Soil Conservation

Soil degradation, nutrient depletion, and declining crop productivity are significant in agriculture, particularly in a semi-arid region such as the Nebraska Panhandle. This region was exposed to the historic Dust Bowl of the 1930s as the cropland lost its top productive surface, which was rich in organic material, resulting in decreased land productivity. Since the cultivation began, the soil has lost 30 to 50% of its original C. The recovery of cropland from topsoil losses and a decline in productivity may require a long period of restoration. At present, the soils in the Great Plains’ semi-arid region are characterized by low soil organic C and low productivity due to intensive tillage, low precipitation, wind erosion, and frequent droughts. Therefore, restoring the lost soil C is a high priority to sustain soil productivity in the Nebraska Panhandle.

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Char

The Western Sugar processing plant at Scottsbluff, NE, used to produce a significant amount of coal combustion residue (CCR) every year. Unlike CCR from regular coal-fired power plants, this by-product from the sugar plant contains around 30% total C in addition to many essential plant nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Zn, Fe, Mn, Cu, B, Cl, and Mo). Because of its quality and composition, this product (char, henceforth) offers potential as a soil amendment to restore soil C levels, improve soil quality, and enhance crop production. Particularly in semiarid regions such as in western Nebraska, where soils are generally low in soil organic matter or soil C due to intensive farming, wind and water erosion, application of soil amendments with such high C concentration may improve soil quality and crop production.

Following the extensive research on char from this lab, which is reported in several peer-reviewed manuscripts, char is now listed in the USDA NRCS Carbon Amendment EQIP program. Western Sugar received $6 million from the USDA Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities Grant (Maharjan as co-PI), where char will be tested on a farm scale to reduce GHG emissions and improve soil C sequestration.

Applying coal char to cattle pens for sustainable agriculture in the semiarid US High Plains, Thapa et al

Coal char effects on soil chemical properties and maize yields in semi-arid region, Panday et al

Potential amendments for improving productivity of low carbon semiarid soil, Maharjan et al

Coal char affects soil pH to reduce ammonia volatilization from sandy loam soil, Panday et al

Optimum rates of surface-applied coal char decreased soil ammonia volatilization loss, Panday et al