China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Agriculture and the climate crisis
Published in Stephen R. Gliessman, V. Ernesto Méndez, Victor M. Izzo, Eric W. Engles, Andrew Gerlicz, Agroecology, 2023
Stephen R. Gliessman, V. Ernesto Méndez, Victor M. Izzo, Eric W. Engles, Andrew Gerlicz
Another set of soil management practices focuses on increasing the amount of carbon stored in the soil by increasing the input of organic matter. Since living plants are what fix carbon through photosynthesis, their biomass is the source of any carbon added to the soil. Thus, incorporating crop residue into the soil is a primary method of increasing soil carbon. Non-crop covers and even weeds can also be incorporated into the soil, or they can be terminated by rolling or other means and left to slowly decay on the soil surface. Organic matter from sources other than the field itself, such as mulch or biochar, can also be added.
Desertification and Land Degradation Processes
Published in Ajai, Rimjhim Bhatnagar, Desertification and Land Degradation, 2022
Soil carbon has an important relationship with soil quality and its functions and, therefore, has a strong bearing on the ecosystem services provided by soil and land. The functions of soil carbon are determined by the physical; and chemical properties of the component that contain soil carbon (FAO 2015). Physical properties of the soil which are related to the functions of soil carbon are particle agglomerations, soil structure and stability (Lorenz et al. 2019). These properties of the soil affect the water infiltration capacity and the resistance of the soil surface to wind and water erosion. Whereas the chemical properties of the soil carbon determine the soil pH, nutrient storage and availability and the regulating function affect the water cycle.
Soil remineralizer
Published in Natalia Yakovleva, Edmund Nickless, Routledge Handbook of the Extractive Industries and Sustainable Development, 2022
Suzi Huff Theodoro, David A. C. Manning, André Mundstock Xavier de Carvalho, Fabiane Rodrigues Ferrão, Gustavo Rosa de Almeida
Numerous international conferences dealing with the theme of climate change recognize the role of afforestation, reforestation and the natural regeneration of forests in the optimization of the increase in carbon storage capacity on tropical forests – with their deep-rooted trees working as important carbon sequestration mechanisms (Paiva et al., 2011; Sheikh et al., 2011). Soil carbon management is a vital part of global climate mitigation strategies, for example, via the ‘4 per mille’ target adopted for the augmentation of soil organic carbon (Minasmy et al., 2017), which itself can be augmented by the managed augmentation of inorganic carbon (Kelland et al., 2020).
Pastoral agriculture, a significant driver of New Zealand’s economy, based on an introduced grassland ecology and technological advances
Published in Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 2023
John R. Caradus, Stephen L. Goldson, Derrick J. Moot, Jacqueline S. Rowarth, Alan V. Stewart
Maintaining or increasing soil carbon is considered a crucial component in mitigating impacts of increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (Parsons et al. 2009; He Waka Eke Noa 2019; Whitehead 2020; Climate Change Commission 2021; Ministry for the Environment 2021). In New Zealand, conversion from woody vegetation to pasture increased soil carbon by about 13.7 t C/ha to a new steady state (Schipper et al. 2017). Over the subsequent 30 or 40 years there has been a slight decline for some soil types, under some forms of grazing management and under irrigation. Carbon losses from pasture renewal can range between 0.8 and 4.1 t C/ha. A meta-analysis of irrigation effects has shown that irrigation can increase soil carbon levels on most soil types other than coarse textured soils (Emde et al. 2021). While most pasture soils in New Zealand have relatively high levels of carbon sequestration, some have hypothesised that these could be further increased through changed management practices (McNally et al. 2017a; Wall et al. 2021), but other studies acknowledge that most pastoral soils are at equilibrium for soil carbon (Schipper et al. 2014). However, inorganic nutrient availability, including nitrogen (Parsons et al. 2017; Whitehead 2020), is critical for effective and lasting carbon sequestration and as such the availability and value of these nutrients must be recognised (Kirkby et al. 2013). Additionally, the use of ‘full inversion tillage’ which takes topsoil high in carbon lower into the profile and then allows for further carbon sequestration in the soil brought to the surface (Lawrence-Smith et al. 2021) is being investigated (Hedley et al. 2020).
Waste into energy conversion technologies and conversion of food wastes into the potential products: a review
Published in International Journal of Ambient Energy, 2021
Jeya Jeevahan, A. Anderson, V. Sriram, R. B. Durairaj, G. Britto Joseph, G. Mageshwaran
Biochar is a carbon-rich product obtained from the pyrolysis process. Pyrolysis produces pyrolysis oil (bio-oil), synthesis gas (syngas) and biochar. Bio-oil cannot be used directly due to its high acidity and complex composition, and it requires further upgrading. Low yield and the complicated separation and purification process limit the application of syngas. Biochar, on the other side, providesmany advantages over bio-oil and syngas (Liu et al. 2013). It can be used as soil conditioner as well as fertiliser. It has potential as a tool for climate change mitigation by increasing stable soil carbon stocks and soil carbon sequestration while decreasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations. It improves the agricultural productivity, especially on the low-fertility and degraded soils. It also improves the water holding capacity of soil. The biochar production is more effective rather than composting in locking up carbon. Moreover, carbon present in compost will be released within 10–20 years by microbial activity. But the carbon sequestered by biochar would remain stable in the soil. It also decreases emissions of greenhouse gas emissions such as methane and nitrous oxide (Kwapinski et al. 2010; Woolf et al. 2010; Enders et al. 2012; McBeath et al. 2014). Low operational temperature, high heating rate and a short gas residence time yield a high bio-oil production, whereas high operational temperature, low heating rate and long gas residence time yield a high syngas production. Low operational temperature and low heating rate, on the other hand, yields a high biochar production. Consequently, fast pyrolysis converts the high cellulose and hemicellulose feedstocks into bio-oil and gas as the main products with low yield of biochar. Slow pyrolysis can convert high lignin feedstocks into the highest biochar yields. Therefore, selection of feedstock and the required balance of products (bio-oil, syngas and biochar) decide whether or not slow pyrolysis is used (Kwapinski et al. 2010; Spokas et al. 2012).