Article
Environmental Sciences
Aleksandra Rombel, Patrycja Krasucka, Patryk Oleszczuk
Summary: This paper presents an overview of different types of biochar (BC) fertilizers and their positive effects on soil properties and crop yields. The combination of BC with compost is proposed as a solution to reduce the use of commercial inorganic fertilizers and decrease environmental pollution.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fuad Ameen, Ali A. Al-Homaidan
Summary: Heavy metal contamination in sewage sludge poses challenges to its recycling. This study found that adding 4% biochar and 10 Eisenia fetida earthworms can effectively reduce the concentration of heavy metals and increase plant nutrient concentrations. The earthworms accumulate all heavy metals in their tissues and their survival and reproductive rate improve during the vermistabilization process. Therefore, it is recommended to use 4% biochar in the treatment of heavy metal-contaminated municipal sewage sludge.
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Lixun Zhang, Yuntao Guan
Summary: The study introduces a new soil amendment, PAA/CTS/BC, which simultaneously improves nitrogen cycling and immobilizes heavy metals in soil. The amendment promotes soil ammonium retention, reduces nitrate accumulation, nitrous oxide emission, and ammonia volatilization during rice cultivation. It also significantly decreases the availability of various heavy metals in the soil, altering the structure and function of soil microbial communities, leading to a complex and function-specific network of microbial communities. The findings suggest a promising strategy for crop production improvement, pollution control, and climate change mitigation.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Leeladarshini Sujeeun, Sean C. Thomas
Summary: Many invasive and some native tree species in North America exhibit strong allelopathic effects that may contribute to their local dominance. Pyrogenic carbon (PyC) produced by the incomplete combustion of organic matter is widespread in forest soils and has sorptive properties that can reduce the bioavailability of allelochemicals. This study investigated the potential of biochar (BC) produced by pyrolysis to reduce the allelopathic effects of black walnut and Norway maple.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Han Ren, Daniel D. Warnock, Lisa K. Tiemann, Kathleen Quigley, Jessica R. Miesel
Summary: Biochar amendments may not immediately impact plant yield, but foliar characteristics like nitrogen and chlorophyll concentrations can provide early indications of plant performance. This study demonstrates that the type and level of biochar amendment influence soil and plant nitrogen responses, with differing effects across plant species. Evaluating foliar characteristics shows promise for assessing plant response to biochar.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Studies
Tien L. Weber, Guillermo Hernandez-Ramirez, Sylvie Quideau, M. Derek MacKenzie
Summary: This study examines the effects of using modified diets for cattle to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The results show that adding biochar to manure can significantly reduce methane oxidation and improve grain yield and protein content.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chelsea J. Mitchell, Anand D. Jayakaran, Jenifer K. McIntyre
Summary: Bioretention is widely used for stormwater management, but the treatment performance for certain organic and biological pollutants remains unclear. This study evaluated the treatment of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in stormwater runoff by different bioretention mixtures. The results showed that all treatments effectively removed PAHs, and biochar amendments improved the treatment of FIB. These findings indicate the potential of bioretention for remediating PAHs in stormwater and enhancing microbial treatment of bacteria.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Guosheng Zhang, Qingju Hao, Rongzhen Ma, Shixu Luo, Keqin Chen, Zhenghao Liang, Changsheng Jiang
Summary: Constructed wetlands (CWs) with biochar and hematite as substrates enhanced pollutant removal and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The biochar-amended CWs achieved high removal efficiencies of COD and TN, and significantly lowered CH4 and N2O fluxes. The application of biochar and hematite also decreased the global warming potentials (GWP) and modified microbial communities, promoting denitrifying bacteria abundance. This study highlights the potential of biochar and the combined use of biochar and hematite as functional substrates for efficient pollutant removal and reduction of GWP emissions in CWs.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Min Woo Kang, Mesenbet Yibeltal, Young Hyun Kim, Se Jin Oh, Jong Cheol Lee, Eilhann E. Kwon, Sang Soo Lee
Summary: This study examined the impacts of synthesized soil amendments on soil physical properties and plant growth through pot experiments. The findings revealed that the use of proper soil amendments can improve soil aggregate stability, soil water retention, and plant growth.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Dilfuza Egamberdieva, Hua Ma, Burak Alaylar, Zohreh Zoghi, Aida Kistaubayeva, Stephan Wirth, Sonoko Dorothea Bellingrath-Kimura
