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Long-term field evaluation of sewage sludge biochar in green roof substrates reveals hydrological, vegetation, and microbial responses


Abstract

Sewage sludge biochar (SSB) represents a circular material with the potential to improve the ecological performance of extensive green roofs and valorize nutrient-rich waste streams. Here, we report a 40-month rooftop monitoring experiment under temperate conditions evaluating the effects of SSB incorporation (10% and 20% v/v) on substrate properties, hydrological performance, runoff quality, vegetation development, and microbial diversity. SSB amendment reduced bulk density and increased total porosity and water-holding capacity, resulting in higher substrate moisture availability. These changes led to improved water retention, with annual runoff reduced by 3.3–8.5%, with the highest reduction observed in the SB20 treatment during the driest year (2022), and cumulative seasonal retention reaching 76% during dry years. Despite the nutrient-rich origin of SSB, runoff nutrient concentrations exhibited initial increases and subsequent stabilization, consistent with gradual nutrient release dynamics. Vegetation cover reached to 73% in the control and to 84% (SB20) and 89% (SB10) over the study period, with no significant difference between the two amendment rates. Microbial analyses revealed higher bacterial and fungal richness in SSB treatments, particularly at 20% v/v. Structural equation modelling indicated that variation in microbial richness was associated with changes in runoff chemistry (pH, electric conductivity, total suspended solids) and interannual dynamics, rather than effects explained by a single factor. Overall, this study provides evidence from extended rooftop monitoring, highlighting long-term system responses of extensive green roofs amended with SSB, particularly regarding water balance, substrate physical development, and microbial diversity.

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Data availability

All data are available from the corresponding author upon request.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research, and Sport of the Slovak Republic (project number VEGA 1/0399/24) and by the program Interreg SK-AT (project Greenchar 404201DPF8).

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Data curation, M.P.; investigation, M.P., L.V., J.U., K.O., J.V., and V.F.; methodology, M.P., K.O., P.S., and V.F.; formal analysis, M.P., M.H., and P.S.; supervision, G.S.; validation, V.F.; writing original draft, M.P., K.O., and L.V. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Martin Pipíška.

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Vavrincová, L., Pipíška, M., Urbanová, J. et al. Long-term field evaluation of sewage sludge biochar in green roof substrates reveals hydrological, vegetation, and microbial responses.
Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-46252-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-46252-z

Keywords

  • Sewage sludge biochar
  • Extensive green roof substrate
  • Water management
  • Runoff quality
  • Vegetation
  • Microbial diversity


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