Cattle Manure Biochar Could Offset Earthworm Greenhouse Gas Emissions In Forest Soil

Soil fauna, especially earthworms, may significantly influence soil biogeochemical processes and greenhouse gas emissions. In another aspect, raising beef cattle inevitably generates a large amount of cow manure, which, if not properly handled, will pollute surface water and groundwater, and generate large amounts of greenhouse gases during storage and processing. The conversion of cow manure into biochar by pyrolysis can be used to remove various pollutants and improve soil fertility. Soil amendment with cow manure biochar can significantly affect soil greenhouse gas emissions and improve soil quality.

The activities of earthworms were affected by the amount of biochar addition, which in turn affected soil CO₂ and N₂O emissions. Aporrectodea turgida is one of the most common earthworm species in North America. However, little information is available on the contribution of this earthworm and its interaction effect with biochar to CO₂ and N₂O fluxes in agricultural and forest soils.

Now, a research group from University of Alberta, Beijing Forestry University and Tsinghua University studied the effects of cow manure biochar and earthworms on soil CO₂ and N₂O emissions and soil physicochemical properties through the incubation experiment. The results were published in Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering.