TY - JOUR
T1 - Modelling the potential for soil carbon sequestration using biochar from sugarcane residues in Brazil
T2 - a modelling approach and a case study in São Paulo State, Brazil
AU - Lefebvre, David
AU - Williams, Adrian
AU - Meersmans, Jeroen
AU - Kirk, Guy J.D.
AU - Sohi, Saran
AU - Goglio, Pietro
AU - Smith, Pete
N1 - We acknowledge funding through the SOILS-R-GGREAT (NE/P019498/1) project of the greenhouse gas removal (GGR) program. The GGR program is financed by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC), Economic and Social Science Research Council (ESRC) and the UK department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
PY - 2020/12
Y1 - 2020/12
N2 - Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) cultivation leaves behind around 20 t ha-1 of biomass residue after harvest and processing. We investigated the potential for sequestering carbon (C) in soil with these residues by partially converting them into biochar (recalcitrant carbon-rich material). First, we modified the RothC model to allow changes in soil C arising from additions of sugarcane-derived biochar. Second, we evaluated the modified model against published field data, and found satisfactory agreement between observed and predicted soil C accumulation. Third, we used the model to explore the potential for soil C sequestration with sugarcane biochar in São Paulo State, Brazil. The results show a potential increase in soil C stocks by 2.35 ± 0.4 t C ha-1 yr-1 23 in sugarcane fields across the State at application rates of 4.2 t biochar ha-1 yr-1. Scaling to the total sugarcane area of the State, this would be 50 Mt of CO2 equivalent yr- 24 1 25 , which is 31% of the CO2 equivalent emissions attributed to the State in 2016. Future research should (a) further validate the model with field experiments; (b) make a full life cycle assessment of the potential for greenhouse gas mitigation, including additional effects of biochar applications on greenhouse gas balances.
AB - Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) cultivation leaves behind around 20 t ha-1 of biomass residue after harvest and processing. We investigated the potential for sequestering carbon (C) in soil with these residues by partially converting them into biochar (recalcitrant carbon-rich material). First, we modified the RothC model to allow changes in soil C arising from additions of sugarcane-derived biochar. Second, we evaluated the modified model against published field data, and found satisfactory agreement between observed and predicted soil C accumulation. Third, we used the model to explore the potential for soil C sequestration with sugarcane biochar in São Paulo State, Brazil. The results show a potential increase in soil C stocks by 2.35 ± 0.4 t C ha-1 yr-1 23 in sugarcane fields across the State at application rates of 4.2 t biochar ha-1 yr-1. Scaling to the total sugarcane area of the State, this would be 50 Mt of CO2 equivalent yr- 24 1 25 , which is 31% of the CO2 equivalent emissions attributed to the State in 2016. Future research should (a) further validate the model with field experiments; (b) make a full life cycle assessment of the potential for greenhouse gas mitigation, including additional effects of biochar applications on greenhouse gas balances.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85095755441&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-76470-y
DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-76470-y
M3 - Article
C2 - 33173109
VL - 10
JO - Scientific Reports
JF - Scientific Reports
SN - 2045-2322
M1 - 19479
ER -