(Press-News.org) Adding biochar to farmland soils is widely promoted as a climate-friendly practice, but its impact on greenhouse gas emissions can vary. A new study finds that pairing biochar with biogas slurry, a nutrient-rich liquid fertilizer from biogas production, can reshape soil microbial communities and significantly alter emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and methane (CH₄).
Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences conducted controlled soil column experiments to test how different levels of biochar addition perform under two fertilization strategies: traditional chemical fertilizers and the biogas slurry strategy (BSS). They measured greenhouse gas emissions and tracked shifts in soil bacterial “sub-communities”—groups of microbes that play distinct roles in soil carbon and nitrogen cycling.
The team found that under conventional chemical fertilizer use, biochar consistently reduced CO₂ emissions by nearly one-third. However, it also increased emissions of CH₄ and N₂O, two potent greenhouse gases. When the fertilization strategy was switched to biogas slurry, CO₂ emissions dropped by about 15% and N₂O emissions fell by more than 70%. CH₄ emissions, however, rose sharply, highlighting a tradeoff. Interestingly, the impact of biochar depended on its application rate: while 4% and 6% biochar additions amplified the emission reductions seen with biogas slurry, a lower 2% dose reversed the effect.
“Our results show that the effectiveness of biochar in reducing greenhouse gas emissions depends strongly on the fertilization strategy used,” said corresponding author Dr. Jiandong Wang. “Biogas slurry not only changed the amount of gases released but also reshaped the microbial pathways that control those emissions.”
The study revealed that biogas slurry and biochar together enriched certain “rare” bacterial sub-communities, which proved surprisingly important in regulating emissions. These microbes altered how carbon and nitrogen were processed in soils, demonstrating what the researchers call a “priority effect”—where specific microbial groups take the lead in steering greenhouse gas outcomes.
The findings suggest that simply adding biochar is not a one-size-fits-all climate solution. Instead, its benefits depend on aligning application rates with local water and fertilizer practices. By combining biochar with organic fertilizers like biogas slurry, farmers could enhance carbon sequestration while lowering harmful N₂O emissions, though methane management remains a challenge.
“This research provides new scientific evidence for designing integrated soil management strategies,” said co-author Dr. Xurong Mei. “With careful optimization, biochar and biogas slurry together could help agriculture contribute to climate change mitigation and sustainable food production.”
===
Journal Reference: Liang, X., Wen, Y., Wang, C. et al. Biogas slurry strategy reshapes biochar-mediated greenhouse gas emissions via soil bacterial sub-communities. Biochar 7, 92 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42773-025-00489-5
===
About Biochar
Biochar is the first journal dedicated exclusively to biochar research, spanning agronomy, environmental science, and materials science. It publishes original studies on biochar production, processing, and applications—such as bioenergy, environmental remediation, soil enhancement, climate mitigation, water treatment, and sustainability analysis. The journal serves as an innovative and professional platform for global researchers to share advances in this rapidly expanding field.
Follow us on Facebook, X, and Bluesky.
END
Biogas slurry boosts biochar’s climate benefits by reshaping soil microbes
2025-09-30
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
New review warns of growing heavy metal threats in reservoirs, calls for smarter monitoring and greener cleanup solutions
2025-09-30
Reservoirs are lifelines for drinking water, food production, and economic growth. But a new study warns that these crucial ecosystems are increasingly under threat from toxic heavy metals—and that urgent, innovative action is needed to safeguard both human health and the environment.
Researchers from Northeast Agricultural University, together with international collaborators, have published the most comprehensive review to date of heavy metal pollution in reservoirs, outlining its sources, risks, and promising solutions. The findings, published in Agricultural Ecology and Environment, ...
Positive charges stabilize instantly in key solar fuel catalyst: New simulations track ultrafast polaron formation in NaTaO3.
2025-09-30
summary
To boost solar water splitting efficiency, researchers used quantum molecular dynamics to track how charge carriers (polarons) stabilize in the NaTaO3 photocatalyst, a process previously hidden from experiments.
They discovered that positive hole polarons stabilize strongly and rapidly (~70 meV in 50 fs) driven by the elongation of oxygen-tantalum (O-Ta) bonds, while electron stabilization is insignificant.
This time-resolved, atomistic understanding provides crucial guidelines for rationally engineering O-Ta bond dynamics to create high-performance solar fuel catalysts.
