Nitrous Oxide Mitigation Meta-analysis
Citation: Cayuela ML, van Zwieten L, Singh BP, Jeffery S, Roig A, Sánchez-Monedero MA (2014). Biochar’s role in mitigating soil nitrous oxide emissions: A review and meta-analysis. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 191: 5–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2013.10.009
What it is: The classic review and meta-analysis of biochar and soil N₂O, and the source of the vault’s “−54%” figure.
Key figures
| Figure | Value | Where | Check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Literature window | Published 2007–2013 | Abstract (WUR record) | ✓ abstract |
| Dataset | 30 studies, 261 experimental treatments | Abstract | ✓ abstract |
| Mean N₂O change | −54%, laboratory and field studies combined | Abstract | ✓ abstract |
| Key moderators | Feedstock, pyrolysis conditions, C/N ratio | Abstract | ✓ abstract |
| Application rate | Directly correlated with N₂O reductions | Abstract | ✓ abstract |
| Interactions | Soil texture and the chemical form of N fertilizer strongly influence emissions | Abstract | ✓ abstract |
Use with care
- The −54% mixes lab and field studies from an early literature base. The larger later synthesis global GHG and yield patterns reports −26.8%.
- The finding that the char’s H:C_org ratio moderates N₂O comes from a separate paper, Cayuela et al. 2015 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2014.12.015), not this one.
Related: GHG Fluxes · Foundational Papers · Key Sources