Characteristics and liming potential of biochar types from potato waste and pine-bark

Large amount of wastes are burnt or left to decompose on site or at landfills where they cause air pollution and nutrient leaching to groundwater. Waste management strategies that return these food wastes to agricultural soils recover the carbon and nutrients that would otherwise have been lost, enrich soils and improve crop productivity. This study characterised biochar produced by pyrolysis of potato peels (PP), cull potato (CP) and pine bark (PB) at 350 and 650°C. The biochar types were analysed for pH, phosphorus (P) and other elemental composition. Proximate analysis was done following ASTM standard 1762–84, while surface functional groups and external morphology characteristics were determined using FTIR and SEM; respectively. Pine bark biochar had higher yield and fixed carbon (FC), and lower ash content and volatile matter than biochar types from potato wastes. The liming potential of CP 650°C is greater than that of PB biochars. Biochar types from potato waste had more functional groups even at high pyrolysis temperature relative to pine bark. Potato waste biochars showed an increase in pH, calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE), K and P content with increasing pyrolysis temperature. These findings imply that biochar from potato waste may be valuable for soil C storage, remediating acidity and increasing availability of nutrients especially K and P in acidic soils.