Summary: The addition of maize-derived biochar significantly improved the growth and nutrient uptake of licorice under saline soil conditions by promoting nodule formation and root architecture improvement, as well as positively impacting soil enzyme activity.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Minh Ky Nguyen, Chitsan Lin, Hong Giang Hoang, Xuan Thanh Bui, Huu Hao Ngo, Van Giang Le, Huu-Tuan Tran
Summary: This study evaluated the variation of physicochemical characteristics during the co-composting of food waste and sawdust mixed biochar, and assessed the efficiency of biochar-composting combined amendment materials for reducing odor emissions and their maturity. The results showed that adding biochar could change the temperature, moisture, and pH during composting, and minimize the emissions of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. The addition of 20% biochar resulted in the lowest ammonia and hydrogen sulfide emissions, with complete cessation of emissions on day 17. Furthermore, the compost was mature and non-phytotoxic. These findings highlight the effectiveness of biochar amendment in reducing odor emissions and enhancing compost maturity, with potential applications in agricultural fields.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Taotao Yan, Jianhui Xue, Zhidong Zhou, Yongbo Wu
Summary: Biochar-based fertilizer amendments can significantly increase soil carbon and nutrient contents, enhance soil microbial abundance and diversity, promote the scale and complexity of microbial co-occurrence networks, and beneficially contribute to the restoration of karst-degraded soils.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jia Fu, Xuhui Zhou, Yanghui He, Ruiqiang Liu, Yixian Yao, Guiyao Zhou, Hongyang Chen, Lingyan Zhou, Yuling Fu, Shahla Hosseini Bai
Summary: This study collected 162 two-factor observations to investigate the joint effects of biochar and organic amendments on soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The results showed that biochar addition increased soil CO2 emissions by 8.62%, but decreased CH4 and N2O emissions by 27.0% and 23.9% respectively. Moreover, the co-application of organic amendments and biochar resulted in an average increase of 18.3% and 26.1% in the global warming potential based on the 100-year time horizon (GWP100). The interactive effect of biochar and organic amendments on CO2 emissions was antagonistic, while additive on CH4 and N2O emissions.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Da Lv, Zhigang Wang, Yafei Sun, Wenjia Jin, Yongjie Wang, Limin Zhou, Xiangmin Zheng
Summary: The study found that low-dose biochar amendments have limited impact on As accumulation in rice grains, while high-dose biochar may increase the release of As into the soil, leading to increased As accumulation in rice plants. Therefore, remediation technologies from biochar methods for As-contaminated paddy soils should undergo more evaluation.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kamila Cabral Mielke, Maura Gabriela da Silva Brochado, Ana Flavia Souza Laube, Tiago Guimaraes, Bruna Aparecida de Paula Medeiros, Kassio Ferreira Mendes
Summary: The degradation of herbicides can be influenced by the type of biochar used, its pyrolysis temperature, and application rate. The study evaluated the impact of sugarcane straw biochar produced at different temperatures (350 °C, 550 °C, and 750 °C) and applied at various rates (0%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 5%, and 10% w/w) on the degradation of metribuzin and soil microbiota. It was found that lower application rates of biochar produced at higher temperatures decreased metribuzin degradation, while higher application rates of biochar produced at lower temperatures increased metribuzin degradation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Guoming Li, Yang Zhao, Joseph L. Purswell, Qian Du, Gray D. Jr Jr Chesser, John W. Lowe
COMPUTERS AND ELECTRONICS IN AGRICULTURE
(2020)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
John Linhoss, Joseph Purswell, Wes Lowe, Daniel Chesser
JOURNAL OF APPLIED POULTRY RESEARCH
(2020)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
G. Li, Y. Zhao, Z. Porter, J. L. Purswell
Summary: This study developed a faster R-CNN stretching behavior detector for broiler detection, showing high precision and accuracy. Broilers exhibited different stretching behaviors at specific times and locations, influenced by stocking density and bird age.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
John Linhoss, Joseph Purswell, Christopher Magee, Daniel Chesser
Summary: This study investigated the importance of crop fill progression in assessing management during the brooding phase and found that crop fill rates do not directly impact bird performance. Achieving a crop fill rate of 95% or higher may be challenging in typical commercial settings.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Guoming Li, Yang Zhao, Joseph L. Purswell, Christopher Magee
Summary: Research on feeding behaviors of broilers provided with different feeder spaces showed that increasing feeder numbers can improve feed utilization efficiency and feeding time for broilers. However, feeders may not be fully utilized in all treatments with the same feeder space.
