Holistic Assessment of Biochar and Brown Coal Waste as Organic Amendments in Sustainable Environmental and Agricultural Applications

Abstract Organic amendments can improve soil quality which has knock-on environmental and agronomic benefits. However, the use of new emerging organic such as biochar brown coal waste (BCW) in systems requires continuous holistic assessments for robust consensus building their agricultural applications. To examine application BCW woodchip (BIO) agroecosystems, secondary data from literature on (soil, air water) aspects were compiled with primary a 3-year multicropping field trial collated supplementary economic factors (e.g. cost availability). For trial, replicated plots amended FYM (for comparative reasons), BIO at 30, 24.2 12.8 t ha –1 , respectively, without NPK cultivated cropping sequence maize, potato barley. At end each season, soils characterised pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC) fertility (macronutrient contents) addition to nutrient uptake, nutritional yield crops. Compared FYM, found be associated greater improvements structure C sequestration) water benefits mainly facilitated via increased retention humic-linked sorption abated gaseous emission mitigated heavy metal leaching. These along variable chemistry, uptake accounted mean crop across treatments (higher NPK): (32.7 71.7%), (33.5 60.1%) (21.8 48.2%). Additionally, have lower pollutant metals) contents provide additional sustainability net abatement cost-benefits. While slightly compared that footprints are clear advantages adoption