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Retention and release of diethyl phthalate in biochar-amended vegetable garden soils

  • SOILS, SEC 1 • SOIL ORGANIC MATTER DYNAMICS AND NUTRIENT CYCLING • RESEARCH ARTICLE
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Abstract

Purpose

Diethyl phthalate (DEP) is one of the most commonly used plasticizers as well as a soil contaminant. Using biochar to remediate soils contaminated with DEP can potentially reduce the bioavailability of DEP and improve soil properties. Therefore, a laboratory study was conducted to evaluate the effect of biochar on soil adsorption and desorption of DEP.

Materials and methods

Two surface soils (0–20 cm) with contrasting organic carbon (OC) contents were collected from a vegetable garden. Biochars were derived from bamboo (BB) and rice straw (SB) that were pyrolyzed at 350 and 650 °C. Biochars were added to two types of soil at rates of 0.1 and 0.5 % (w/w). A batch equilibration method was used to measure DEP adsorption-desorption in biochar treated and untreated soils at 25 °C. The adsorption and desorption isotherms of DEP in the soils with or without biochar were evaluated using the Freundlich model.

Results and discussion

The biochar treatments significantly enhanced the soil adsorption of DEP. Compared to the untreated low organic matter soil, the soils treated with 0.5 % 650BB increased the adsorption by more than 19,000 times. For the straw biochar treated soils, the increase of DEP adsorption followed the order 350SB > 650SB. However, for the bamboo biochars, the order was 650BB > 350BB. Bamboo biochars were more effective than the straw biochars in improving soils’ adsorption capacity and reducing the desorption ability of DEP.

Conclusions

Adding biochar to soil can significantly enhance soil’s adsorption capacity on DEP. The 650BB amended soil showed the highest adsorption capacity for DEP. The native soil OC contents had significant effects on the soils’ sorption capacity treated with 650BB, whereas they had negligible effects on the other biochar treatments. The sorption capacity was affected by many factors such as the feedstock materials and pyrolysis temperature of biochars, the pH value of biochar, and the soil organic carbon levels.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41271337), Research Funds of the Department of Education of Zhejiang Province (Y201225755), and Zhejiang A & F University Research and Development Fund (2010FR097, 2012FR063).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Carbon Cycling in Forest Ecosystems and Carbon Sequestration, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin’an, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311300, China

    Xiaokai Zhang, Lizhi He, Jianwu Li & Hailong Wang

  2. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand

    Ajit K. Sarmah

  3. College of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310032, China

    Kunde Lin

  4. The Nurturing Station for the State Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin’an, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311300, China

    Yingkun Liu, Jianwu Li & Hailong Wang

Authors
  1. Xiaokai Zhang
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  2. Lizhi He
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  3. Ajit K. Sarmah
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  4. Kunde Lin
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  5. Yingkun Liu
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  6. Jianwu Li
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  7. Hailong Wang
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Jianwu Li or Hailong Wang.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Gabriele E. Schaumann

Xiaokai Zhang and Lizhi He contributed to the work equally and should be considered co-first authors.

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Zhang, X., He, L., Sarmah, A.K. et al. Retention and release of diethyl phthalate in biochar-amended vegetable garden soils. J Soils Sediments 14, 1790–1799 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-014-0929-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-014-0929-x

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