Effect of biochars on the bioavailability of cadmium and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate to Brassica chinensis L. in contaminated soils

Hanbo Chen; Xing Yang; Gerty Gielen; Sanchita Mandal; Song Xu; Jia Guo; Sabry M Shaheen; Jörg Rinklebe; Lei Che; Hailong Wang

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.04.417

Effect of biochars on the bioavailability of cadmium and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate to Brassica chinensis L. in contaminated soils

Sci Total Environ. 2019 Aug 15:678:43-52. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.04.417. Epub 2019 Apr 29.

Authors

Hanbo Chen¹, Xing Yang², Gerty Gielen³, Sanchita Mandal⁴, Song Xu⁵, Jia Guo⁶, Sabry M Shaheen⁷, Jörg Rinklebe⁸, Lei Che⁹, Hailong Wang¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Soil Contamination Bioremediation of Zhejiang Province, School of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311300, China.
² Biochar Engineering Technology Research Center of Guangdong Province, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong 528000, China; University of Wuppertal, School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Institute of Foundation Engineering, Water- and Waste-Management, Laboratory of Soil- and Groundwater-Management, Pauluskirchstraße 7, 42285 Wuppertal, Germany.
³ Scion, Private Bag 3020, Rotorua 3046, New Zealand.
⁴ Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK; Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095. Australia.
⁵ Biochar Engineering Technology Research Center of Guangdong Province, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong 528000, China.
⁶ Chengbang Eco-Environment Co. Ltd, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310008, China.
⁷ University of Wuppertal, School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Institute of Foundation Engineering, Water- and Waste-Management, Laboratory of Soil- and Groundwater-Management, Pauluskirchstraße 7, 42285 Wuppertal, Germany; King Abdulaziz University, Faculty of Meteorology, Environment, and Arid Land Agriculture, Department of Arid Land Agriculture, 21589 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; University of Kafrelsheikh, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Soil and Water Sciences, 33516 Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt.
⁸ University of Wuppertal, School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Institute of Foundation Engineering, Water- and Waste-Management, Laboratory of Soil- and Groundwater-Management, Pauluskirchstraße 7, 42285 Wuppertal, Germany; University of Sejong, Department of Environment, Energy and Geoinformatics, 98 Gunja-Dong, Guangjin-Gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
⁹ School of Engineering, Huzhou University, Huzhou, Zhejiang 313000, China.
¹⁰ Key Laboratory of Soil Contamination Bioremediation of Zhejiang Province, School of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311300, China; Biochar Engineering Technology Research Center of Guangdong Province, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong 528000, China. Electronic address: hailong.wang@fosu.edu.cn.

PMID: 31075602
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.04.417

Abstract

Soil co-contamination of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and phthalate esters has become prominent due to its potential adverse effect on human food supply. There is limited information on using wood- and animal-derived biochars for the remediation of co-contaminated soils. Therefore, a pot experiment was conducted using Brassica chinensis L. as a bio-indicator plant to investigate the effect of P. orientalis biochar and pig biochar application on the bioavailability of cadmium (Cd) and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and on plant physiological parameters (malondialdehyde, proline and soluble sugars). Biochar materials were applied to two soils containing low (LOC) and high (HOC) organic carbon content at rates of 0, 0.5, 1, 2, and 4%. To better understand the influence of biochar, physicochemical properties and X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS), Fourier transform-infrared spectrometry (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were characterized. Biochar application increased soil pH, organic carbon content, and available phosphorus content. Increasing biochar application rates decreased DTPA-extractable Cd and extractable DEHP concentrations in both soils. Biochar application reduced the plant uptake of both Cd and DEHP from co-contaminated soils; the maximum reduction of Cd (92.7%) and DEHP (52.0%) was observed in 2% pig biochar-treated LOC soil. The responses of plant physiological parameters to increased biochar applications indicated that less Cd and DEHP were taken up by plants. Pig biochar was more effective (P < 0.05) at reducing the bioavailability of Cd and DEHP in both soils than P. orientalis biochar; therefore, pig biochar had greater potential for improving the quality of the crop. However, the highest application rate (4%) of pig biochar restricted plant seed germination. Key factors influencing the bioavailability of Cd and DEHP in soils were soil organic carbon content, biochar properties (such as surface alkalinity, available phosphorus content and ash content) and biochar application rates.

Keywords: Bioavailability; Charcoal; Phthalate esters; Plasticizer; Potentially toxic elements.

MeSH terms

Brassica / metabolism*
Cadmium / chemistry*
Charcoal / chemistry*
Diethylhexyl Phthalate / chemistry*
Environmental Restoration and Remediation
Soil Pollutants / chemistry*
Soil Pollutants / metabolism

Substances

Soil Pollutants
biochar
Cadmium
Charcoal
Diethylhexyl Phthalate