Biochar Application: Essential Soil Microbial Ecology
outlines the cutting-edge research on the interactions of complex microbial populations and their functional, structural, and compositional dynamics, as well as the microbial ecology of biochar application to soil, the use of different phyto-chemical analyses, possibilities for future research, and recommendations for climate change policy.
Biochar, or charcoal produced from plant matter and applied to soil, has become increasingly recognized as having the potential to address multiple contemporary concerns, such as agricultural productivity and contaminated ecosystem amelioration, primarily by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and improving soil functions.
Biochar Application is the first reference to offer a complete assessment of the various impacts of biochar on soil and ecosystems, and includes chapters analyzing all aspects of biochar technology and application to soil, from ecogenomic analyses and application ratios to nutrient cycling and next generation sequencing. Written by a team of international authors with interdisciplinary knowledge of biochar, this reference will provide a platform where collaborating teams can find a common resource to establish outcomes and identify future research needs throughout the world.
- Includes multiple tables and figures per chapter to aid in analysis and understanding
- Includes a comprehensive table of the methods used within the contents, ecosystems, contaminants, future research, and application opportunities explored in the book
- Includes knowledge gaps and directions of future research to stimulate further discussion in the field and in climate change policy
- Outlines the latest research on the interactions of complex microbial populations and their functional, structural, and compositional dynamics
- Offers an assessment of the impacts of biochar on soil and ecosystems
T. Komang Ralebitso-Senior is a Senior Lecturer in Forensic Science in the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences at Liverpool John Moores University, UK. She has studied at the City University of New York, the University of Natal (South Africa), and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She held post-doctoral positions at the BioMEMS Laboratory of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and the NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Oxford. Komang is a STEM Ambassador and member of the Society for Applied Microbiology and the International Society for Microbial Ecology.
Caroline H. Orr is Senior Lecturer in Biological Sciences and Biotechnology at Teesside University, UK. She received the Avecia Prize for Biotechnology while studying at Northumbria University, where she received her PhD in Molecular Biology. She held postdoctoral positions at Northumbria and Newcastle Universities. Alongside teaching Caroline is active in research and collaborates with Northumbria and Newcastle University as well as local industrial partners. Caroline has published in peer reviewed journals of international quality and is a member of the Society for General Microbiology.
