Original research article
Granulated Biochar Derived from Chicken Manure as an Alternative Fertiliser for Cereals
2025, 90 (4) p. 271-282
Polina Kuryntseva, Kamalya Karamova, Nataliya Pronovich, Liliya Biktasheva, Natalia Danilova, Polina Galitskaya, Svetlana Selivanovskaya
Abstract
A three-year field experiment tested single (2021) and double (2022, 2023) tillage with powdered and granular biochar (B, gB, B2x, gB2x) and annual mineral fertiliser (diammofoska, KF). Biochar in powder (B) and granular (gB) forms was produced from chicken manure by slow pyrolysis using silicosol as a binder. Untilled soil served as a control (K). Barley, wheat and oats were cultivated in 2021, 2022 and 2023, respectively. Both tillage regimes with biochar increased soil nutrient contents to levels comparable to triple mineral fertilisation. Pyrolysis decreased total carbon (TC) and total nitrogen (TN) contents by 37% and 24%, respectively, while available phosphorus (AP) and available potassium (AK) increased by 3.4 and 3-fold. Granulation did not significantly alter elemental content or biochar toxicity, which was reduced during pyrolysis, as shown by tests with Paramecium caudatum Ehrenberg, 1833 and Daphnia magna Straus, 1820. A single biochar application increased barley yield by 50–54%, wheat by 30–34%, and oats by 19–30% relative to the control, producing yields similar to those under KF. Double tillage further raised wheat yields by 60–85% over the control and by 8–24% over KF. In the third year without biochar application, oat yields matched those in the KF treatment. Powdered and granular biochar showed comparable effectiveness in improving crop yields, supporting the use of either form depending on equipment availability.
Keywords
powdered biochar, granulated biochar, crop yield, chicken manure, slow pyrolysis
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