Room: Poster Area
Date: Wednesday, 20 May 2026
Time: 11:30 - 12:45 CEST
Session code 1BV.4
Biomass supply from agriculture, forestry, and sustainable cropping systems
Experimental Analysis at Lab Scale of Biochar Potential Derived from Poplar SRC and Maritime Pine Biomasses for Improving Water Retention in Coarse Soils
Short Introductive summary
Lab scale essays involving mixtures of coarse soil with poplar biochar from carbonization temperatures of 400 ºC and 600ºC, delivered soil water gains of 53 % and 48 % at field capacity. For mixtures of pure sand with pine biochar, from carbonization temperatures of 600 ºC, gains up to 150 % in soil available water were obtained. Results of macroporosity from mercury porosimetry, and of chemical functional groups from FTIR, with poplar and pine biochar, are indicative of a convergence towards a profile of biochar structure, which increases water retention of biochar mixtures with coarse soil substrates, under the same matric potential, simultaneously with an increase in soil carbon sequestration, generating negative carbon balances in agroecosystems. This research is part of an ongoing R&D project, aiming to quantify longterm impacts in carbon sequestration, soil chemical, physical and biological fertility and fruit productivity resulting from biochar application to soil in a vineyard in Portugal. This project, following a previous Italian experience, intends contributing to a larger agricultural biochar application in drought-prone in poor soils in Mediterranean Southern Europe.
Presenter
Abel RODRIGUES
INIAV, UTI Dpt., PORTUGAL
Presenter's biography
Abel Rodrigues is Full Researcher at Portuguese (INIAV, IP), Author or co-author of more than 80 Scientific Publications, including two books, and in the last 14 years developed applied research in biomass and biochar topics such as biomass pyrolysis, carbonization, and biochar application to soil.
Biographies and Short introductive summaries are supplied directly by presenters and are published here unedited
Co-authors:
M. Mendes, IST, Lisboa, PORTUGAL
C. Alexandre, Universidade de Évora, PORTUGAL
P. Rosa, IST, Lisboa, PORTUGAL
A. Ferreira, IST, Lisboa, PORTUGAL
F. Pedra, INIAV, Oeiras, PORTUGAL
P. Fareleira, INIAV, Oeiras, PORTUGAL
J. Semedo, INIAV, Oeiras, PORTUGAL
Session reference: 1BV.4.1