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3 years ago in Environmental Engineering , Soil Biochemistry By Keerthi Gupta
What is the impact of autoclaving on biochar properties?
Our microbial inoculation study requires sterile biochar. The standard lab practice is autoclaving, but I've read concerns that high-pressure steam can modify surface chemistry and porosity. I need to understand the specific, evidence-based changes to properly interpret our results and justify our sterilization method in publications.
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By Mathew Answered 2 years ago
This is a critical and often overlooked methodological detail. I've characterized biochar before and after autoclaving, and the effects are non-trivial. The steam can hydrolyze and oxidize surface groups, increasing oxygen content and mildly raising pH. More notably, it can cause micro-fracturing, potentially increasing micropore accessibility. While it effectively sterilizes, I recommend you always include a characterization of your sterilized biochar in your methods, not just the "as-produced" material. For very sensitive surface studies, some groups use gamma irradiation, but for most agronomic tests, autoclaving is standard, provided you document it.
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