|
| Effects of biochar on carbon footprint of corn fields in arid regions |
| Received:May 13, 2019 |
| View Full Text View/Add Comment Download reader |
| KeyWord:CH4;N2O;carbon footprint;greenhouse gas |
| Author Name | Affiliation | E-mail | | WANG Guan-li | Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering College, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
Inner Mongolia Water Resource Protection and Utilization Key Laboratory, Hohhot 010018, China | | | SUN Tie-jun | Inner Mongolia Water Resources and Hydropower Survey and Design Institute, Hohhot 010020, China | | | LIU Ting-xi | Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering College, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
Inner Mongolia Water Resource Protection and Utilization Key Laboratory, Hohhot 010018, China | txliu1966@163.com | | CHENG Gong | Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering College, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China | |
|
| Hits: 3919 |
| Download times: 3081 |
| Abstract: |
| Agricultural research is now more concerned about the problem of reducing the cumulative greenhouse gas emissions and the carbon footprint of farmland production systems while maintaining production. This study is based on comparative experiments, applying different amounts of biochar in corn farmland in the Horqin dune-meadow cascade ecosystem. The biochar amounts were:0 t·hm-2(CK), 15 t·hm-2(C15), 30 t·hm-2(C30), and 45 t·hm-2(C45). Observations on the greenhouse gas(CO2, CH4, and N2O) fluxes within a life cycle of the four treatments, financial costs, and the calculation of the carbon footprint were conducted. The results showed the application of biochar would effectively reduce the total greenhouse gas emissions of corn production. Compared with the CK treatment, the cumulative greenhouse gas emissions of C15, C30, and C45 decreased by 21.4%, 14.2%, and 16.8%, respectively. The carbon footprint and the per unit output increased significantly with the increase in biochar addition. Compared with the CK treatment, the carbon footprint of C15, C30, and C45 increased by 73.1%, 149.1%, and 227.8%, respectively. Moreover, the per unit output of the carbon footprint increased by 59.8%, 121.2%, and 195.9%, respectively. The treatments of C30 and C45 increased corn yield by 4.2% and 2.2%, respectively, in comparison to that of the C15 treatment, which were both not significant. Therefore, considering the comprehensive economic benefits and environmental factors, it is recommended 15 t·hm-2 biochar be applied to the corn farmland in the Horqin area during production, which will greatly reduce the carbon footprint during production while maintaining the increased production. |
|
|
|
