Biochar decreases dissolved organic carbon but not nitrate leaching in relation to vinasse application in a Brazilian sugarcane soil.

OBJECTIVES Sugarcane cultivation is associated with catchment-wide impacts related to application of vinasse, a nutrient-dense effluent with high eutrophication potential. We evaluated the potential for biochar (charcoal produced from pyrolyzed filtercake) to mitigate carbon and nutrient leaching in a cultivated Brazilian Ferralsol after vinasse application. METHODS Twelve soil columns (soil alone [S], soil with vinasse [SV], soil with vinasse and biochar [SVB], and soil with biochar [SB]) were flushed with water and then treated with water or vinasse. Samples collected via vacuum filtration were examined via UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. RESULTS Biochar attenuated dissolved organic carbon (DOC) leaching in soil (S vs. SB) as well as in relation to vinasse application (SV vs. SVB). Biochar-amended soil preferentially retained high-molecular weight, humic-like DOC species, as revealed by fluorescence spectroscopy and optical indices, but did not retain low-weight amino acid-like species. Vinasse application also increased total NO3(-) flux, which may have been exacerbated by biochar co-application. CONCLUSIONS Vinasse treatment strongly affects carbon and NO3(-) fluxes in this tropical soil. Biochar attenuated DOC leaching, likely through stabilization of complex compounds already present in soil, but did not lessen NO3(-) fluxes. Thus, biochar amendments in vinasse application areas may decrease carbon leaching.