• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.185-190
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• 2022

BACKGROUND: Most of the bottom ash(BA) from wood pellet-based thermal power plants that is not recycled is placed into landfill. BA has a function and structure similar to biochar. Hence, BA is classified as waste, but, it is predicted that BA can be used agricultural utilization. METHODS AND RESULTS: To investigate the effect of BA application on lettuce, growth characteristics and Pb contents were examined with BA application levels(0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 g/L), respectively, in hydroponic cultivation with Pb solution. Irrespective with BA application levels, the length, leaf number and fresh weight of lettuce in BA treatments were increased by 84.3~120, 36.2~39.0, and 215~322%, respectively, compared to the BA-0 treatment. The groups with BA treatments, Pb in the nutrient solution was adsorbed to the BA due to the surface area and functional groups of the BA, and the lettuce growth was maintained more smoothly than in the BA-0 treatment. BA application is considered to have created a favorable environment for lettuce growth in hydroponic cultivation with Pb solution. CONCLUSION(S): Although direct comparing the removal effect of heavy metal between BA and biochar is not present, the BA application in contaminated area suggested a significant meaning on the recycling waste, and increasing potential crop productivity by immobilizing heavy metal.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.1-10
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• 2022

This study assessed the feasibility of iron oxide nanoparticles impregnated with biochar (INPBC), derived from woody biomass, as a stabilizing agent for the stabilization of farmland soil in the vicinity of an abandoned mine through pot experiments with 28 days of lettuce growth. The lettuce grown in the INPBC amended soils increased by more than 100% and the concentrations of inorganic elements (Cu, Ni, Zn) decreased by more than 40%. As, Cd and Pb were not transferred properly from the soils to the lettuce biomass. The bioavailability of arsenic and heavy metals in the INPBC amended soils were decreased by 26%~50%. It seems that the major mechanisms of stabilization were arsenic adsorption on iron oxides, heavy metal precipitation by soil pH increasing and heavy metal adsorption on organic matter. These results revealed that the lower bioavailability of the inorganic pollutants in the soils stabilized using INPBC induced lower transfer to the lettuce. Thus, INPBC could be used as an amendment material for the stabilization of farmland soils contaminated by arsenic and heavy metals. However, a pre-review of the chemical properties of the amended soil must be performed prior to applying INPBC in farmland soil because the concentration of the nutrients in the soil such as available phosphates and exchangeable cations (Ca, Mg, K) could be decreased due to adsorption on the surface of the iron oxides and organic matter.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.17-28
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• 2022

The application of supplemental activated biochar pellet fertilizers (ABPFs) was evaluated by investigating key factors such as changes of surface paddy water and soil chemical properties and rice growth responses during the growing season. The treatments consisted of control, activated rice hull biochar pellet (ARHBP-40%), and activated palm biochar pellet (APBP-40%) applications. It was shown that the lowest NH₄⁺-N and PO₄^--P concentrations were observed in surface paddy water to the ARHBP-40%, while the NH₄⁺-N concentration in the control was abruptly decreased until 30 days after transplant in the soil. However, the lowest NH₄⁺-N concentration in the blended biochar application was 9.18 mg L^-1 at 1 day of transplant, but its ABPFs application was observed to be less than 1 mg L^-1 at 56 days after transplant. The lowest PO₄^--P concentration in paddy water treated ARHBP-40% ranged from 0.06 mg L^-1 to 0.08 mg L^-1 until 30 days after transplant among the treatments. For the paddy soil, the NH₄⁺-N concentration in the control was abruptly decreased from 177.7 mg kg^-1 to 49.4 mg kg^-1, while NO₃^--N concentration was highest, 13.2 mg kg^-1 in 14 days after transplant. The P₂O₅ concentrations in the soils increased from rice transplants until the harvesting period regardless of the treatments. The highest K₂O concentration was 252.8 mg kg^-1 in the APBP-40% at 84 days after transplant. For the rice growth responses, plant height in the control was relatively high compared to others, but grain yield was not significantly different between the control and ARHBP-40%. The application of ARHBP-40% can minimize nitrogen and phosphorous application rates into the agro-ecosystem.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.231-238
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• 2014

