Nitrous oxide (greenhouse gas) from soil

[Michaelangelica]

I found this abstract hard to follow. Perhaps something was lost in translation.

It was the consensus feeling at the IAI confrence that charcoal reduced NO2 Emissions from soil

Effects of charcoal addition on N2O emissions from soil resulting from rewetting air-dried soil in short-term laboratory experiments

Authors: YANAI, Yosuke1; TOYOTA, Koki2; OKAZAKI, Masanori2

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/conten...00002/art00008


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"transect points" - 1 new article

The links to global maps are interesting.

Soil conference on non-CO2 gas emissions


Researchers at the University of Melbourne are holding a conference to discuss the importance of greenhouse gas emissions from soils.

A major concern is nitrous oxide from fertilizer, manure and biomass applications.

"300 times more potent than CO2, so even small emissions of this non-CO2 gas can make a considerable contribution to global warming” says Dr Stefan Arndt.

“When nitrogen is added to a wheat field as fertilizer or added to a pasture through animal faeces or clover swards, a part of the nitrogen can be lost as nitrous oxide, and when the weather conditions are right this can lead to large emissions of nitrous oxide” says Dr Eckard.

...not widely known [is] that soils can actually [take] methane out of the atmosphere. “Forest soils are especially efficient at taking up methane” says Dr Livesley.

At the present time there is not much knowledge about the magnitude of these non-CO2 emissions...


It is interesting that NO2 isn't more in the news, considering its potential impact and its fascinating pattern of anthropogenicity.


Image source: Greenhouse gases, by Anyday.se

[Michaelangelica]

Nitrogen pollution harming ecosystems and contributing to global warming
mongabay.com
May 15, 2008

Nitrogen pollution harming ecosystems and contributing to global warming

Nitrous oxide, unlike other oxides (apart from carbon dioxide), is a major greenhouse gas. While its radiative warming effect is substantially less than CO2, nitrous oxide's persistence in the atmosphere, when considered over a 100 year period, per unit of weight, has 296 times more impact on global warming than that per mass unit of carbon dioxide (CO2).[1]

Nitrous oxide - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I am not sure I 'get' this
Addressing the 'nitrogen cascade'

[JMJones0424]

Please forgive me, It has been a long time since I opened a chemistry textbook. Or any textbook for that matter.

I've seen a number of claims that N2O emissions from soil were observed to decrease after biochar application. I originally assumed this was due to a reduction in denitrification, indicating that biochar is an effective tool to increase aeration of the soil. My assumption is obviously incorrect, however, if the biochar itself captures N2O emitted by anaerobes. Is this possible? I was under the impression (at least with activated charcoal, which may have different properties than biochar) that activated charcoal adsorbs mainly organic molecules. Is this correct?