Biochar Application: Essential Soil Microbial Ecology

Biochar Application: Essential Soil Microbial Ecology outlines the cutting-edge research on the interactions of complex microbial populations and their functional, structural, and compositional dynamics, as well as the microbial ecology of biochar application to soil, the use of different phyto-chemical analyses, possibilities for future research, and recommendations for climate change policy.

Biochar, or charcoal produced from plant matter and applied to soil, has become increasingly recognized as having the potential to address multiple contemporary concerns, such as agricultural productivity and contaminated ecosystem amelioration, primarily by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and improving soil functions.

Biochar Application is the first reference to offer a complete assessment of the various impacts of biochar on soil and ecosystems, and includes chapters analyzing all aspects of biochar technology and application to soil, from ecogenomic analyses and application ratios to nutrient cycling and next generation sequencing. Written by a team of international authors with interdisciplinary knowledge of biochar, this reference will provide a platform where collaborating teams can find a common resource to establish outcomes and identify future research needs throughout the world.

Includes multiple tables and figures per chapter to aid in analysis and understandingIncludes a comprehensive table of the methods used within the contents, ecosystems, contaminants, future research, and application opportunities explored in the bookIncludes knowledge gaps and directions of future research to stimulate further discussion in the field and in climate change policyOutlines the latest research on the interactions of complex microbial populations and their functional, structural, and compositional dynamicsOffers an assessment of the impacts of biochar on soil and ecosystems

1. Introduction

2. The Impacts of Specific Biochar Feedstock and Production Conditions Application on Model or In Situ Microbial Communities

3. Lipid/Fatty Acid-Based Analysis of Biochar-Affected Ecosystems

4. Profiling of Culturable Biochar-Enriched Microbial Communities

5. TRFLP-/ARISA-Based Analysis of Biochar-Augmented Ecosystems

6. Next-Generation Sequencing to Elucidate Biochar-Affected Microbial Community Dynamics

7. Metagenomics Potential for Examining Biochar Impacts on Soil Abiotic and Biotic Processes

8. Elucidating the Impacts of Biochar Applications on Nutrient Cycling Microbial Communities

9.  Microbial Ecology of the Trifolium Repens Rhizosphere Due to Biochar Augmentation

10. Potential Application of Biochar for Bioremediation of Contaminated Systems

11. Interactions of Biochar and Biological Degradation of Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Contaminated Soil

12. A Critical Analysis of Meso- and Macrofauna Effects Following Biochar Supplementation

13. Conclusion