Table 1. Overview of published studies on biochar feeding.
| Animal | Daily BC intake | Feedstock | HTT in °C | Activation | Blend | Weight increase in % | Duration in days | Other results and remarks | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle | 0.6% of feed DM | Rice hull | 700 | No | 25 | 98 | Reduced enteric methane emissions | Leng, Inthapanya & Preston (2013) | |
| Bull | 2% of feed DM | Wood | >600 | No | Vitamin A | n.s. | Kim & Kim (2005) | ||
| Cattle | 1% of feed DM | Rice husk | >600 | No | 15 | 56 | 15% feed conversion rate increase | Phongphanith & Preston (2018) | |
| Goat | 1% of body weight | Bamboo | No | 20 | 84 | DM, OM, CP digestibility and N retention increased | Van, Mui & Ledin (2006) | ||
| Goat | 1% of feed DM | No | 27 | 90 | DM, OM, CP digestibility and N retention increased | Silivong & Preston (2016) | |||
| Pig | 0.3% of feed DM | Bamboo | >600 | Yes (900) | Bamboo vinegar | 17.5 | 42 | Improved the quality of marketable meat | Chu et al. (2013c) |
| Pig | 0.3% of feed DM | Wood | No | Stevia | 11 | Higher meat quality and storage capacity | Choi et al. (2012) | ||
| Pig | 1%, 3% and 5% of feed DM | Wood | 450 °C | No | 25% wood vinegar | n.s. | 30 | Increased duodenal villus height | Mekbungwan, Yamauchi & Sakaida (2004) |
| Pig | 1% of DM feed | Wood | >600 | No | Lactofermented | n.s. | 28 | Kupper et al. (2015) | |
| Pig | 1% of DM feed | >500 | 20.1 | 90 | 20.6% increased feed conversion rate | Sivilai et al. (2018) | |||
| Poultry | 0.2% of DM feed | Wood | No | 17 | 49 | Kana et al. (2010) | |||
| Poultry | 0.2% of DM feed | Maize cob | No | 6 | 49 | Improved carcass traits | Kana et al. (2010) | ||
| Poultry | 2%, 4%, 8% of feed DM | Citrus wood | No | 0 | 42 | Heavier abdomen fat | Bakr (2007) | ||
| Poultry | 2.5%, 5%, 10% of feed DM | Wood | No | 0 | 42 | Weight increase up to 28 days but not after 49 days | Kutlu, Ünsal & Görgülü (2001) | ||
| Poultry | 0.3% of feed DM | Wood | No | 3.9 | 140 | Reduced mortality by 4% | Majewska, Pyrek & Faruga (2002), Majewska, Mikulski & Siwik (2009) | ||
| Duck | 1% of DM feed | Bamboo | >650 | No | Bamboo vinegar | n.s. | 49 | Intestinal villus height increased | Ruttanavut et al. (2009) |
| Duck | 1% of DM feed | Wood | No | Kelp | n.s. | 21 | Feed conversion rate increased | Islam et al. (2014) | |
| Poultry | 4% of DM feed | Woody green waste | 550 | No | n.s. | 161 | Egg weight increased by 5%; feed conversion ratio by 12% | Prasai et al. (2016) | |
| Poultry | 1% of DM feed | Rice husk | >550 | No | n.s. | Reduced pathogenes in feces | Hien et al. (2018) | ||
| Poultry | 0.7% of DM feed | Wood | >650 | No | Lactofermented | n.s. | 36 | Kupper et al. (2015) | |
| Poultry | 1% of DM feed | Wood | >650 | No | Lactofermented | 5 | 37 | Reduced foot pat and hook lesions by 92% and 74% | Albiker & Zweifel (2019) |
| Flounder | 0.5% of DM feed | Bamboo | No | 18 | 50 | Feed and protein conversion rate increased | Thu et al. (2010) | ||
| Flounder | 1.5% of DM feed | Wood | No | 20% wood vinegar | 11 | 56 | Highest feed efficiency increase of 10% at 0.5% BC | Yoo, Ji & Jeong (2007) | |
| Stripfish | 1% of DM feed | Rice husk | >600 | No | 36 | 90 | Significantly improved water quality | Lan, Preston & Leng (2018) | |
| Stripfish | 1% of DM feed | Wood | No | 44 | 90 | Significantly improved water quality | Lan, Preston & Leng (2018) | ||
| Carp | 0.5%, 1%, 2%, 4% of DM feed | Bamboo | No | n.s. | 63 | Improved serum indicators | Mabe et al. (2018) | ||
| Stripfish | 2% of feed DM | Bamboo | No | High VOC biochar | 27 | 50 | Survival rate increase by 9% | Quaiyum et al. (2014) | |
| Mean | 9.9 |
Note:
The table indicates the percentage weight increase of various livestock depending on the ingested biochar type and daily feed intake. A total of 61% of the 28 data set delivered weight increases while the remaining trials did not result in significant increases.