Regulation of Cu and Zn migration in soil by biochar during snowmelt

Zhen Wang; Tianxiao Li; Qiang Fu; Dong Liu; Renjie Hou; Qinglin Li; Xinxin Guo

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2020.109566

Regulation of Cu and Zn migration in soil by biochar during snowmelt

Environ Res. 2020 Jul:186:109566. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109566. Epub 2020 Apr 22.

Authors

Zhen Wang¹, Tianxiao Li², Qiang Fu³, Dong Liu², Renjie Hou⁴, Qinglin Li¹, Xinxin Guo⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Water Conservancy & Civil Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China.
² School of Water Conservancy & Civil Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China; Key Laboratory of Effective Utilization of Agricultural Water Resources of Ministry of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150030, China; Heilongjiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Water Conservancy Engineering in Cold Region, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150030, China.
³ School of Water Conservancy & Civil Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China; Key Laboratory of Effective Utilization of Agricultural Water Resources of Ministry of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150030, China; Heilongjiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Water Conservancy Engineering in Cold Region, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150030, China. Electronic address: fuqiang0629@126.com.
⁴ School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100875, China.
⁵ School of Public Administration and Law, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China.

PMID: 32344212
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109566

Abstract

To study the migration characteristics of the heavy metals Cu and Zn carried by snowmelt water infiltrating soil during snowmelt periods and the regulation of this process by biochar, field experiments were carried out in which the variation in the Cu and Zn contents in soils on bare land (S1) and in soils with biochar coverage (S2) were analysed before snowfall and during snowmelt periods, and the degree of Cu and Zn pollution was determined on the basis of the enrichment factor (EF) and index of geoaccumulation (I_geo). The migration characteristics of Cu and Zn in soil were studied by combining the migration coefficient and leaching ratio. During the snowmelt period, the use of biochar reduced the migration coefficients of Cu and Zn carried by snowmelt water in shallow soil. The transport coefficients (T_j) of Cu and Zn in shallow soil (0-30 cm) in the S2 treatment were 0.89 and 0.81, respectively, lower than those in the S1 treatment. In addition, during the snowmelt period, the leaching ratios (C_ij) of Cu and Zn in the 0-10 cm soil layer of the S2 treatment were 0.22 and 0.24 less than those of the S1 treatment, the index of geoaccumulation (I_geo) was 0.52 and 0.23 less, and the enrichment factor (EF) was 1.20 and 0.09 less, respectively. This study provides practical and theoretical guidance for future research on soil heavy metal pollution mitigation.

Keywords: Biochar regulation; Enrichment degree; Heavy metal migration; Snowmelt infiltration.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Charcoal
Environmental Monitoring
Metals, Heavy* / analysis
Soil
Soil Pollutants* / analysis
Zinc

Substances

Metals, Heavy
Soil
Soil Pollutants
biochar
Charcoal
Zinc