Protecting food security and mitigating climate change: Exploring the advantages of sewage sludge biochar and K-feldspar

Area of Study: Agriculture; Land Use, Resilience, and Environmental Risk

Key Documents

REPORT: coming soon

Year

2024

Status

Current

Principal Investigators

Daniel S. Alessi, Professor and Encana Chair in Water Resources, Department Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta

Collaborators

Co-Investigator

Murray K. Gingras, Professor and Chair, Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta

Overview

Albertan farmland is deficient in phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), which can delay crop growth and threaten food security. Only 20% of P and K in traditional fertilizers is used by crops with the rest remaining in unavailable forms or entering water bodies, causing eutrophication. Biochar produced from sewage sludge and fine-grained K-feldspar are two compounds that release P and K into the soil at slower rates than traditional fertilizers and therefore could potentially be effective substitutes for traditional fertilizers.

Research Questions

By monitoring crops grown using the two compounds under current and future climate conditions, the study seeks to answer two questions:

  • Are sewage sludge biochar and K-feldspar good soil additives to maintain healthy P and K concentrations in Albertan soils?

  • What is the best application approach for these two additives to achieve the optimal growth of crops now and in the face of changing future climate conditions?