BOOK OF ABSTRACTS 183 IHSS&IWA26 / BRNO / CZECHIA / 23–28 August 2026 Hall A Poster Session / Analysis and Characterization P1.4 Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution Control: Effects of Biochar and Microbial Amendments on Nutrient Loss and Carbon Footprint Chihhao Fan, Ya-Zhen Huang Department of Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei City, 10617 Taiwan (R.O.C.), chfan@ntu.edu.tw; huangyz@ntu.edu.tw Over the years, conventional farming has used chemical fertilizers excessively to maintain crop yields to meet the food demand for an increasing population. However, overfertilization in farmland has stressed the environment and hindered the transition to sustainable agriculture. Excessive fertilization operations cause several environmental issues, including non-point source pollution (NPSP), soil acidification, nutrient loss, water eutrophication, and greenhouse gas emissions. Apart from structural best management practices as endof-pipe pollution removal treatments, source-control strategies, such as organic farming, slow-release fertilizers application, and precision agriculture, are mitigation strategies for non-point source pollution. Other innovative strategies for NPSP control include the application of biochar and microbial agents in farming, which help to reduce agricultural nonpoint source pollution. Biochar reduces nutrient loss and promotes the circular economy; microbial agents enhance soil enzyme activity, nutrient use efficiency, and soil health, potentially lowering ammonia volatilization and runoff-related losses [1]. This study chooses lettuce as the target crop because of its characteristics of high nutrient demand and short growth cycle. Life cycle assessment (LCA) aims to quantify the environmental impacts and carbon footprints of a designated process and was conducted in the present study [2]. The experiment tested 10 fertilization strategies, using chemical fertilizers, organic fertilizers, with/without biochar, and microbial agents. Different application rates, including half (50%), full (100%), and overfertilization (120%), referring to the Taiwan Good Agricultural Protocol, were applied. The loam soil showed moderate buffering capacity (SOC, CEC) and a suitable pH range (5.58–7.76). Soil, water, and plant data were collected in the field and were integrated with LCA to evaluate trade-offs among scenarios. The results showed that treatments using biochar, microbial agents, or both significantly reduced the nutrient loss in infiltration and surface runoff. However, microbial agent treatments showed a different trend in phosphorus loss. Phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria, as microbial agents, convert fixed inorganic phosphorus in the soil into
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