Immobilisation of anaerobic digestate supplied nitrogen into soil microbial biomass is dependent on lability of high organic carbon materials additives
Anaerobic digestate is a nutrient rich slurry by-product derived from biogas production, often used as a fertiliser due to its high nitrogen content. However, nitrogen losses from its application can lead to environmental pollution. In a laboratory experiment, the addition of high organic carbon mat...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-03-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1356469/full |
| _version_ | 1827262318511128576 |
|---|---|
| author | Christina van Midden Jim Harris Liz Shaw Tom Sizmur Hayden Morgan Mark Pawlett |
| author_facet | Christina van Midden Jim Harris Liz Shaw Tom Sizmur Hayden Morgan Mark Pawlett |
| author_sort | Christina van Midden |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Anaerobic digestate is a nutrient rich slurry by-product derived from biogas production, often used as a fertiliser due to its high nitrogen content. However, nitrogen losses from its application can lead to environmental pollution. In a laboratory experiment, the addition of high organic carbon materials to digestate-amended soil as a potential means to stimulate microbial immobilisation of digestate supplied nitrogen was investigated. Soil was incubated in pots for 5 months with digestate (equivalent to 250 kgN ha−1). The impact of adding carbon into the digestate (equivalent to 540 kgC ha−1) as either glycerol, straw, woodchip, or biochar on soil microbial and chemical parameters was quantified. Glycerol amended soils had significantly higher microbial biomass compared to digestate alone during the first month and at 30 days after application had a 4x higher on average microbial N. The digestate + straw treatment resulted in a 2.5x significantly greater nitrogen immobilisation compared to digestate alone after 3 months of incubation. The digestate + woodchip had a 2× higher mean microbial N after 5 months, whilst the biochar amendment did not stimulate significant nitrogen immobilisation at any time. These results suggest that mixing a labile to moderately labile organic carbon amendment, such as straw, with digestate has the greatest potential to reduce nitrogen losses following digestate application through microbial immobilisation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T20:27:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5742521213324c429a49515fd7a408d8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2571-581X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-03-22T03:12:22Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
| spelling | doaj.art-5742521213324c429a49515fd7a408d82024-04-30T09:28:09ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems2571-581X2024-03-01810.3389/fsufs.2024.13564691356469Immobilisation of anaerobic digestate supplied nitrogen into soil microbial biomass is dependent on lability of high organic carbon materials additivesChristina van Midden0Jim Harris1Liz Shaw2Tom Sizmur3Hayden Morgan4Mark Pawlett5School of Water, Energy, and Environment, Cranfield University, Bedford, United KingdomSchool of Water, Energy, and Environment, Cranfield University, Bedford, United KingdomDepartment of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading, Reading, United KingdomDepartment of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading, Reading, United KingdomBioprocess Department, Future Biogas Ltd., Guildford, United KingdomSchool of Water, Energy, and Environment, Cranfield University, Bedford, United KingdomAnaerobic digestate is a nutrient rich slurry by-product derived from biogas production, often used as a fertiliser due to its high nitrogen content. However, nitrogen losses from its application can lead to environmental pollution. In a laboratory experiment, the addition of high organic carbon materials to digestate-amended soil as a potential means to stimulate microbial immobilisation of digestate supplied nitrogen was investigated. Soil was incubated in pots for 5 months with digestate (equivalent to 250 kgN ha−1). The impact of adding carbon into the digestate (equivalent to 540 kgC ha−1) as either glycerol, straw, woodchip, or biochar on soil microbial and chemical parameters was quantified. Glycerol amended soils had significantly higher microbial biomass compared to digestate alone during the first month and at 30 days after application had a 4x higher on average microbial N. The digestate + straw treatment resulted in a 2.5x significantly greater nitrogen immobilisation compared to digestate alone after 3 months of incubation. The digestate + woodchip had a 2× higher mean microbial N after 5 months, whilst the biochar amendment did not stimulate significant nitrogen immobilisation at any time. These results suggest that mixing a labile to moderately labile organic carbon amendment, such as straw, with digestate has the greatest potential to reduce nitrogen losses following digestate application through microbial immobilisation.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1356469/fullbiogas residuenitrogen immobilisationmicrobial communityglycerolstrawwoodchip |
| spellingShingle | Christina van Midden Jim Harris Liz Shaw Tom Sizmur Hayden Morgan Mark Pawlett Immobilisation of anaerobic digestate supplied nitrogen into soil microbial biomass is dependent on lability of high organic carbon materials additives Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems biogas residue nitrogen immobilisation microbial community glycerol straw woodchip |
| title | Immobilisation of anaerobic digestate supplied nitrogen into soil microbial biomass is dependent on lability of high organic carbon materials additives |
| title_full | Immobilisation of anaerobic digestate supplied nitrogen into soil microbial biomass is dependent on lability of high organic carbon materials additives |
| title_fullStr | Immobilisation of anaerobic digestate supplied nitrogen into soil microbial biomass is dependent on lability of high organic carbon materials additives |
| title_full_unstemmed | Immobilisation of anaerobic digestate supplied nitrogen into soil microbial biomass is dependent on lability of high organic carbon materials additives |
| title_short | Immobilisation of anaerobic digestate supplied nitrogen into soil microbial biomass is dependent on lability of high organic carbon materials additives |
| title_sort | immobilisation of anaerobic digestate supplied nitrogen into soil microbial biomass is dependent on lability of high organic carbon materials additives |
| topic | biogas residue nitrogen immobilisation microbial community glycerol straw woodchip |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1356469/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT christinavanmidden immobilisationofanaerobicdigestatesuppliednitrogenintosoilmicrobialbiomassisdependentonlabilityofhighorganiccarbonmaterialsadditives AT jimharris immobilisationofanaerobicdigestatesuppliednitrogenintosoilmicrobialbiomassisdependentonlabilityofhighorganiccarbonmaterialsadditives AT lizshaw immobilisationofanaerobicdigestatesuppliednitrogenintosoilmicrobialbiomassisdependentonlabilityofhighorganiccarbonmaterialsadditives AT tomsizmur immobilisationofanaerobicdigestatesuppliednitrogenintosoilmicrobialbiomassisdependentonlabilityofhighorganiccarbonmaterialsadditives AT haydenmorgan immobilisationofanaerobicdigestatesuppliednitrogenintosoilmicrobialbiomassisdependentonlabilityofhighorganiccarbonmaterialsadditives AT markpawlett immobilisationofanaerobicdigestatesuppliednitrogenintosoilmicrobialbiomassisdependentonlabilityofhighorganiccarbonmaterialsadditives |