300, 500, and 700 °C, and compared their chemical and physical properties. We applied halophyte (Tamarix chinensis and Phragmites australis) biochars (pyrolysis at 500 °C) into 0–20 cm saline soil at 2% and 4% (w/w) rates to investigate the saline soil water, salt, and pH dynamics in a 12-month column experiment. The results showed that as the pyrolytic temperature increase, biochar yield and pore diameter decreased by 37.5–44.0% and 34.6–89.7%, respectively; in contrast, biochar pH, specific surface area, and total volume increased by 24.8–47.8%, 3–37 times and 1–9 times, respectively. The halophyte types significantly controlled biochar carbon and dissolved salt content and electrical conductivity. Halophyte biochar application can increase soil water and salt content, and application of 4% of Tamarix chinensis-derived biochar can increase more soil moisture than the soil salinity, and it can maintain soil pH at a stable level, which would be a potential way to improve saline soil properties. The results are valuable for choosing halophyte types and optimizing pyrolytic temperatures for halophyte biochar production through specific environmental usage.

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Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41907017), Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province (D2019503071), and Hebei Provincial Key Research Projects (19227309D).

Funding

This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41907017), Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province (D2019503071) and Hebei Provincial Key Research Projects (19227309D).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Agricultural Water Resources, The Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hebei, 050021, China

    Xinliang Dong, Jintao Wang, Xiaojing Liu & Hongyong Sun

  2. University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia

    Bhupinder Pal Singh

  3. NSW Department of Primary Industries, Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, Woodbridge Road, Menangle, NSW, 2568, Australia

    Bhupinder Pal Singh

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  1. Xinliang Dong
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  2. Jintao Wang
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  3. Xiaojing Liu
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  5. Hongyong Sun
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Contributions

Xinliang Dong, Jintao Wang, and Xiaojing Liu conceived and designed research. Xinliang Dong, Jintao Wang, and Hongyong Sun conducted the soil and biochar physical and chemical analysis. Xinliang Dong and Bhupinder Pal Singh wrote the manuscript. All the authors read and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jintao Wang.

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Dong, ., Wang, J., Liu, X. et al. Characterization of halophyte biochar and its effects on water and salt contents in saline soil. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 11831–11842 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16526-2

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