Effects of pyrolysis temperatures on bone char characterization and its releasing phosphorus in sandy soil

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of different pyrolysis temperatures on the properties of produced bovine bone char and to evaluate their suitability as phosphorus resources in P-poor sandy soil. An incubation experiment was performed and comprised of five treatments: unamended soil (CK), soil amended with the bovine bone (SBB), soil amended with bovine bone char at 300 °C (SBBC300), soil amended with bovine bone char at 500 °C (SBBC500), and soil amended with bovine bone char at 700 °C (SBBC700). Our findings demonstrate that pyrolysis temperature greatly affects the chemical properties of bovine bone char. The results obtained from the incubation experiments showed that adding bovine bone char produced at different temperatures significantly increased Olsen-P in P-poor sandy. Olsen-P concentrations increased significantly with increasing incubating period. The highest Olsen-P values existed in SBBC500 treatment at all incubation periods. Compared to unamended soil, adding SBBC500 to the soil increased Olsen-P by 41.7%, 42.9%, 35.5%, and 31.6% after 7, 15, 29, and 47 days of incubation, respectively. Consequently, use of bovine bone char produced at 500 °C may be an alternative option for phosphorus as a renewable, economical, and environmentally friendly source.