BACKGROUND: Biochar (BC) has a great potential for enhancing soil fertility and carbon sequestration while facilitating beneficial waste disposition. Therefore, it is essential to assess and mitigate any inadvertent consequences associated with soil biochar amendment. Earthworm activity is very vital in the soil system, yet there are a limited number of studies that have examined their impact resulting from biochar application to soil. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, the survival, growth, reproductive tests, and oxidative DNA damage tests (measured by 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and catalase (CAT) activities) to assess the potential toxicity to earthworm Eisenia fetida in artificial soil amended with BCs were investigated. The BCs derived from perilla meal, sesame meal, and pumpkin seed were pyrolyzed at 300 and $550^{\circ}C$, and then amended with soil at a rate of 5%. All the earthworms survived, but lost weight compared to control soil after 28 day incubation period. Moreover, the BC-amended soils did not significantly affect the cocoon numbers of earthworms. Slightly higher concentrations of 8-OHdG and CAT were observed in earthworms present in BC-treated soil than those in control soil. Furthermore, the 8-OHdG concentrations in the soil amended with BC produced at $550^{\circ}C$ were greater than those at $300^{\circ}C$, and it slightly decreased as the incubation time increased. CONCLUSION: These observations could be due to higher contents of toxic metal(loid)s and also higher pH in BCs pyrolyzed at $550^{\circ}C$ than $300^{\circ}C$. While BC is efficiently being used in agricultural fields, this study suggests that it is required to assess the unintended negative impacts of BC on soil ecosystems.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.112 no.3
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• pp.290-302
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• 2023

The aim of this study was to examine the changes in the initial tree growth characteristics of Q. variabilis planted in forest fire-damaged areas treated with soil moisturizers such as biochar and to identify the factors that affect tree growth. To evaluate the effectiveness of soil moisture treatment in the area planted with QV, an experimental plot was created according to the treatment method (spread and mix) and treatment ratio (0, 4, and 40 t/ha). The survival rate of QV was 20% higher in the treatment plot than in the control plot. The height and root collar diameter (RCD)growths of QV were high on the northern slope with spread treatment and on the southern slope with mix treatment. The relative growth rate (RGR) according to the soil moisturizer treatment method was higher in the mix treatment, showing a significant difference in RCD. The northern slope had a higher RGR and significant growth rate. This suggests that the growth improvement effect may depend on the soil moisturizer treatment method. The aspect or treatment method affectsthe drying conditions of the soil, which in turn affects its moisture content or nutrient dynamics. The present research results can be used to establish soil moisturizer treatment standards that are suitable for growth purposes. In addition, this study demonstrates that biochar treatment can be considered as an effective alternative to boost biomass and facilitate early restoration of forest fire-damaged areas.

• Journal of Practical Agriculture & Fisheries Research
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.31-38
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• 2018

This study was conducted to investigate the possibility of biochar as an alternative medium to peatmoss using for Aster spathulifolius. We cultivated A. spathulifolius in four potting media with different mixing rates (v/v) of peatmoss (P) and biochar (B) as follows: B0+P3, B1+P2, B2+P1, and B3+P0 with vermiculite 3 + perlite 3. Also, we analyzed the chemical properties of media and the plant growth characteristics. The results were as follows: In case of media's chemical condition, B0+P3 and B1+P2 treatments showed higher tendency (p < 0.05). Plant height on B0+P3 and B1+P2 treatments was much higher than that on other treatments (p < 0.05). Root length on B1+P2 treatment was higher than on B0+P3 treatment (p < 0.05). B0+P3 and B1+P2 treatments showed higher number of leaves and dry biomass than other treatments. Therefore, our results support that Biochar : Peatmoss : Vermiculite : Perlite (1/3 : 2/3 : 1 : 1, v/v) could be a more economical potting medium for A. spathulifolius than peatmoss : vermiculite : perlite (1 : 1 : 1, v/v).

