Can biochar and phytoextractors be jointly used for cadmium remediation?

PLoS One. 2014 Apr 16;9(4):e95218. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095218. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Phytoremediation of soils contaminated with cadmium was tested after liming (CaO) or biochar addition, using red amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor L.) as test plant species. Two biochars with contrasting characteristics were prepared from two feedstocks and added to the soil at a rate of 3% (w:w): Eucalyptus pyrolysed at 600°C (EB) and poultry litter at 400°C (PLB). Liming was carried out in two treatments (CaO1) and (CaO2) to the same pH as the treatments EB and PLB respectively. Total plant mass increased in soils amended with PLB and with a mixture of PLB and EB; however this was not sufficient to increase the efficiency of phytoextraction. Bioavailable and mobile fractions of Cd diminished after liming or biochar addition. Our study infers that, both the amount of Cd immobilized and the main mechanism responsible for this immobilization varies according to biochar properties.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adsorption
  • Amaranthus / growth & development
  • Amaranthus / metabolism*
  • Animals
  • Biodegradation, Environmental
  • Cadmium / chemistry
  • Cadmium / isolation & purification*
  • Cadmium / metabolism
  • Calcium Compounds / chemistry
  • Charcoal / chemistry*
  • Eucalyptus / chemistry
  • Hot Temperature
  • Humans
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Manure / analysis
  • Oxides / chemistry
  • Poultry
  • Soil / chemistry*
  • Soil Pollutants / chemistry
  • Soil Pollutants / isolation & purification*
  • Soil Pollutants / metabolism
  • Temperature

Substances

  • Calcium Compounds
  • Manure
  • Oxides
  • Soil
  • Soil Pollutants
  • biochar
  • Cadmium
  • Charcoal
  • lime

Grants and funding

J. Paz-Ferreiro was sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (fellowship for young international scientists number 2012Y1SA0002). The authors acknowledge support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40871221 and No. 41301571), and the Research Fund Program of Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology (2013K0008). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.