Researchers used quantum-chemical molecular dynamics simulations to visualize the ultrafast ...
Tiny but mighty: Groundbreaking study reveals mosses are secret carbon heroes in subtropical forests
2025-09-30
In a lush revelation from the forest floor, a new study published in Carbon Research (as an Open Access Rapid Communication) shows that mosses, those quiet, green carpet-weavers beneath our feet, are climate champions in their own right. Led by Dr. Zhe Wang from the China-Croatia “Belt and Road” Joint Laboratory on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Shanghai Normal University, alongside Dr. Weikai Bao, also ...
The relaxed birder
2025-09-30
Kyoto, Japan -- Citizen science has allowed regular citizens to participate in data collection as well as expanded biodiversity monitoring. Yet many datasets are still limited to the coverage of certain regions and habitats in particular seasons. In bird research, for example, traditional point‑count surveys often have strict rules regarding the location, timing, and spacing between observation points, making it challenging for citizen volunteers to participate casually.
This inspired Masumi Hisano, formerly of Kyoto University and now at Hiroshima University, to try a more flexible approach by conducting counts whenever and wherever possible, as part of his daily routines. As someone ...
Ten-year clinical trial report finds radiation comparable to surgery for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer
2025-09-30
SAN FRANCISCO, September 29, 2025 — A new clinical trial report finds that stereotactic radiation therapy offers long-term survival outcomes comparable to surgery for patients with small, early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients in the study who received radiation also reported fewer side effects after treatment.
The STARS trial (NCT02357992) is the first to report ten-year clinical outcomes from a prospective comparison of stereotactic radiation and surgical resection for operable NSCLC. Findings will be presented ...
Ketamine deaths increase twenty-fold since 2015 with mixing drugs on the rise
2025-09-29
Deaths due to illicit ketamine use have increased twenty-fold since 2015 – but these deaths are increasingly occurring in complex polydrug settings, raising doubts over whether single-substance drug policies can reduce harms.
Analysis by King’s College London, with the University of Hertfordshire and Manchester Metropolitan University, of coroner’s reports in England, Wales and Northern Ireland between 1999 and 2024 found there were 696 deaths with detections of illicit ketamine between 1999 and 2024. It represents the most detailed ...
Hidden genetic risk could delay diabetes diagnosis for Black and Asian men
2025-09-29
A common but often undiagnosed genetic condition may be causing delays in type 2 diabetes diagnoses and increasing the risk of serious complications for thousands of Black and South Asian men in the UK - and potentially millions worldwide.
The new study is conducted by the University of Exeter, in collaboration with Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and funded through a Wellcome Discovery Award. It has found around one in seven Black and one in 63 South Asian men in the UK carry a genetic variant known as G6PD deficiency. Men ...
Researchers discover mechanism that can ramp up magnitude of certain earthquakes
2025-09-29
In July 2024, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Calama, Chile, damaging buildings and causing power outages.
The country has endured violent earthquakes, including the most powerful recorded in history: a 9.5-magnitude “megathrust” event that struck central Chile in 1960, causing a tsunami and killing between 1,000 to 6,000 people. However, the Calama quake was different from the megathrust quakes that are usually associated with the most destructive events in Chile and around the world.
Megathrust earthquakes occur at relatively shallow depths. ...
MS does not worsen menopause symptoms: study
2025-09-29
The largest study of its kind has found menopause is not associated with an increased risk of disability in women with multiple sclerosis (MS).
Until now, the impact of reduced sex hormones on women with MS had only been the subject of small studies, some with conflicting results.
Published in JAMA Neurology, the Monash University-led project assessed whether menopause modified the risk of disability progression for women with relapse-onset MS. It did not.
MS is a chronic autoimmune and neurodegenerative condition, which impacts the immune and nervous ...
Radiation therapy shows promise for patients with severe heart rhythm disorder
2025-09-29
SAN FRANCISCO, September 29, 2025 — Radiation therapy may offer a comparable and potentially safer alternative to repeat catheter ablation for patients with severe abnormal heart rhythms that can no longer be controlled with medication.
In the first study to directly compare cardiac radiation with standard catheter ablation for ventricular tachycardia, patients treated with cardiac radiation experienced fewer complications with similar effectiveness at controlling disease than those treated with cardiac ablation. Findings of the retrospective ...