Application of Biochar for Soil Remediation

Sizmur, Tom; Puga, Aline Peregrina; Moreno‐Jiménez, Eduardo; Beesley, Luke; Gomez-Eyles, Jose L.

doi:10.2136/sssaspecpub63.2014.0046.5

Cited by 52 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 154 publications

(207 reference statements)

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“…Reports have shown that the variety of feedstocks, pyrolysis conditions, and biochar supply chain management options contributes to diversity in their chemical and physical properties Liu et al 2015;Anderson et al 2016). Other investigations corroborate that biochars can have differences in their pH, ash contents, C/N, O/C, and H/C ratios, porosity, specific surface area, cation exchange capacity, surface charge, OH-and COOH-containing functional groups, and aromatic C-C double bonds that will influence their propensity to react with toxic metals and improve soil chemical conditions Sizmur et al 2015;Xie et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 70%

Biochar compost blends facilitate switchgrass growth in mine soils by reducing Cd and Zn bioavailability

Novak

Ippolito

Watts

et al. 2019

Biochar

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Biochars have the potential to reclaim mine-impacted soils; however, their variable physico-chemical properties incite speculation about their successful remediation performance. This investigation examined the capability of biochars produced from three different feedstocks along with a compost blend to improve switchgrass growth conditions in a mine-impacted soil by examining influences on soil pH, grass metal contents, and soil-extractable metal concentrations. Cadmium (Cd)-and zinc (Zn)-contaminated mine soil was collected from a site near Webb City, Missouri, USA-a location within the Tri-State Mining District. In a full factorial design, soil was treated with a 0%, 2.5%, and 5% (w/w) compost mixture (wood chips + beef cattle manure), and 0%, 2.5% and 5% of each biochar pyrolyzed from beef cattle manure, poultry litter, and lodgepole pine feedstocks. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum, 'Cave-In-Rock' variety) was grown in a greenhouse for 50 days and the mass of shoots (above-ground biomass) and roots was assessed, while soil pH, deionized H 2 O-and 0.01 M CaCl 2 -extractable Cd and Zn concentrations were measured. Poultry litter biochar and compost had the greatest ability to raise soil pH (from 4.40 to 6.61), beef cattle manure biochar and compost moderately raised pH (from 4.4 to 5.92), and lodgepole pine biochar and compost weakly raised pH (from 4.40 to 5.05). Soils treated with beef cattle manure biochar, poultry litter biochar significantly reduced deionized H 2 O-and 0.01 M CaCl 2 -extractable Cd and Zn concentrations, while lodgepole pine biochar-treated soils showed mixed results. Switchgrass shoot and root masses were greatest in soil treated with compost in combination with either beef cattle manure biochar or poultry litter biochar. Soils treated with 5% beef cattle manure biochar + 5% compost had greater reductions in total Cd and Zn concentrations measured in switchgrass shoots and roots compared to the other two treatments. The three biochars and compost mixtures applied to heavy metal, mine-impacted soil had considerable performance dissimilarities for improving switchgrass productivity. Switchgrass growth was noticeably improved after treatment with the compost in combination with biochar from beef cattle manure or poultry litter. This may be explained by the increased soil pH that promoted Zn and Cd precipitation and organic functional groups that reduced soil-available heavy metal concentrations. Our results imply that creating designer biochars is an important management component in developing successful mine-site phytostabilization programs.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 70%

Biochar compost blends facilitate switchgrass growth in mine soils by reducing Cd and Zn bioavailability

Novak

Ippolito

Watts

et al. 2019

Biochar

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“…The variable responses of crop growth to biochar additions were mainly attributed to types of soils, plant and biochars (Van Zwieten et al ; Jeffery et al ; Jones et al . ; Igalavithana et al ; Sizmur et al ) and the complicated interactions between them (Wang et al ). Furthermore, the majority of these biochar studies focused on non‐salt‐affected soils (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the biochar-enhanced plant growth does not always bring positive responses (Van Zwieten et al 2010;Borchard et al 2014;Vaccari et al 2015;Zhang et al 2016). The variable responses of crop growth to biochar additions were mainly attributed to types of soils, plant and biochars (Van Zwieten et al 2010;Jeffery et al 2011;Jones et al 2012;Igalavithana et al 2016;Sizmur et al 2016) and the complicated interactions between them . Furthermore, the majority of these biochar studies focused on non-salt-affected soils (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhanced growth of halophyte plants in biochar‐amended coastal soil: roles of nutrient availability and rhizosphere microbial modulation

