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Immobilization of Ni and Cd in Soil by Biochar Derived From Unfertilized Dates

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Abstract

Effect of biochar, derived from unfertilized dates, on the immobilization of Cd and Ni, in a sandy loam alkaline soil, was investigated. The biochar was applied to the soil columns at the rate of 0.5, 1, and 2 % (w/w) artificially polluted with 10 mg kg−1 Cd and 100 mg kg−1 Ni. After 1 month incubation of soil-biochar mixture under ambient conditions, the soil bulk density was reduced by 0.19 g cm−3 as compared with no biochar addition with increase in soil pH. A reduction of 53 % in the NH4NO3-extractable soil Ni was recorded as compared with the corresponding control without biochar addition. After incubation, the water-soluble Ni and NH4NO3-extractable soil Cd and Ni contents were significantly lower in all the biochar treatments than the control. A reduction of 53 % in the NH4NO3-extractable soil Ni was recorded as compared with the corresponding control. The biochar content separated from the incubated soil showed low concentrations of NH4NO3-extractable Cd and Ni. The total Ni and Cd contents recovered from biochar samples after incubation were 35.2 and 3.7 mg kg−1, respectively. Their contents in soil were substantially reduced by the incorporation of biochar amendment (114 to 57.2 mg kg−1 Ni, 9 to 5.6 kg−1 Cd) as compared with the no-biochar control. Therefore, addition of the biochar improved the soil physical properties and succeeded in immobilizing the studied metals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Meteorology, Environment and Arid Land Agriculture, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia

    M. Ehsan & M. A. Barakat

  2. Central Metallurgical R&D Institute, Helwan, 11421, Cairo, Egypt

    M. A. Barakat

  3. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Dalal Z. Husein

  4. Department of Arid Land Agriculture, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    S. M. Ismail

  5. Department of Soil and Water, Faculty of Agriculture, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt

    S. M. Ismail

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  1. M. Ehsan
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  2. M. A. Barakat
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  4. S. M. Ismail
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Correspondence to M. A. Barakat.

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Ehsan, M., Barakat, M.A., Husein, D.Z. et al. Immobilization of Ni and Cd in Soil by Biochar Derived From Unfertilized Dates. Water Air Soil Pollut 225, 2123 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-014-2123-6

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