sc0c04336_si_001.pdf (346.79 kB)
Unlocking the Fertilizer Potential of Waste-Derived Biochar
journal contribution
posted on 2020-08-06, 22:22 authored by Wolfram Buss, Anna Bogush, Konstantin Ignatyev, Ondřej MašekMankind
is facing a phosphorus (P) crisis. P recycling from anthropogenic
waste is critical to close the P loop. Pyrolysis could be the ideal
treatment for materials, such as sewage sludge (SS), producing a safe,
nutrient-rich biochar product while sequestering the inherent carbon
(C). However, pyrolyzed sewage sludge typically contains low levels
of potassium (K) and plant available P, making the material rather
unsuitable for use as fertilizer. Here, a novel treatment was investigated
to produce an optimized P and K biochar fertilizer. We doped sewage
sludge with a low-cost mineral (2 and 5% potassium acetate) and pyrolyzed
it at 700 °C. The percentage water extractable of the total P
content in biochar increased by 237 times with 5% K addition compared
to the undoped biochar. After six water extractions, all of the K
and 16% of P were obtained. Further optimization is feasible through
adjustments of the biochar pH or doping the feedstock with other forms
of K. Using X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) and synchrotron
X-ray fluorescence (XRF) mapping, we identified highly soluble potassium
hydrogen phosphate up to 200–300 μm below the biochar
surface. This simple and cost-effective modification enables the use
of sewage sludge as safe biochar fertilizer with tailored P availability
that also supplies K, improves soil properties, and sequesters C.