Using Charcoal to Make Soil Into Black Gold

Using Charcoal to Make Soil Into Black Gold
Scientists show a way to improve soil quality with ''biochar.'' Transcript of radio broadcast:
05 May 2008

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

In South America, the fertile soil of the Amazon River basin in Brazil is known as "black gold." Scientists found that the secret to this rich soil was charcoal. Tribal people made it from animal bones and tree bark. They mixed the charcoal with the soil about one thousand five hundred years ago.

Now, scientists in the United States have done a modern demonstration. They say charcoal fertilization offers a revolutionary way to improve soil quality for hundreds or even thousands of years.

Mingxin Guo and his team at Delaware State University heated tree leaves, corn stalks, small pieces of wood and poultry waste into "biochar." They reported their findings at a recent meeting of the American Chemical Society in New Orleans.

Biochar could be good news for farmers with poor soil and hungry populations to feed. Professor Guo says it could even help against global warming. Intensive farming and overuse of chemical fertilizer releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Biochar does the opposite, he says: it traps carbon in the ground.

The researchers planted winter wheat in containers of soil in a greenhouse -- some with biochar, some without. Professor Guo says the wheat grew much better in the pots with biochar. The soil was amended with two percent charcoal. But he says even a one percent treatment would increase productivity.

The results demonstrated that biochar can increase organic matter in soil. Loss of nutrients in soil is an increasing problem worldwide as farmers try to grow more food for expanding populations.

Soils with less than three percent organic matter are generally poor and dense and unable to hold enough water and nutrients. Adding compost and animal manure and leaving crop wastes in fields has only a limited effect. The scientists say these added organic materials quickly break down into carbon dioxide.

Next the team will carry out a five-year study of biochar with spinach, green peppers and tomatoes.

Mingxin Guo says he learned about the "black gold" in Brazil from a magazine story. He explains that it was discovered in the jungle, in the area where waters flow to the Amazon, in the nineteen sixties. But it was not until recent years that scientists began to bring public attention to it.

And that’s the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. For more of our reports, go to voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Jim Tedder.


----------------------------Google Translate

使用木炭，使土壤成黑金
科学家显示的方式，以改善土壤质量与'' biochar 。誊电台广播：
2008年5月5日

这是美国之音特别英语农业的报告。

在南美洲，土壤肥沃，亚马逊河流域在巴西被称为“黑色黄金” 。科学家发现的秘密，这肥沃的土壤是木炭。部落人民作出的，它从动物骨骼和树皮。他们混合木炭与土壤约一千五百年前。

现在，科学家在美国做了现代，示威的自由。他们说，木炭施肥提供了革命道路，以改善土壤质量，为数百甚至数千年。

郭昕和他的团队在特拉华州大学的激烈树叶，玉米秸秆，小片的木材及家禽废物转化为“ biochar ” 。他们报告他们的研究结果在最近召开的美国化学学会在新的新奥尔良。

biochar可以好消息，为农民与土地贫瘠和饥饿人口的饲料。郭教授说，它甚至可能帮助对全球气候变暖。密集耕作和过量使用化肥新闻稿二氧化碳到大气中。 biochar是否正好相反，他说：它的陷阱中碳在地上。

研究人员种植的冬小麦在容器土壤中的温室-一些与b iochar，有些没有。郭教授说，小麦生长好得多，在盆与biochar 。土壤修正与二％的木炭。但他说，即使是一％ ，治疗会增加生产力。

结果表明， biochar可以增加土壤有机质。损失的养分在土壤中是一个日益严重的问题世界各地的农民尝试成长更多的粮食，为日益增多的人口。

土壤与少于3 ％ ，有机质普遍贫困和致密和无法进行足够的水分和养分。加入堆肥和动物粪肥和离开作物废料的领域已不仅效果有限。科学家说，这些新增的有机材料迅速分解成二氧化碳。

明年该小组将进行一项为期五年的研究biochar与菠菜，青椒和西红柿。

郭昕说，他了解了“黑金”在巴西从一本杂志的故事。他解释，它被发现在丛林中，在该地区水域的地方流动，以亚马逊河流域，在19六十年代。但直到近年来，科学家们开始把公众注意。

这是该美国之音特别英语农业的报告，书面，由jerilyn沃森。为我们更多的报道，去voaspecialenglish.com 。我吉姆tedder 。