Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
Master student, Department of Water Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran.
2
Professor, Department of Water Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran.
3
PhD student, Department of Water Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran.
Abstract
: The conversion of plant biomass into hydrochar is recommended as a strategy to prevent the increase in global warming and to enhance the physical, chemical, and hydraulic properties of soil. According to our knowledge, there has been no research conducted on the effect of particle size of hydrochar derived from sunflower stems on the physical, hydraulic, and moisture characteristics of soil. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the influence of the particle size of hydrochar from sunflower stems on some physical, hydraulic, and moisture properties of soil under laboratory conditions.
To evaluate the physical, hydraulic, and moisture characteristics of soil, a mixture of 3% by weight of three particle sizes (0-0.5 mm, 0.5-1 mm, and 1-2 mm) of sunflower stem hydrochar was combined with sandy loam soil. The hydrochar produced resulted from a hydrothermal process on sunflower stems at a temperature of 200 degrees Celsius for 20 hours under 18 bar pressure. Parameters such as bulk density, porosity, saturated moisture, field capacity moisture, available water, permanent wilting point moisture, discharge, velocity, hydraulic conductivity, pore velocity and moisture characteristics curve were measured.
The results indicated that the particle size of sunflower stem hydrochar had a significant effect at the 1% probability level on the physical, hydraulic, and moisture characteristics of the soil.Analysis of the moisture characteristics curve indicated that hydrochar, regardless of particle size, increased average and small pore spaces, consequently enhancing soil water retention across various suction levels,especially at suctions ranging from 0 to 2000 cm.
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