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.159-167
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• 2023

Food waste (FW) emissions in South Korea amounted to 4.77 million tons in 2021, and continue to increase. Various technologies have been developed to treat FW, with recent research focusing on biochar production through pyrolysis to reduce FW. However, the agricultural application of food waste-biochar (FWBC) is limited by the salt accumulated during pyrolysis. This study investigated salt removal from and the kinetic characteristics of FWBC, and subsequently evaluated its agricultural applications. FW was pyrolyzed at 350℃ for 4 h, and subsequently washed for 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 5, 15, and 30 min to remove salt. FWBC had a salt concentration of 5.75%, which was effectively removed through washing. The salt concentration decreased rapidly at the beginning (1 min) and then slowly decreased, unlike in FW, in which the salt decreased continuously and slowly. The salt removal speed constant (K) was 1.5586 (Stage 1, FWBC) > 0.0445 (Stage 2, FWBC) > 0.0026 (FW). In a lettuce cultivation experiment, higher biomass was achieved using washed FWBC than when using unwashed FWBC and FW, and soil properties were improved. Overall, these findings suggest that although FW reduction using pyrolysis causes a salt accumulation problem, the salt can be effectively removed through washing. The use of washed FWBC can enhance plant growth and soil properties.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2017.10a
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• pp.110-110
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• 2017

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.37 no.7
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• pp.432-440
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• 2015

Biochar, a by-product from pyrolysis of biomass, is a promising option to mitigate climate change by increasing soil carbon sequestration. This material is also considered to have potential to remediate a soil with heavy metal pollution by increasing the soil's adsorptive capacity. This study conducted the assessment of two biochars considering the climate change mitigation potential and heavy metal removal capacity at the same time. Two kinds of biochars (BC_Ch, TW_Ch) were prepared by pyrolyzing the biomass of burcucumber (BC_Bm) and tea waste (TW_Bm). The soils polluted with Pb were mixed with biochars or biomass and incubated for 60 d. During the incubation, $CO_2$, $CH_4$, and $N_2O$ were regularly measured and the soil before and after incubation was analyzed for chemical and biological parameters including the acetate extractable Pb. The results showed that only the BC_Ch treatment significantly reduced the amount of Pb after 60 d incubation. During the incubation, the $CO_2$ and $N_2O$ emissions from the BC_Ch and TW_Ch were decreased by 24% and 34% compared to the BC_Bm and TW_Bm, respectively. The $CH_4$ emissions were not significantly affected by biochar treatments. We calculated the GWP considering the production of amendment materials, application to the soils, removal of Pb, and soil carbon storage. The BC_Ch treatment had the most negative value because it had the higher Pb adsorption and soil carbon sequestration. Our results imply that if we apply biochar made from burcucumber, we could expect the pollution reduction and climate change mitigation at the same time.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.97-109
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• 2022

This study focused on the physicochemical effects of bottom ash dissolved precipitation on the soil and groundwater environment. The iced column and percolation experiments showed that most of the bottom ash particles were drained as the ash-dissolved solution, while the charcoal powder was filtered through the soil. Ion species of Al, As, Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb, Fe, Mn, Ca, K, Si, F, NO₃, SO₄ were analyzed from the eluates collected during the 24 h column test. In the charcoal powder eluates, a high concentration of K was detected at the beginning of the reaction, but it decreased with time. The concentrations of Al and Ca were observed to increase with time, although they existed in trace amount. In the bottom ash eluates, the concentrations of Ca and SO₄ decreased by 30 mg·L^-1 and 67 mg·L^-1, respectively, over 24 h. It is regarded that the infiltration patterns of the bottom ash and biochar in the unsaturated zone were different owing to their particle sizes and solvent properties. It is expected that a significant amount of the bottom ash will mix with the precipitation and percolate below the water table, especially in the case of thin and highly permeable unsaturated zone. The biochar was filtered through the unsaturated zone. The biochar did not dissolve in the groundwater, although it reached the saturation zone. For these reasons, it is considered that the direct contamination by the bottom ash and biochar are unlikely to occur.