Carlos M. Romero

Bio: Carlos M. Romero is an academic researcher from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The author has contributed to research in topics: Manure & Biochar. The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 9 publications receiving 22 citations. Previous affiliations of Carlos M. Romero include University of Lethbridge.

Nutrient retention, availability and greenhouse gas emissions from biochar-fertilized Chernozems

Abstract: Amending soil with pyrogenic-C (biochar) has emerged as a potential best management practice to accumulate organic matter (OM), reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increase nutrient retention among degraded, marginally-productive croplands. Nevertheless, the impact of biochar application on intensively cropped prairie eco-regions is not well documented, particularly when co-applied with chemical fertilizer. Our objective was to determine the effect of biochar on cumulative CO2-C, N2O-N and CH4-C emissions, water-extractable OM, and available N (AN; NH4-N + NO3-N) and P (AP; PO4-P) in the presence or absence of NP-fertilizer. Biochar was applied to two surface Chernozems (0–15 cm) of contrasting texture [i.e., sandy clay loam (Raymond) and clayey (Lethbridge)] at six rates (0, 0.15, 0.5, 3, 10 and 20 Mg ha−1) in combination with (+NP) or without (−NP) urea-N (150 kg N ha−1) and KH2PO4 (50 kg P ha−1). A total of 72 soil columns were incubated at 21 °C for 86 d. Biochar addition increased soil total C up to 24.9 g kg−1 and 28.7 g kg−1 in Raymond and Lethbridge, respectively, but did not affect water-extractable OM. Cumulative N2O-N and CH4-C emissions were not influenced by biochar, regardless of whether or not NP-fertilizer was added (p > 0.05). Cumulative CO2-C emissions varied between soil textures and were increased or decreased non-linearly by biochar addition under –NP only. Available P increased within +NP soil with increasing biochar rates reaching 43.9 mg kg−1 in Raymond and 79.5 mg kg−1 in Lethbridge when biochar was applied at 20 Mg ha−1. A similar but less pronounced response was observed for AN. Our results indicate that biochar-only application is not a practical management approach for improving soil fertility and nutrient cycling in surface Chernozems. Nevertheless, co-applying biochar with NP-fertilizer appears to improve soil P availability in the short-term.

Biochar–manure changes soil carbon mineralization in a Gray Luvisol used for agricultural production1

Abstract: Biochar is a source of stable organic matter being explored as a manure additive. A 64 d incubation experiment was conducted to quantify the short-term effect of manure (RM), biochar–manure (BM), r...

Recent advances in developing engineered biochar for CO2 capture: An insight into the biochar modification approaches

Abstract: Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary anthropogenic greenhouse gas with a significant contribution to global warming; this excessive emission needs to be controlled through an effective carbon capture and storage (CCS) approach. Biochar has been considered a cost-effective adsorbent for CO2 capture; however, pristine biochar suffe from poor textural properties and surface chemistry. Here, developing engineered biochar requires careful tuning of the physicochemical properties of the biochar to obtain a high CO2 capture capacity. This work presents a review of recent studies on the synthesis of engineered biochar through various modifications for CO2 adsorption. In this context, the impact of different modification approaches, including physical, chemical, and physicochemical treatments, on the CO2 uptake properties of the engineered biochar are reviewed. Emphasis is given to the mechanisms through which the CO2 adsorption capacity of biochar is enhanced after each modification. This survey of literature stresses the importance of maintaining a balance between the textural (specific surface area and micropore volume) and surface chemical attributes (basicity, mineral content, various functional groups, non-polarity and hydrophobicity) to produce engineered biochar with high CO2 uptake capacity, strong selectivity towards CO2 over other gases and stable performance upon multiple cycles of CO2 adsorption-desorption.