Interaction of Biochar with Soil Components and its Stability with During Time

Biochar is a carbon-rich charcoal material resistant to decomposition, which is produced by heating biomasses in an oxygen-free environment or with limited oxygen. It is used with the aim of increasing organic carbon and improving the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the soil. Thus its use in the low-fertile soils of hot and dry regions of Iran, which are often deficient in organic carbon, is important. Addition to its high stability in the soil, biochar can sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide in the soil for several hundred to several thousand years. In addition, it can improve soil fertility for a long time by affecting its physical, chemical, and biological properties. The stability of biochar is affected by several factors, such as the characteristics of biochar and soil, the interaction of biochar with soil components and environmental factors, which are examined in this article. Therefore, it is important to use biochar in the soils of arid and semi-arid regions of Iran, which are often deficient in organic carbon.

In this review article, while investigating the evidences of the high stability of biochar in the soils, the   most effective factors the fate of biochar in the soil, including the mechanisms of biochar removal from the soil, biochar stabilization in the soil, and interactions of biochar with soil components, and the gaps and required research areas are presented.

Biochar is higher resistant to degradation than the original carbon compounds in biomass. However, by interacting with soil components, biochar undergoes changes over time and is removed from the soil. The intensity of these changes and biochar residence time in the soil depends a lot on the type of biochar; So, biochars produced from grassy biomass and biochars produced at low temperatures are less stable. In addition, biochar interacts with all soil components, including organic matter, mineral particles, nutrients, living organisms, and soil water and atmosphere, and the result of these interactions determines the stability of biochar in soil. External factors such as the presence of plant and induced root changes, wind and water erosions, leaching, and fire also affect the fate of biochar in the soil. Among these, considering the interactions between microorganisms and biochar in soil, it seems that soil microorganisms play the most important role in the decomposition and destruction of biochar in soil. However, mechanisms such as the entrapment of biochar particles inside aggregates, binding of biochar with organic and inorganic components of soil, and inactivation of soil enzymes by biochar can increase the stability and durability of biochar in soil.

Considering the very high stability of biochar in soil and the necessity of increasing soil organic carbon as the main factor of soil fertility factor, the use of biochar in Iranian soils it can directly and indirectly improve the fertility of these soils while increasing soil organic carbon. However, after biochar is added to the soil, it interacts with the soil components and its characteristics change and evolve over time (aging). However, due to the novelty of biochar technology and the wide range of its application fields, our information on its interactions with various soil components, its long-term changes and developments in the soil and environment, and its long-term effects on the soil and the environment are not yet clearly defined and much research is needed in this field.