Comparison of Wet-Digestion and Dry-Ashing Methods for Total Elemental Analysis of Biochar
Abstract
Total elemental analyses of biochars presents challenges during digestion because of biochars' high chemical recalcitrance and widely varied composition. Three biochars were chosen with contrasting properties: corn stover pyrolyzed at 300 °C, oak wood at 600 °C, and poultry manure with sawdust at 600 °C. Recovery of phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulfur (S), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and zinc (Zn) from poultry manure biochar was 10 to 100 times less with published wet- or dry-digestion methods than when using improved methods. The published dry-digestion method returned significantly (P < 0.05) more sodium (Na), suggesting contamination from borosilicate glassware. A modified dry-ashing (MDA) method was the most precise method, demonstrating a relative standard deviation within 3.7% of the most precise method for recovery of P, K, S, Ca, Mg, and Zn from both corn and oak biochars. The MDA method is comparatively safe and effective for preparing biochar for elemental analysis.
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The unpredictability of biochar effects on crop growth is largely due to widely varying biochar properties and variable soil properties and environmental plant requirements.
“To a large extent, this is a result of widely varying biochar properties (Enders et al. 2012;Schimmelpfennig and Glaser 2012) as well as of variable soil properties and environmental plant requirements.”
From Biochars and the plant-soil interface (2015) · cites this paper as Enders et al. 2012
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References 27 · Cited by 253
- Authors
- Enders, A., & Lehmann, J.
- Affiliations
- Cornell University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Lehmann, Johannes
- ORCID
- Lehmann, Johannes
- Venue
- Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2012-04
- Volume
- 43
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 1042-1052
- ISSN
- 0010-3624 (ISSN-L)
- 1532-2416
- OpenAlex
- W2012370634
- Cited by
- 253
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2026: 19 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 32 · 2019: 22 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 5.47
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Thermochemical Biomass Conversion Processes
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Water Science and Technology › Environmental and Analytical Chemistry Studies
- Keywords
- biochar, acid digestion, dry ashing, sample digestion methods, phosphorus recovery, potassium recovery, trace element recovery, corn stover biochar, pyrolysis temperature
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