Nature Communications (Oct 2017)
Organic coating on biochar explains its nutrient retention and stimulation of soil fertility
- Nikolas Hagemann,
- Stephen Joseph,
- Hans-Peter Schmidt,
- Claudia I. Kammann,
- Johannes Harter,
- Thomas Borch,
- Robert B. Young,
- Krisztina Varga,
- Sarasadat Taherymoosavi,
- K. Wade Elliott,
- Amy McKenna,
- Mihaela Albu,
- Claudia Mayrhofer,
- Martin Obst,
- Pellegrino Conte,
- Alba Dieguez-Alonso,
- Silvia Orsetti,
- Edisson Subdiaga,
- Sebastian Behrens,
- Andreas Kappler
Affiliations
- Nikolas Hagemann
- Geomicrobiology, Center for Applied Geosciences, University of Tuebingen
- Stephen Joseph
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Chemistry, University of Newcastle
- Hans-Peter Schmidt
- Ithaka Institute for Carbon Strategies
- Claudia I. Kammann
- Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, WG Climate Change Research for Special Crops, Hochschule Geisenheim University
- Johannes Harter
- Geomicrobiology, Center for Applied Geosciences, University of Tuebingen
- Thomas Borch
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences and Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University
- Robert B. Young
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences and Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University
- Krisztina Varga
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire
- Sarasadat Taherymoosavi
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Chemistry, University of Newcastle
- K. Wade Elliott
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire
- Amy McKenna
- National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida State University
- Mihaela Albu
- Austrian Cooperative Research, Centre for Electron Microscopy and Nanoanalysis
- Claudia Mayrhofer
- Austrian Cooperative Research, Centre for Electron Microscopy and Nanoanalysis
- Martin Obst
- BayCEER Analytics, University of Bayreuth
- Pellegrino Conte
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Forestali, Università degli Studi di Palermo
- Alba Dieguez-Alonso
- Institute of Energy Engineering, Chair for Energy Process Engineering and Conversion Technologies for Renewable Energies, Technische Universität Berlin
- Silvia Orsetti
- Environmental Mineralogy and Chemistry, Center for Applied Geoscience, University of Tuebingen
- Edisson Subdiaga
- Environmental Mineralogy and Chemistry, Center for Applied Geoscience, University of Tuebingen
- Sebastian Behrens
- Department for Civil, Environmental, and Geo-Engineering, University of Minnesota
- Andreas Kappler
- Geomicrobiology, Center for Applied Geosciences, University of Tuebingen
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-01123-0
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 8,
no. 1
pp. 1 – 11
Abstract
Biochar promotes plant growth via a slow release of nutrients; however, a mechanistic understanding of nutrient storage in biochar is lacking. Here, using high-resolution spectromicroscopy and mass spectrometry, the authors identify an organic coating on co-composted particles that enhances nutrient retention.