Co-application of biogas slurry and hydrothermal carbonization aqueous phase substitutes urea as the nitrogen fertilizer and mitigates ammonia volatilization from paddy soil

Detian Li; Yueqin Cheng; Tianling Li; Haijun Sun; Lihong Xue; Hongbiao Cui; Yanfang Feng; Linzhang Yang; Qingnan Chu

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117340

Co-application of biogas slurry and hydrothermal carbonization aqueous phase substitutes urea as the nitrogen fertilizer and mitigates ammonia volatilization from paddy soil

Environ Pollut. 2021 Oct 15:287:117340. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117340. Epub 2021 May 10.

Authors

Detian Li¹, Yueqin Cheng², Tianling Li³, Haijun Sun⁴, Lihong Xue⁵, Hongbiao Cui⁶, Yanfang Feng⁷, Linzhang Yang⁸, Qingnan Chu⁹

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Agro-Environment in Downstream of Yangtze Plain and Key Laboratory for Crop and Animal Integrated Farming of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs ofthe People's Republic of China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, 210014, China; School of Earth and Environment, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, 232001, China.
² Nanjing Station of Quality Protection in Cultivated Land, Nanjing, 210036, China.
³ Collaborative Innovation Centre of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210044, PR China.
⁴ Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China.
⁵ Key Laboratory of Agro-Environment in Downstream of Yangtze Plain and Key Laboratory for Crop and Animal Integrated Farming of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs ofthe People's Republic of China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, 210014, China; School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212001, China.
⁶ School of Earth and Environment, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, 232001, China.
⁷ Key Laboratory of Agro-Environment in Downstream of Yangtze Plain and Key Laboratory for Crop and Animal Integrated Farming of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs ofthe People's Republic of China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, 210014, China; School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212001, China. Electronic address: jaasfengyanfang@163.com.
⁸ Key Laboratory of Agro-Environment in Downstream of Yangtze Plain and Key Laboratory for Crop and Animal Integrated Farming of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs ofthe People's Republic of China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, 210014, China.
⁹ Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan.

PMID: 34023661
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117340

Abstract

Biogas slurry (BS) and bio-waste hydrothermal carbonization aqueous phase (HP) are nutrient-rich wastewater. To prevent environment contamination, transforming BS and HP into synthetic fertilizers in the agricultural field can potentially realize resource utilization. We hypothesized that acidic HP could neutralize alkaline BS, adjusting floodwater pH from 6.88 to 8.00 and mitigating ammonia (NH₃) volatilization from the paddy soil. In this soil column study, the mixture of BS and HP was applied to paddy soil to substitute 50%, 75%, and 100% to urea. With a low (L) or high (H) ratio of HP, treatments were labeled as BCL50, BCL75, BCL100, BCH50, BCH75, and BCH100. Results showed that microbial byproduct- and fulvic acid-like substance were the main components in BS and HP using 3D-EEM analysis, respectively. Co-application of BS and HP mitigated the NH₃ volatilization by 4.2%-65.5% compared with CKU. BCL100 and BCH100 treatments significantly (P < 0.05) mitigated NH₃ volatilization by 65.5% and 56.8%, which also significantly (P < 0.05) mitigated the yield-scale NH₃ volatilization by 49.6% and 42.3%, compared with CKU. The low NH₄⁺-N concentration and pH value in floodwater were the main reason explained the NH₃ mitigation. Therefore, this study demonstrated that BS and HP co-application can substitute the urea as a valuable N fertilizer in a rational rate and meanwhile mitigate the NH₃ volatilization. This study will provide new ideas for the utilization of BS and HP resources in the context of ammonia mitigation.

Keywords: Anaerobic fermentation; Hydrothermal carbonization; Liquid fertilizer; Paddy soil.

MeSH terms

Agriculture
Ammonia / analysis
Biofuels
Fertilizers* / analysis
Nitrogen / analysis
Oryza*
Soil
Urea
Volatilization

Substances

Biofuels
Fertilizers
Soil
Ammonia
Urea
Nitrogen