Interactions of biochar from sugarcane straw and residues from sugar and ethanol industry on soil chemical attributes and greenhouse gases emissions

• Grant number: 14/15531-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2014
• End date: April 30, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Soil Science
• Principal Investigator: Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri
• Grantee: Thalita Pereira Lavorenti
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The growing demand for food and changes in consumption pattern have generated an increase in total emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) by the agricultural sector. It is important to investigate alternatives that promote improvements in the agricultural sector and reduce GHG emissions to the atmosphere concurrently with the permanence of carbon sequestered in the soil. In order to reduce GHG emissions to the atmosphere, studies with the "Amazonian Black Earth", which presents forms of anthropogenic charcoal were performed. In these studies, it was reported that charcoal has important physical and chemical characteristics and, when applied to the soil can act as mitigating GHG emissions from the soil, besides promoting improvements in various chemical, physical and biological soil properties. This work aims to study the pattern of GHG emissions in soils under controlled conditions and interactions between residues of the sugar and bioethanol industry (filter cake and vinasse) and biochar as a soil conditioner.