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Guoming Li, Yanbo Huang, Zhiqian Chen, Gary D. Chesser, Joseph L. Purswell, John Linhoss, Yang Zhao
Summary: This study systematically reviews the applications of CNN-based computer vision systems in animal farming, covering system development preparations, CNN architectures, algorithm development strategies, and provides recommendations for future research.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
J. L. Purswell, H. A. Olanrewaju, Y. Zhao
Summary: This study showed that feeder space allocation has a significant impact on broiler performance, particularly in early life stages. Providing larger feeder space during the starter and grower phases can improve body weight and weight gain, but the effects diminish as the birds grow older. Further research is needed to determine the optimal feeder space allocation and duration in early life for commercial broilers.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED POULTRY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
X. Yang, Y. Zhao, G. M. Street, Y. Huang, S. D. Filip To, J. L. Purswell
Summary: Understanding broiler behaviours through wearable accelerometers and machine learning models can effectively classify specific behaviors, with varying performances of different models. A window length of 1 second yields the best performance for classifying continuous broiler behaviors.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Xuan Dung Nguyen, Yang Zhao, Jeffrey D. Evans, Jun Lin, Joseph L. Purswell
Summary: This study determines the survivability of airborne Escherichia coli (E. coli), settled E. coli, and E. coli in poultry litter under laboratory conditions. The results show that airborne E. coli has a half-life time of 5.7 minutes, while E. coli in poultry litter and settled particles have longer half-life times of 15.9 hours and 9.6 hours, respectively. Understanding the survivability and transmission of airborne E. coli is crucial for poultry production.
Meeting Abstract
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hammed A. Olanrewaju, Stephanie Collier, Klint McCafferty, Christopher Magee, Leonard Fussell, Joseph Purswell
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Guoming Li, Xue Hui, Yang Zhao, Wei Zhai, Joseph L. Purswell, Zach Porter, Sabin Poudel, Linan Jia, Bo Zhang, Gary D. Chesser
Summary: This study evaluated the effects of ground robot manipulation on reducing floor eggs in cage-free housing systems. The results showed that ground robot operation can help reduce floor egg production to some extent in the short term after being introduced, without negatively affecting hen production performance and well-being.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
H. A. Olanrewaju, J. L. Purswell, S. D. Collier, S. L. Branton
Summary: The study investigated the effects of feeder space availability on the welfare of broilers grown to heavy weights using blood physiological variables. Results indicated that expanding feeder allowance does not enhance the welfare of broilers grown to heavy weights, as observed changes were within physiological ranges.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Guoming Li, Gary Daniel Chesser, Yanbo Huang, Yang Zhao, Joseph L. Purswell
Summary: The study developed a robot for automated collection of floor eggs in cage-free hen housing systems and optimized its performance in recognizing and picking eggs. By using deep learning model YOLO V3 and image processing algorithms, the robot achieved high accuracy in detecting and locating eggs. The use of a gripper with soft grouting sponge attachment proved to be effective in enhancing the success rates of picking white and brown eggs.
TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASABE
(2021)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
John E. Linhoss, Joseph L. Purswell, Jeremiah D. Davis
Summary: This study investigated the efficiency of radiant heaters from different manufacturers in providing a suitable warm environment for brooding chicks, finding that heaters with the same power output do not necessarily produce the same net usable area (NUA). Additionally, chicks were shown to decrease their preference for radiant flux levels during the first week of brooding, resulting in higher NUA at 8 days compared to 1 day.
APPLIED ENGINEERING IN AGRICULTURE
(2021)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
X. Yang, X. Huo, G. Li, J. L. Purswell, G. T. Tabler, G. D. Chesser, C. L. Magee, Y. Zhao
TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASABE
(2020)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
A. V. Mendoza, S. Weimer, Z. Williams
Summary: This study evaluated the effectiveness of steam as an additional method for depopulation of laying hens in a cage-free aviary system. The results showed that steam alone or in combination with heat can lead to faster mortality of hens, and the distribution of carcasses varies in different tiers.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED POULTRY RESEARCH
(2024)
