Biochars and methods for treating biochars are provided that are useful in various applications, including, but not limited to, applications related to the raising, care, maintenance, disease prevention, disease treatment and odor control of animals.

An erosion control substrate and slurry are disclosed. The substrate includes mulch, a cover composition including bentonite clay and cellulosic water dispersible polymer and/or starch, and optionally surface-treated HPMC. Other desired optional ingredients may also be included. Methods of forming a slurry and methods of using the slurry for erosion control are also disclosed.

A method for capturing material extracted from biochar, the method comprising the steps of: (i) providing a biochar; (ii) contacting the biochar with a treating liquid, where the treating liquid causes the removal of solids from the pores and surface of the biochar, thereby creating a resulting solution or extract comprised of the treating liquid and removed solids; and (iii) collecting the resulting solution or extract. The method further comprises the step of apply the resulting solution or extract to soil or for use in other applications.

The invention discloses a method for the preparation and use of a slow-release iron-based biochar soil heavy metal passivator. The slow-release iron-based biochar soil heavy metal passivator of the present invention is prepared by an one-step method, wherein iron-based biochar, kaolin and a biological starch are mixed into a core material in a specific ratio; an acidic silica sol and a chitosan solution are prepared, under the effects of an alkaline catalyst and an emulsifier, as a chitosan and silica-sol composite material as a coating, and the iron-based biochar is coated with the alkaline coating material, with the core material and the coating material being controlled at a certain volume ratio. The passivator has a wide raw material source, a simple and convenient preparation process, easy industrialized production, and can passivate the heavy metal arsenic and cadmium efficiently and inhibit the absorption and accumulation of arsenic and cadmium. The passivator prepared by the present invention can last for 4 growing seasons and has a higher passivation efficiency and a longer action time than common iron-based biochar passivators. The passivator can be widely used in the control of arsenic and cadmium pollution farmland.

A pesticidal composition comprises at least one soil conditioner selected from the group consisting of organic soil conditioners, microorganisms, activators, and combinations thereof and an active ingredient group alpha (AIGA) compound. The weight ratio of soil conditioner to AIGA compound is at least about 20:1. The pesticidal composition shows an enhanced residue activity of the AIGA compound in soil. A method of controlling a sap-feeding insect on a top part of the plant comprises applying a pesticidally effective amount of such pesticidal composition to soil around a root system of the plant. A method of controlling pests comprises applying a pesticidally effective amount of such pesticidal composition to at least one of: soil, seed of a plant, a portion of a plant, and locus where control of pests is desired.

A system and method for contaminant removal from water with biochar are disclosed. An example method includes loading biochar into a porous container. The example method also includes providing the porous container in a protective carrier. The example method also includes providing the porous container with the biochar within the protective carrier into a water body, waterway, or drainage area. The example method also includes sequestering at least some contaminants in the water body, waterway, or drainage area by the biochar in the container. The example method also includes removing the protective carrier with the porous container from the water body, waterway, or drainage area after the biochar has been loaded with nutrients, thereby physically removing the sequestered contaminants from the water body, waterway, or drainage area. The example method also includes providing the biochar loaded with nutrients for a secondary purpose.

A fertilizer granule having a coating on at least of portion of a surface of the granule. The coating is made of one or more complexing agents and a coating agent of one or more of a fatty acid, fatty acid ester, organic oil mineral oil or combinations thereof. The coating may optionally include a surfactant and micronutrients. The coated fertilizer granules demonstrates a noted improvement in the utilization of the nutrients of plants and crops.

A fertilizer includes ammonium hydrogen carbonate (ABC) as the main component and contains at least one additive from the group including biochar, non-oxidizing inorganic salt, compacting agents, bentonite, oxidizing agent and cellulose derivative. The biochar may be impregnated with an inorganic acid. The cellulose derivative may be a cellulose ether. The oxidizing agent may be a peroxide or permanganate. The compacting agent may be TiO.sub.2, gelatin and/or liqnin sulfonic acid.

The present invention relates to a method for producing polymers that are suitable for absorbing and storing aqueous liquids, and to polymers that can be obtained by this method. This invention further related to the use of such polymers. The method comprises the following steps: i. crosslinking free-radical polymerization of a monomer composition M comprising a) at least one monomer A having an ethylenic double bond and at least one neutralizable acid group or a group hydrolyzable to a neutralizable acid group, b) optionally one or more comonomers B which are different than the monomers A and have one ethylenic double bond, and c) 0.05 to 10% by weight, based on the total amount of monomers A and B, of at least one crosslinker C, in the presence of at least one polysaccharide-comprising substance S, in an aqueous liquid, where the weight ratio of the monomer composition M to the substance S is in the range from 9:1 to 1:9; and ii. at least partial neutralization of the acid groups and/or hydrolysis of the groups hydrolyzable to neutralizable acid groups in the polymer obtained in step i.;
wherein the polymerization and/or the neutralization is performed in the presence of urea.

Soil conditioner compositions including manure-based organic fibers, pyrolytically processed into biochar. Also included are soil amendment compositions including growth factors such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium available for plants. Those growth factors may be obtained from the further processing of a liquid portion effluent resulting from heat-agitated anaerobic digestion of manure used to produce the fibers for the manure-based soil conditioner.