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The impact of biochars on sorption and biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils—a review

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Abstract

Amending polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-contaminated soils with biochar may be cheaper and environmentally friendly than other forms of organic materials. This has led to numerous studies on the use of biochar to either bind or stimulate the microbial degradation of organic compounds in soils. However, very little or no attention have been paid to the fact that biochars can give simultaneous impact on PAH fate processes, such as volatilization, sorption and biodegradation. In this review, we raised and considered the following questions: How does biochar affect microbes and microbial activities in the soil? What are the effects of adding biochar on sorption of PAHs? What are the effects of adding biochar on degradation of PAHs? What are the factors that we can manipulate in the laboratory to enhance the capability of biochars to degrade PAHs? A triphasic concept of how biochar can give simultaneous impact on PAH fate processes in soils was proposed, which involves rapid PAH sorption into biochar, subsequent desorption and modification of soil physicochemical properties by biochar, which in turn stimulates microbial degradation of the desorbed PAHs. It is anticipated that biochar can give simultaneous impact on PAH fate processes in soils.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Exploratory Research Grant Scheme L4077 of the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. The comments made by reviewers are gratefully acknowledged for improving this review.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Biosciences and Medical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310, UTM Johor, Malaysia

    Chinedum Anyika, Zahara Ibrahim & Adibah Yahya

  2. Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310, UTM Johor, Malaysia

    Zaiton Abdul Majid

  3. Environmental Forensics Research Centre, Faculty of Environmental Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

    Mohamad Pauzi Zakaria

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  1. Chinedum Anyika
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Anyika, C., Abdul Majid, Z., Ibrahim, Z. et al. The impact of biochars on sorption and biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils—a review. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 3314–3341 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3719-5

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