The project of biologists and soil scientists of the Southern Federal University “Nano-biochar: a new solution for sustainable agriculture and environmental restoration” is aimed at solving the problem of creating fundamentally new materials for the purposes of sustainable agriculture.
In sustainable agriculture, protecting the environment from pollution is the most important goal of production, and nanomaterials ensure better management and conservation of resources for agricultural products. The potential of nanomaterials is driving a new green revolution with less risk in agriculture.
Nanotechnology helps improve agricultural production by increasing the efficiency of inputs and minimizing associated losses.
Scientists from the Southern Federal University have proven the benefits of using nanobiochar in agriculture. This could be a promising approach for sustainable crop production and improving soil health as well as biological characteristics.
Soil pollution poses a serious threat to the food security of our planet. Deterioration of soil health can lead to many problems: the emergence of new pests and diseases, changes in the balance of ecosystems, the disappearance of predators, and the spread of resistant bacteria. In addition, pollution is already affecting the deterioration of soil quality, which makes it difficult to grow crops. In recent years, biochar has been effectively used to regulate the mobility of micro- and macroelements, as well as to eliminate toxic elements in the soil.
According to SFU scientists, the use of biochar can eliminate this problem. The effectiveness of biochar depends on its starting materials, the conditions of the pyrolysis process and the properties of the resulting biosorbent.
Staff of the Academy of Biology and Biotechnology named after. DI. Ivanovo SFU conducted a joint study with colleagues from the University of Paris (France), Yunnam University (Republic of Korea), Banaras Hindu University (India) and three Chinese universities from Guangxi, Hangzhou and Guizhou, which synthesized nanosized biochar particles (size from 1 to 100 nm), and the benefits of nanobiochar have been studied.
The research “Nano-biochar: a new solution for sustainable agriculture and environmental restoration” was carried out with the financial support of the project of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation to support the youth laboratory “Agrobiotechnologies for increasing soil fertility and the quality of agricultural products” within the framework of the development program of the interregional scientific and educational center of the South of Russia (LabNOC -21-01AB), as well as the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project No. 19–34–60041).
“Nanobiochar showed different elemental composition, aromatic/polar nature, pH, cation exchange capacity, high specific surface area, improved pore characteristics. Nanobiochar derived from lignin was found to contain various functional groups, including hydroxyl, carbonyl, carbonyl, ether and aromatic properties, which is useful for remediation of contaminated soil,” said leading researcher at the Academy of Biology and Biotechnology. DI. Ivanovo SFU Vishnu Rajput.
The size of nanobiochar is mainly controlled during biomass pyrolysis, especially by increasing the duration of pyrolysis temperature and the degree of grinding of the material. Grinding was carried out at a speed of 500 revolutions per minute, resulting in a highly dispersed nanobiochar. Mechanical grinding is also another promising method for the synthesis of high quality nanobiochar. High-quality nanobiochar was produced from waste plant material using high-temperature carbonization (800 °C for 2 h) under a nitrogen stream followed by a ball grinding process, which can minimize waste and is also an important analogue to the circular economy.
The use of nanobiochar (0.1–1.0%) significantly improves soil quality, increases suitability for the growth and development of agricultural plants, provides a suitable environment for microbes by increasing soil pores and water retention capacity with subsequent improvement in soil fertility. The interaction of nanobiochar with soils modulates various microbial processes and the mobilization of macronutrients such as phosphorus. In addition, nanobiochar is easily absorbed by plant roots and improves growth.
“Field applications of nanobiochar require long-term studies based on adsorption-desorption of environmental pollutants or plant nutrients. However, based on the present study, it can be argued that the use of nanobiochar in agriculture may be a promising approach to sustainable crop production and improved soil health, as well as improved biological characteristics,” said Tatyana Bauer, RFBR project leader.
“To date, nano-remediation strategies have demonstrated significant contributions to environmental protection and pollution prevention. Nanobiochar opens up enormous opportunities in agricultural practice. To date, studies have reflected significant changes in the physicochemical and biological characteristics of soils after introducing nanobiochar into the soil. The extremely small size of nanobiochars, offering a significant surface area, makes them an indispensable preparation for restoring the environment from inorganic and organic pollutants, improving soil quality and, therefore, productivity,” shared Svetlana Sushkova, one of the implementers of the LabNOTS-21-01AB project .
The results of the study were published in the journal Environmental Research (impact factor: 6.4).
Let us remind you that Southern Federal University was among the winners of the basic part and research track of the federal program “Priority 2030”. In its development program, SFU formulates five main strategic projects that should respond to global long-term challenges facing humanity, the country and the world. Among them is the direction “Soil resource management and agroclimatology”. More about the development of the Priority 2030 program at SFU in the Telegram channel t.me/sfedupriority2030