Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Biochar as possible long-term soil amendment for phytostabilisation of TE-contaminated soils

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Environmental Science and Pollution Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Soils contaminated by trace elements (TEs) pose a high risk to their surrounding areas as TEs can spread by wind and water erosion or leaching. A possible option to reduce TE transfer from these sites is phytostabilisation. It is a long-term and cost-effective rehabilitation strategy which aims at immobilising TEs within the soil by vegetation cover and amendment application. One possible amendment is biochar. It is charred organic matter which has been shown to immobilise metals due to its high surface area and alkaline pH. Doubts have been expressed about the longevity of this immobilising effect as it could dissipate once the carbonates in the biochar have dissolved. Therefore, in a pot experiment, we determined plant metal uptake by ryegrass (Lolium perenne) from three TE-contaminated soils treated with two biochars, which differed only in their pH (acidic, 2.80; alkaline, 9.33) and carbonate (0.17 and 7.3 %) content. Root biomass was increased by the application of the alkaline biochar due to the decrease in TE toxicity. Zinc and Cu bioavailability and plant uptake were equally reduced by both biochars, showing that surface area plays an important role in metal immobilisation. Biochar could serve as a long-term amendment for TE immobilisation even after its alkalinity effect has dissipated.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

BC:

Biochar

TE:

Trace element

References

  • Andrews M, Sprent JI, Raven JA, Eady PE (1999) Relationships between shoot to root ratio, growth and leaf soluble protein concentration of Pisum sativum, Phaseolus vulgaris and Triticum aestivum under different nutrient deficiencies. Plant Cell Environ 22:949–958

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Blume HP, Brümmer GW, Horn R, Kandeler E, Kögel-Knabner I, Kretzschmar R, Stahr K, Wilke B-M (2010) Scheffer/Shachtschabel: Lehrbuch der Bodenkunde, 16. Springer Spektrum, Heidelberg

  • Brennan A, Jiménez E, Puschenreiter M, Alburquerque J, Switzer C (2014) Effects of biochar amendment on root traits and contaminant availability of maize plants in a copper and arsenic impacted soil. Plant Soil 379:351–360

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • BUWAL (2005) Gefährdungsabschätzung und Massnahmen bei schadstoffbelasteten Böden. Bundesamt für Umwelt, Wald und Landschaft, Bern

  • Chen X, Chen G, Chen L, Chen Y, Lehmann J, McBride MB, Hay AG (2011) Adsorption of copper and zinc by biochars produced from pyrolysis of hardwood and corn straw in aqueous solution. Bioresour Technol 102:8877–8884

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • EC (2014) Progress in management of contaminated sites (CSI 015/LSI 003). 26376 EN, Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Luxemburg

  • Ericsson T (1995) Growth and shoot:root ratio of seedlings in relation to nutrient availability. In: Nilsson LO, Hüttl RF, Johansson UT (eds) Nutrient uptake and cycling in forest ecosystems. Developments in plant and soil sciences. Springer, Netherlands, pp 205–214

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Evangelou MWH, Hockmann K, Pokharel R, Jakob A, Schulin R (2012) Accumulation of Sb, Pb, Cu, Zn and Cd by various plants species on two different relocated military shooting range soils. J Environ Manag 108:102–107

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Evangelou MWH, Robinson BH, Gunthardt-Goerg MS, Schulin R (2013) Metal uptake and allocation in trees grown on contaminated land: implications for biomass production. Int J Phytoremediation 15:77–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evangelou MWH, Brem A, Ugolini F, Abiven S, Schulin R (2014) Soil application of biochar produced from biomass grown on trace element contaminated land. J Environ Manag 146:100–106

  • FAL, RAC, FAW (1996) Extraktion von Schwermetallen mit Natriumnitrat (1:2.5). Schweizerische Referenzmethoden der Eidgenössischen landwirtschaftlichen Forschungsanstalten. Eidgenössische Forschungsanstalt FAL, RAC, FAW

  • Fässler E, Robinson BH, Stauffer W, Gupta SK, Papritz A, Schulin R (2010) Phytomanagement of metal-contaminated agricultural land using sunflower, maize and tobacco. Agric Ecosyst Environ 136:49–58

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fellet G, Marchiol L, Delle Vedove G, Peressotti A (2011) Application of biochar on mine tailings: effects and perspectives for land reclamation. Chemosphere 83:1262–1267

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fellet G, Marmiroli M, Marchiol L (2014) Elements uptake by metal accumulator species grown on mine tailings amended with three types of biochar. Sci Total Environ 468–469:598–608

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hartley W, Dickinson NM, Riby P, Lepp NW (2009) Arsenic mobility in brownfield soils amended with green waste compost or biochar and planted with Miscanthus. Environ Pollut 157:2654–2662

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Houben D, Evrard L, Sonnet P (2013) Beneficial effects of biochar application to contaminated soils on the bioavailability of Cd, Pb and Zn and the biomass production of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). Biomass Bioenerg 57:196–204

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Karami N, Clemente R, Moreno-Jiménez E, Lepp NW, Beesley L (2011) Efficiency of green waste compost and biochar soil amendments for reducing lead and copper mobility and uptake to ryegrass. J Hazard Mater 191:41–48

