• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.351-355
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• 2014

In recent years, biochar has received much attention as soil amendment, enhancing soil fertility and reducing toxicity of heavy metals with its large specific surface area and high pH. Biochar has also the effect of alleviating global warming by carbon sequestration from recycling organic wastes by pyrolysis. However, scattering of fine particles of biochar is a hindrance to expand its use from human health point-of-view. Alginate, a natural polymer without toxicity, has been used for capsulation and hydrogel fabrication due to its cross-linking nature with calcium ion. In this study, the method of cross-linkage between alginate and calcium ion was employed for making dust-free biochar bead. Then an equilibrium adsorption experiment was performed for verifying the adsorption effect of biochar bead on heavy metals (cadmium, copper, lead, arsenic, and zinc). Results showed that biochar bead had effects on adsorbing heavy metals, especially lead, except arsenic.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.127-132
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• 2015

In this study, biochar-bead, prepared from biochar powder derived from woody biomass, was used for removal cadmium ion in aqueous solution. Various mixing ratios of alginate solution and biochar powder were used for the production of round shape biochar-bead. An optimum mixing ratio was selected as 1.5% alginate solution and 20 wt% biochar. The produced biochar-bead was characterized by SEM, FT-IR, and XRD analyses. The adsorption capacity of Cd(II) by biochar-bead was found to be 9.72 mg/g which was higher than that by GAC and PAC. According to this study, round shape biochar-bead is expected to be used as a media for reactive barrier or water filtration.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2018

BACKGROUND: Different physical and chemical properties of biochar, which is made out of a variety of biomass materials, can impact water movement through amended soil. The objective of this research was to develop a decision support tool evaluating the impact of the shape and the size distribution of biochar on soil saturated hydraulic conductivity ($K_{sat}$). METHODS AND RESULTS: Plastic beads of different size and morphology were compared with biochar to assess impacts on soil $K_{sat}$. Bead and biochar were added at the rate of 5% (v/w) to coarse sand. The particle size of bead and biochar had an effect on the $K_{sat}$, with larger and smaller particle sizes than the original sand grain (0.5 mm) decreasing the $K_{sat}$ value. The equivalent size bead or biochar to the sand grains had no impact on $K_{sat}$. The amendment shape also influenced soil hydraulic properties, but only when the particle size was between 3-6 mm. Intra-particle porosity had no significant influence on the $K_{sat}$ due to its small pore size and increased tortuosity compared to the inter-particle spaces (macro-porosity). CONCLUSION: The results supported the conclusion that both particle size and shape of the amended biochar impacted the $K_{sat}$ value.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.197-203
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• 2018

Biochar is the carbon solid produced through the pyrolysis of a biomass from organic sources such as agricultural waste, animal manure, and sludge under limited or anaerobic conditions. Biochar has the effect of reducing greenhouse gases through the carbon sequestration method; additionally, biochar is known to function as a soil amendment. This experiment was conducted to evaluate the application of biochar on the growth characteristics of Chinese cabbage at Chungnam National University in Daejeon, Korea. The Chinese cabbage was grown for 50 days in a glasshouse in pots. A pruning branch was used to produce the bead and pellet forms of biochar through pyrolysis. The biochar was added to the soil at 0, 2, and 5% by weight. The Chinese cabbage with the 2% treatment of the bead form of biochar had the highest fresh weight ($149.43{\pm}15.92g\;plant^{-1}$) which was increased by 10% compared to the control ($136.91{\pm}31.46g\;plant^{-1}$). Moreover, for the 5% treatment of the bead form of biochar ($60.91{\pm}9.82g\;plant^{-1}$), the growth decreased by 57% compared to the control. As the content of the bead form of biochar increased, the shoot dry weight, leaf number, leaf length and lead width that appeared decreased. An increase in the total organic matter, Avail. $P_2O_5$, Ex. cation and EC was observed when the biochar content was increased. Our results support the application of 2% biochar in the bead form for increased growth of Chinese cabbage.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.35-43
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• 2023

The fine particulate structure of biochar limits its use as a heavy metal adsorbent, and makes separation of the biochar from the solution technically challenging, thereby reducing recovery of the heavy metals. To address this issue, this study prepared biochar beads under various mixing conditions and investigated their efficiency in removing Pb from aqueous solutions using adsorption models. The biochar beads were produced by mixing alginate and biochar at different ratios: alginate bead (AB), 1% biochar + bead (1-BB), 2.5% biochar + bead (2.5-BB), and 5% biochar + bead (5-BB). The results revealed that the Freundlich isothermal adsorption pattern of the biochar beads to Pb was of the L-type. The highest Langmuir isothermal adsorption capacity (28.736 mg/g) was observed in the 2.5-BB treatment. The dominant mechanism among the kinetic adsorption characteristics of biochar beads for Pb was chemical adsorption. Additionally, the optimal pH range for Pb adsorption was found to be between 4 and 5.5. The highest Pb removal efficiency (97.9%) was achieved when 26.6 g/L of biochar beads were used. These findings suggest that biochar beads are an economical and highly efficient adsorbent that enables separation and recovery of fine biochar particles.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.247-257
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• 2021

In this work, Iron Nano-Particles Impregnated BioChar/bead (INPBC/bead) soil amendment was developed to increase biochar's reactivity to As in soil and preventing possible wind loss. Prior to preparation of INPBC/bead, INPBC was produced utilizing lignocellulosic biomass and Fe(III) solution in a hydrothermal method, followed by a calcination process. Then, the bead type amendment, INPBC/bead was produced by cross-linking reaction of alginate with INPBC. FT-IR, XRD, BET, and SEM-EDS analyses were utilized to characterize the as-synthesised materials. The particle size range of INPBC/bead was 1-4 mm, and different oxygen-containing functional groups and Fe3O4 crystalline phase were produced on the surface of INPBC/bead, according to the characterization results. The soil cultivation test was carried out in order to assess the stabilization performance of INPBC/bead utilizing As and Pb-contaminated soil obtained from an abandoned mining location in South Korea. After 4 weeks of culture, TCLP and SPLP extraction tests were performed to assess the stabilization efficacy of the amendment. The TCLP and SPLP findings revealed that raising the application ratio improved stabilizing efficiency. The As stabilization efficiency was determined to be 81.56 % based on SPLP test findings for a 5% in (w/w) INPBC/bead treatment, and the content of Pb in extracts was reduced to the limit of detection. According to the findings of this study, INPBC/bead that can maintain pH of origin soil and minimize wind loss might be a potential amendment for soil polluted with As and heavy metals.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.931-939
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• 2019

Biochar is a solid carbon material made by pyrolyzing a biomass under limited oxygen conditions. Biochar has been reported to confer various benefits, such as increased soil productivity, pollutant absorption, and reduced greenhouse gas. In this study, oak pyrolyzed at 600℃ for 3 hours was either powdered or pelleted. Each of the biochar types was added to the soil at a rate of 2%. The control did not receive any biochar while a combination of the biochar and NPK treatment (biochar 2% + NPK) was also included. The cherry tomatoes were grown in greenhouse pots for 50 days to compare the growth characteristics of the different treatments. The cherry tomato with the powdered biochar 2% + NPK treatment had the heaviest plant fresh shoot weight of 276.4 g and the highest chlorophyll content of 59.3 SPAD. The control had the lightest plant fresh shoot weight of 44.2 g and a chlorophyll content of 26.5 SPAD. Both forms of biochar affected the chemical properties of the soil, increased the pH, electrical conductivity, available phosphate, total carbon and total nitrogen and positively influenced the cherry tomato growth and productivity. From the above results, therefore, both biochar forms are suited for use as soil amendments.