ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Agron.
Sec. Plant-Soil Interactions
Production of biochar derived from guinea pig manure used as a soil amendment in high An-dean and coastal acidic soils in Peru: A study of its agronomic potential and cost analysis for sustainable circularity
Provisionally accepted
Richard Solórzano1,2*
Lucía Damián3Sherly Herrera3Roger Pichis-García3Rita Cabello-Torres3Cesar Padilla-Castro1,3
Alberto Arias Arredondo1Azucena Chávez1
Geomar Vallejos Torres1,4- 1National Institute of Agricultural Innovation (INIA), Lima, Peru
- 2Universidad Cientifica del Sur, Miraflores, Peru
- 3Universidad Cesar Vallejo, Trujillo, Peru
- 4Universidad Nacional de San Martin Tarapoto, Tarapoto, Peru
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The valorization of local resources, such as guinea pig manure, allows traditional inputs to be trans-formed into more stable products with higher added value, such as biochar, compared to the simple use of manure. This study evaluated the physicochemical characterization, toxicity, and neutralizing capacity of biochar obtained from guinea pig manure, produced by open pyrolysis in a pyrolytic oven in Huancayo, Junin, Peru. In addition, fresh manure was characterized prior to pyrolysis and its median lethal dose was determined. The results indicated that guinea pig manure had an approximate volume of 2,883.99 cm³ in an uncompacted state and 2,205.41 cm³ in a compacted state, with densities of 0.293 kg/cm³ and 0.380 kg/cm³, respectively. Guinea pig manure biochar has a high N, P, and K content, as well as a significant percentage of ash (34.6%) and fixed carbon (37.9%). Its alkaline pH (9.17), high cation exchange capacity (48.8 meq/100g), and high organic matter content (62%) suggest its potential for improving acidic soils. It also has a considerable moisture content (34.8%) and microelements such as Mg, Cu, Ca, and Zn. In economic terms, the production of one ton of guinea pig manure has an estimated cost of 231.23 soles, while the sale price of biochar reaches 3,515.31 soles per ton, demon-strating its high added value. It is concluded that biochar derived from guinea pig manure has a superior nutritional profile to biochars obtained from plant biomass, making it a viable alternative for agriculture. However, its application must take into account specific safety tests for each crop in order to guarantee its safety and effectiveness.
Keywords: biochar, circularity, guinea pig, Manure, physicochemical properties, Soil
Received: 09 Feb 2026; Accepted: 11 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Solórzano, Damián, Herrera, Pichis-García, Cabello-Torres, Padilla-Castro, Arias Arredondo, Chávez and Vallejos Torres. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Richard Solórzano
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