Table 5.
Utilisation of biochar as a co-feed in animal production, including a summary of biochar's potential for improving the performance of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry, and fish, as well as the conditions under which biochar is produced and the raw substrates used
| Animals | Raw substrates | Generation condition | Amount of biochar used | Main influence | References | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle | Rice husks | Gasification > 400 °C | 0.6% of daily feed dry matter |
Increased body weight Reduced methane release |
Leng et al. (2012a) | |
| 1% of daily feed dry matter with 4% rice distiller’s by-product |
Increased weight gain by 15% Reduced feed conversion ratio |
Phongphanith and Preston (2018) | ||||
| 2–8% |
Increased weight gain Reduced feed conversion ratio |
Saroeun et al.(2018) | ||||
| Pine trees | 0.8 and 3% of dry feed matter | 0.8% improved organic matter and fibre digestibility and reduced methane generation | Winders et al. (2019) | |||
| Goats | Rice husks | Gasification > 400 °C | 1% of daily feed dry matter | No influence on digestibility, feed intake, and nitrogen content | Phongpanith et al. (2013) | |
| Walnut shell and chicken manure | Pyrolysis at 550 °C for 3 h | 0.5, 1, and 1.5% of diet dry matter | 1% walnut shell and 1.5% chicken manure biochar increased digestibility, milk yield, and methane emissions | Mirheidari et al. (2019) | ||
| Fibrous biomass | Gasification > 400 °C | 1.1% of daily feed dry matter |
Increased body gain Reduced feed conversion ratio Increased dry matter digestibility Increased nitrogen retention |
Silivong and Preston (2015) | ||
| Sheep | Lodgepole pine and quaking aspen | Pyrolysis > 600 °C | 2% of dry feed matter | Improved dry matter digestibility and intake and volatile acetate production | McAvoy et al. (2020) | |
| Pistachio by-product, walnut shell, and chicken manure | Pyrolysis temperatures (above 550 °C) for 3 h | 1–1.5% |
Improved feed conversion ratio and average daily gain No influence on dry matter intake, volatile fatty acid productions, rumen pH, and rumen protozoa |
Mirheidari et al. (2020) | ||
| Pigs | Bamboo | Pyrolysis > 600 °C | 0.3% of dry feed matter |
Improved weight gain to 17.5% Improved the quality of marketable meat |
Chu et al. (2013a) | |
| Spruce larch, beech, and oak-based biochar and oak | Not mentioned | 2% spruce larch, beech, and oak-based biochar and 2% oak | Improved dry, organic matter, and fibre digestibility | Schubert et al. (2021) | ||
| Poultry | ||||||
| Chicken | Woody green waste | Pyrolysis at 550 °C | 1, 2 and 4% in daily diet |
Increased egg weight by 1, 5 and 4%, respectively – Improved feed conversion ratio by 9, 14 and 12%, respectively |
Prasai et al. (2018) | |
| Eucalyptus hardwood | Lowered poultry pathogens (Campylobacter hepaticus and Gallibacterium anatis) | Willson et al. (2019) | ||||
| Rice husks | Gasification > 400 °C | 1% in daily diet |
– Reduced coliforms and E. coli in litter and faeces – Reduced plasma triglycerides |
Hien et al. (2018) | ||
| Woody waste | Pyrolysis at 550 °C | 4% in daily diet |
– Decreased Campylobacter jejuni – Increased egg weight by 3% – Improved feed conversion ratio by 8% |
Prasai et al. (2016) | ||
| Broiler litter | Gasification | 2–4% | No impact on weight gain and feed conversion ratio | Evans et al. (2017) | ||
| Beechwood | Pyrolysis at 550 °C | 2 and 4% |
– Increased feed conversion ratio by 8% – Increased average body weight by 7% |
Kalus et al. (2020b) | ||
| Poultry litter | Gasification > 400 °C | 5 g kg−1 |
– Increased serum albumin – Decreased serum uric acid, and restored body weight |
Rashidi et al. (2020) | ||
| Pine shaving | Not mentioned | 10–20% per litter |
No influence on performance, health, or litter nutrient content – Improved litter quality – Improved water absorption |
Linhoss et al. (2019) | ||
| Laying hen | Beechwood biochar | Pyrolysis at 550 °C | 1 and 2% |
– Increased daily feed intake 6% increase in laying performance – Increased average egg mass – Increased in shell resistance to crushing and shell thickness – 1.5 and 3% biochar–aluminosilicates–glycerine mixtures reduced and increased daily feed intake, respectively |
Kalus et al. (2020a) | |
| Biochar–aluminosilicates–glycerin mixture | 1.5 and 3% | |||||
| Turkey | Miscanthus grass | Anaerobic conditions at 400 °C | 0, 5, 10, or 20% of bedding |
– Increased body weight – Lowered feed intake – Increased body weight gain – Improved litter quality |
Flores et al. (2021) | |
| Poultry litter | Gasification > 400 °C | 6.2 or 6.9% of the diet |
– Improved pellet quality – Decreased live weight gain – Increased bone mineralisation |
Evans et al. (2017) | ||
| Fish | ||||||
| Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) | Bamboo | 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, and 4% in daily diet |
– Increased weight gain – Increased growth rate – Reduced feed conversion ratio – Increased protein efficiency ratio |
Thu et al. (2010) | ||
| African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) | Palm kernel shell | Microwave pyrolysis | 0 g, 150 g, 300 g, 450 g per tank |
– Decreased ammonia (67%) – Decreased total suspended solids (68%) – Increased nitrogen uptake – Higher growth in lettuce |
Su et al. (2020) | |
| Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) | Water hyacinth | Pyrolysis conditions at 300 °C for 30 min | 0.5 and 1% | Increased fish weight and length (optimum at fishes fed with 1% biochar mixed diet) | Najmudeen et al. (2019) | |