Zheng

Xiao

Chen

et al. 2017

Plant Cell & Environment

234

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Soil health is essential and irreplaceable for plant growth and global food production, which has been threatened by climate change and soil degradation. Degraded coastal soils are urgently required to reclaim using new sustainable technologies. Interest in applying biochar to improve soil health and promote crop yield has rapidly increased because of its multiple benefits. However, effects of biochar addition on the saline-sodic coastal soil health and halophyte growth were poorly understood. Response of two halophytes, Sesbania (Sesbania cannabina) and Seashore mallow (Kosteletzkya virginica), to the individual or co-application of biochar and inorganic fertilizer into a coastal soil was investigated using a 52 d pot experiment. The biochar alone or co-application stimulated the plant growth (germination, root development, and biomass), primarily attributed to the enhanced nutrient availability from the biochar-improved soil health. Additionally, the promoted microbial activities and bacterial community shift towards the beneficial taxa (e.g. Pseudomonas and Bacillus) in the rhizosphere also contributed to the enhanced plant growth and biomass. Our findings showed the promising significance because biochar added at an optimal level (≤5%) could be a feasible option to reclaim the degraded coastal soil, enhance plant growth and production, and increase soil health and food security.

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“…The conversion of SOC within the thermal desorption unit to biochar may have occurred to some extent. If pyrolysis occurred this would lead to greater surface area, negative surface charge, and greater charge density (Lehmann, 2007;Mukherjee et al, 2011;Sizmur et al, 2015). So even though the total SOC was decreased, its reactivity may have increased, offsetting itself; thus CEC was only slightly altered.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Binary Exchanges of Calcium, Magnesium, and Potassium on Thermally Desorbed Soil

Ritter

DeSutter

O’Brien

et al. 2017

Soil Science Soc of Amer J

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Thermal desorption (TD) remediates hydrocarbon-contaminated soil by heating the soil (200-500°C) to volatilize the hydrocarbons, effectively removing the contaminant from the soil. Knowledge of the effects of TD on remediated soil for agricultural crop production are limited, but cation exchange capacity (CEC) and selectivity for cations can be good indicators of plant productivity potential. In this study, the CEC and selectivity of cations of TD-treated and untreated topsoil and subsoil were compared using binary exchange measurements of Ca-Mg, Ca-K, and Mg-K. The tested soils were illite and smectite-dominated Mollisols that were collected near an active TD-remediation site in northwest North Dakota. Vanselow selectivity coefficients and Gibb's free energies (ΔG ex ) were computed. For all three exchanges, significant differences were observed in ΔG ex between the untreated and TD-treated topsoil. In the Ca-Mg exchange, both the untreated and TD-treated topsoil preferred Ca, whereas both TD-treated and untreated subsoils preferred Mg. For the Ca-K and Mg-K exchanges, all treatments preferred K. Cation exchange capacity values were significantly greater in the untreated subsoil of the Ca-Mg exchange and the untreated topsoil and subsoil of the Ca-K exchange than in the TD-treated soils. The differences may be caused by contrasts in soil organic C and mineralogy. Although CEC and ΔG ex differed between untreated and TD-treated soils, the cation selectivities were not altered, suggesting that the magnitude of the differences may not require alternative fertility management to retain previous soil productivity. Core Ideas• Thermal desorption is used to remediate contaminated soil.• Thermal desorption can alter Gibb's free energies.• Thermal desorption at 350°C did not change cation selectivity.

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Application of Biochar for Soil Remediation

Cited by 52 publications

References 154 publications

Biochar compost blends facilitate switchgrass growth in mine soils by reducing Cd and Zn bioavailability

Biochar compost blends facilitate switchgrass growth in mine soils by reducing Cd and Zn bioavailability

Enhanced growth of halophyte plants in biochar‐amended coastal soil: roles of nutrient availability and rhizosphere microbial modulation

Binary Exchanges of Calcium, Magnesium, and Potassium on Thermally Desorbed Soil

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