Metal behavior and soil quality changes induced by the application of tailor-made combined biochar: An investigation at pore water scale

Jing Qiu; Marcella Fernandes de Souza; Nimisha Edayilam; Yongyuan Yang; Yong Sik Ok; Frederik Ronsse; Domenico Morabito; Erik Meers

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165552

Metal behavior and soil quality changes induced by the application of tailor-made combined biochar: An investigation at pore water scale

Sci Total Environ. 2023 Nov 10:898:165552. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165552. Epub 2023 Jul 15.

Authors

Jing Qiu¹, Marcella Fernandes de Souza², Nimisha Edayilam², Yongyuan Yang³, Yong Sik Ok⁴, Frederik Ronsse⁵, Domenico Morabito⁶, Erik Meers²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: Qiu.Jing@UGent.be.
² Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
³ LIWET, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ghent University, Campus Kortrijk, Graaf Karel De Goedelaan 5, B-8500 Kortrijk, Belgium.
⁴ Korea Biochar Research Center, APRU Sustainable Waste Management Program & Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea.
⁵ Thermochemical Conversion of Biomass Research Group, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
⁶ INRA USC1328, LBLGC EA 1207, University of Orleans, Rue de Chartres, BP 6759, 45067 Orléans Cedex 2, France.

PMID: 37454836
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165552

Abstract

The remediation performance of biochar varies based on the biomass used for its production. Further innovation involves developing tailor-made biochar by combining different raw materials to compensate for the limitations of pure biochar. Therefore, tailor-made combined biochar produced from the co-pyrolysis of pig manure and invasive Japanese knotweed (P1J1), as well as biochars produced from these feedstocks separately, i.e., pure pig manure (PM) and pure Japanese knotweed (JK), were applied to Pb and As contaminated soil to evaluate the biochar-induced changes on soil properties, microbial activity, DOM, and metal and metalloids solubility at the soil pore water scale. Biochar application reduced soluble Pb, whereas enhanced the As mobility; the increased soil pH after biochar addition played a fundamental role in reducing the Pb solubility, as revealed by their significant negative correlation (r = -0.990, p < 0.01). In contrast, the release of dissolved P strongly influenced As mobilization (r = 0.949, p < 0.01), especially in P-rich PM and P1J1 treatments, while JK showed a marginal effect in mobilizing As. Soils treated with PM, P1J1, and JK mainly increased Gram-negative bacteria by 56 %, 52 %, and 50 %, respectively, compared to the control. Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy combined with parallel factor analysis identified three components in pore water DOM, C1 (long wavelength humic-like), C2 (short wavelength humic-like), and C3 (protein-like), which were dominant respectively in the P1J1, JK, and PM-added soil. A principal component analysis (PCA) confirmed that the PM and P1J1 had similar performance and were more associated with releasing P and Mg and specific DOM components (C1 and C3). Meanwhile, P1J1 supplemented soil OM/OC and K, similar to JK. The results of this study suggest that combined biochar P1J1 can comprehensively enhance soil quality, embodying the advantages of pure PM and JK biochar while overcoming their shortcomings.

Keywords: Biochar remediation; Dissolved organic matter; Microbial analysis; Nutrient availability; Toxic element.

MeSH terms

Animals
Charcoal / chemistry
Lead
Manure
Soil Pollutants* / analysis
Soil* / chemistry
Swine

Substances

Soil
biochar
Manure
Lead
Charcoal
Soil Pollutants