Oil mallee biochar improves soil structural properties—A study with x-ray micro-CT

•An oil mallee (OM) biochar modified structure in a Ferralsol and a Vertisol.•An OM biochar had little influence on structure of an Arenosol.•A Ferralsol showed temporal increase in μ-CT porosity with OM biochar content.•An OM biochar improved drainage and reduced water filled pore space in a Vertis...

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Veröffentlicht in:Agriculture, ecosystems & environment ecosystems & environment, 2014-06, Vol.191, p.142-149
Hauptverfasser: Quin, P.R., Cowie, A.L., Flavel, R.J., Keen, B.P., Macdonald, L.M., Morris, S.G., Singh, B.P., Young, I.M., Van Zwieten, L.
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:•An oil mallee (OM) biochar modified structure in a Ferralsol and a Vertisol.•An OM biochar had little influence on structure of an Arenosol.•A Ferralsol showed temporal increase in μ-CT porosity with OM biochar content.•An OM biochar improved drainage and reduced water filled pore space in a Vertisol.•An OM biochar improved the water-holding capacity of an Arenosol. Employing x-ray computed tomography (μ-CT), we examined the impact of an oil mallee (OM) biochar, at concentrations of 0%, 1% and 5% (w/w), on soil structural traits in three soil types (Vertisol, Ferralsol and Arenosol). The biochar was pyrolysed at a maximum temperature of 550°C, sieved to between 250μm and 2mm prior to amending the soils, had an internal porosity of 75% (v/v) and an organic carbon (Corg) content of 60%. Soil structure was quantified, at a resolution of 70μm, by measuring μ-CT porosity, mean pore radius, fractal dimension and connectivity of the pore space. Addition of 5% OM biochar resulted in higher μ-CT porosity (i.e. ≥70μm) in the Vertisol (p
ISSN:0167-8809
1873-2305
DOI:10.1016/j.agee.2014.03.022