Biochar as a sustainable alternative to açaí waste disposal in Amazon, Brazil

de Freitas Maia, Claudia Maria Branco; Silva Pedroso, Augusto Jos�; Noronha Costa, Aline; de Lima, Herdjania Veras; Sato, Michel Keisuke; Rodrigues, Sueli; Mooney, Sacha J.; Clarke, Mich�le

Abstract

© 2020 Institution of Chemical Engineers The açaí palm (Euterpe oleracea Mart) is native to the floodplains of central and South America and is cultivated in Brazil for its berries, which are considered to be a ‘superfood’. The waste açaí fiber and seeds obtained after fruit processing pose a challenge since they remain unutilised despite being an abundant waste by-product of açaí processing.This leads to a build-up of waste, regular dumping and environmental management challenges. Here we examine the potential use of açaí seed biochar as a soil conditioner. The biochar was produced from waste seeds in a handmade kiln, incorporated into two soils of different textures and then compacted in volumetric rings with a hydraulic press. The samples were kept in a greenhouse for a 270-day incubation period. After this, the samples were evaluated for their soil physical and chemical attributes. Nine months after the application of the açaí seed biochar, soil physical properties were not affected, except for the soil aggregate size distribution, for which the highest dosage resulted in a larger weighted average diameter. However, biochar increased phosphorus, potassium and magnesium contents, and reduced the aluminum content, which was reflected in an increase of the base saturation and a reduction in aluminum saturation. Therefore, within a relatively short time period, the biochar was found to improve soil chemical quality more so than soil physical properties, thus offering potential as a sustainable solution to manage açaí waste in the Amazon region.

Citation

de Freitas Maia, C. M. B., Silva Pedroso, A. J., Noronha Costa, A., de Lima, H. V., Sato, M. K., Rodrigues, S., Mooney, S. J., & Clarke, M. (2020). Biochar as a sustainable alternative to açaí waste disposal in Amazon, Brazil. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 139, 36-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2020.04.001

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 1, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Apr 9, 2020
• Publication Date: 2020-07
• Deposit Date: Apr 2, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 10, 2021
• Journal: Process Safety and Environmental Protection
• Print ISSN: 0957-5820
• Electronic ISSN: 1744-3598
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 139
• Pages: 36-46
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2020.04.001
• Keywords: Environmental Engineering; General Chemical Engineering; Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality; Environmental Chemistry
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4242519
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S095758201932244X