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kinniburgh DG, Milne CJ, Venema P (1995) Design and construction of a personal-computer-based automatic titrator. Soil Sci Soc Am J 59:417–422

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lehmann J, Joseph S (eds) (2009) Biochar for environmental management: science and technology. Earthscan, London

  • Luo Y, Durenkamp M, De Nobili M, Lin Q, Brookes PC (2011) Short term soil priming effects and the mineralisation of biochar following its incorporation to soils of different pH. Soil Biol Biochem 43:2304–2314

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Méndez A, Gómez A, Paz-Ferreiro J, Gascó G (2012) Effects of sewage sludge biochar on plant metal availability after application to a Mediterranean soil. Chemosphere 89:1354–1359

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Menon M, Hermle S, Abbaspour KC, Gunthardt-Georg MS, Oswald SE, Schulin R (2005) Water regime of metal-contaminated soil under juvenile forest vegetation. Plant Soil 271:227–241

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mora MDL, Rosas A, Ribera A, Rengel Z (2009) Differential tolerance to Mn toxicity in perennial ryegrass genotypes: involvement of antioxidative enzymes and root exudation of carboxylates. Plant Soil 320:79–89

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Namgay T, Singh B, Singh BP (2010) Influence of biochar application to soil on the availability of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn to maize (Zea mays L.). Aust J Soil Res 48:638–647

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Olsen S, Cole C, Watanabe F, Dean L (1954) Estimation of available phosphorus in soils by extraction with sodium bicarbonate. USDA Circular 939

  • Park J, Choppala G, Bolan N, Chung J, Chuasavathi T (2011) Biochar reduces the bioavailability and phytotoxicity of heavy metals. Plant Soil 348:439–451

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Puga AP, Abreu CA, Melo LCA, Beesley L (2015) Biochar application to a contaminated soil reduces the availability and plant uptake of zinc, lead and cadmium. J Environ Manag 159:86–93

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rajkovich S, Enders A, Hanley K, Hyland C, Zimmerman A, Lehmann J (2012) Corn growth and nitrogen nutrition after additions of biochars with varying properties to a temperate soil. Biol Fertil Soils 48:271–284

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rees F, Simonnot MO, Morel JL (2014) Short-term effects of biochar on soil heavy metal mobility are controlled by intra-particle diffusion and soil pH increase. Eur J Soil Sci 65:149–161

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rees F, Germain C, Sterckeman T, Morel J-L (2015) Plant growth and metal uptake by a non-hyperaccumulating species (Lolium perenne) and a Cd–Zn hyperaccumulator (Noccaea caerulescens) in contaminated soils amended with biochar. Plant Soil 395:57–73

  • Robinson BH, Banuelos G, Conesa HM, Evangelou MWH, Schulin R (2009) The phytomanagement of trace elements in soil. Cr Rev Plant Sci 28:240–266

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sindelar HR, Brown MT, Boyer TH (2015) Effects of natural organic matter on calcium and phosphorus co-precipitation. Chemosphere 138:218–224

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith GS, Edmeades DC, Upsdell M (1983) Manganese status of New Zealand pastures 1. Toxicity in ryegrass, white clover, and lucerne. N Z J Agric Res 26:215–221

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uchimiya M, Chang S, Klasson KT (2011) Screening biochars for heavy metal retention in soil: role of oxygen functional groups. J Hazard Mater 190:432–441

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang T, Camps-Arbestain M, Hedley M, Bishop P (2012) Predicting phosphorus bioavailability from high-ash biochars. Plant Soil 357:173–187

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xu G, Sun J, Shao H, Chang SX (2014) Biochar had effects on phosphorus sorption and desorption in three soils with differing acidity. Ecol Eng 62:54–60

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yuan J-H, Xu R-K, Qian W, Wang R-H (2011a) Comparison of the ameliorating effects on an acidic ultisol between four crop straws and their biochars. J Soils Sediments 11:741–750

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yuan JH, Xu RK, Zhang H (2011b) The forms of alkalis in the biochar produced from crop residues at different temperatures. Bioresour Technol 102:3488–3497

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Björn Studer for his help in the setup of the experiments, Daniel Montluçon for his help in the BET measurements and Michael Schneider for the CHNSO analysis.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland

    Charlotte Bopp, Rainer Schulin & Michael W. H. Evangelou

  2. Institute of Biogeochemistry, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland

    Iso Christl

Authors
  1. Charlotte Bopp
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Iso Christl
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Rainer Schulin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Michael W. H. Evangelou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael W. H. Evangelou.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Hailong Wang

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

SI Fig. 1

(DOCX 55 kb)

SI Fig. 2

(DOCX 160 kb)

SI Fig. 3

(DOCX 31 kb)

SI Fig. 4

(DOCX 84 kb)

SI Fig. 5

(DOCX 83 kb)

SI Fig. 6

(DOCX 75 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Bopp, C., Christl, I., Schulin, R. et al. Biochar as possible long-term soil amendment for phytostabilisation of TE-contaminated soils. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 17449–17458 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-6935-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-6935-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation