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Hydrochar and microplastics disturb soil dissolved organic matter and prominently mitigate ammonia volatilization from wheat growing soil

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Feng, Y., Chen, S., Han, L., Wang, B., Sun, H., Xie, W., Lu, Q., Feng, Y., Poinern, G.E.J. and Xue, L. (2022) Hydrochar and microplastics disturb soil dissolved organic matter and prominently mitigate ammonia volatilization from wheat growing soil. Applied Soil Ecology, 178 . Art. 104552.

Link to Published Version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2022.104552
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Abstract

The impacts of microplastics (MPs) pollution on the nitrogen (N) cycle in soil ecosystems have attracted worldwide attention. Meanwhile, dissolved organic matter (DOM)-rich hydrochar (HBC) is being tried as an emerging soil conditioner for gaseous N reduction load to the atmosphere. However, the influence of MPs and HBC on soil DOM and ammonia (NH3) volatilization in wheat soils remains poorly understood. In this study, a soil column experiment was established in wheat growing soils to determine the impacts of HBC, MPs (i.e., polyethylene and polyacrylonitrile), and the co-occurrence of HBC and MPs (HBC + MPs) on soil NH3 volatilization, physicochemical properties and wheat growth. In comparison with the control (CK, without MPs or HBC), HBC, MPs, and HBC + MPs reduced cumulative NH3 volatilization by 45.4%, 66.7–67.4% and 29.8–58.7%, respectively. Soil DOM fulvic acid-like and humic aid substance abundances of the other treatments were increased by 18.5–56.2% and 12.7–39.3%, respectively, compared to CK. Besides, soil NH3 fluxes were positively correlated to soil NH4+-N concentration at basal fertilization and soil NO3−-N concentration at first supplementary fertilization. HBC, MPs and HBC + MPs treatments promoted soil urease activity and plant N uptake by 6.5–24.2% and 31.9–74.3%, respectively, compared to CK. This study provides an insight into the variation of NH3 volatilization caused by anthropogenic carbon in wheat soil ecosystems.

Item Type: Journal Article
Murdoch Affiliation(s): Murdoch Applied Nanotechnology Research Group
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Copyright: © 2022 Elsevier B.V.
URI: http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/65225
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