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Abstract
Biocarbon (Bio-C) is a carbon-rich, porous solid product produced by the thermal decomposition of carbonaceous biomass, such as wood, bamboo or nut shells, in the absence of air or with limited air. Bio-C has been reported to absorb urea, ammonia, ammonium, and fat and fat-soluble compounds, bind and ameliorate the harmful effects of toxins, and has been added in animal feeds to promote growth performance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an engineered Bio-C as a topical application to the litter (at rates of 0, 50 and 100 lbs/1000 ft Bio-C, with 50 lbs/1000 ft sodium bisulphate (PLT) as a positive control treatment) on ammonia (NH3) volatilization (Exp-1), the effects of Bio-C as a feed supplement (at concentrations of 0, 0.2, 0.6 and 1.0 % of the diets) for reducing NH3 volatilization (Exp-2),to evaluate the effect of Bio-C as a feed supplement (at concentrations of 0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 % of the diets) for improvement of growth performance (Exp-3), and to evaluate the efficacy of Bio-C (0.4 % of the diet) in mitigating the effects of a 0.5 mg/kg dose of aflatoxins (AF) in Exp-4. Neither topical application to the litter (Exp-1) nor the addition of Bio-C in the feed (Exp-2) had an effect on NH3 generation or volatilization compared to the control treatments. BW for birds fed 0.2 and 0.6% Bio-C were significantly higher than the control treatment at the end of the Exp-2. However, when birds were reared for a full six weeks at a 0.1, 0.2 or 0.4% of Bio-C dose range, performance parameters were not affected in Exp-3. The results of Exp-4 showed that the performance and relative organ weight of birds receiving 0.5 mg/kg AF were not significantly different compared to the control group at any point during the 21-day trial. No main effects were seen on the performance parameters by the inclusion of 0.4% Bio-C in the diet. In total, the data suggest that Bio-C does not appear to have an impact on NH3 control or growth performance. In addition, supplementation of Bio-C has no effect on broiler performance when fed in diets free of AF or containing up to 0.5 mg/kg AF.