| 原文摘要 | This introductory chapter justifies and outlines biochar use for current and potential agricultural and environmental applications. Biochar is fine‐grained or granular charcoal made by heating vegetative biomass, bones, manure solids, or other plant‐derived organic residues in an oxygen‐free or oxygen‐limited environment and used as a soil amendment for agricultural and environmental purposes. Persistent in the environment and retaining water, nutrients, and contaminants, biochar can be used in crop production as a soil conditioner for improving soil quality, enhancing fertilizer use efficiency, promoting plant growth, increasing carbon sequestration, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It can also be used in environmental rehabilitation for remediating contaminated soils and reclaiming abandoned mine land. It can further be used in animal husbandry as a feed additive to improve livestock weight gain, as a barn bedding material to enhance animal health, and as a nutrient absorbent to treat animal waste. The quality of biochar, however, varies with feedstock materials, production conditions, and even storage. Because of lack of biochar application awareness and technological constraints, global production and utilization of biochar is currently in a fledgling state. Education and outreach are needed to expand the biochar industry. |