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A comparative assessment of humic acid and biochar altering cadmium and arsenic fractions in a paddy soil

  • Soils, Sec 3 • Remediation and Management of Contaminated or Degraded Lands • Research Article
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

Contamination of agricultural soils by multiple heavy metal(loid)s poses a threat to environmental quality and food safety. Humic acid (HA) and biochar (BC) are common amendments for soil remediation. This study systematically investigated the effects of HA and BC on the redistribution of Cd and As fractions in contaminated soil and assessed the side effects of HA and BC in soil remediation.

Materials and methods

The experiments were designed to probe the dynamic behavior of soil pH, bioavailable Cd and As, and the five fractions of Cd and As in the presence of HA or BC during the 180-day incubation. A leonardite-derived HA (L-HA) and bamboo willow-derived BC (BWB) were added as amendments at 1% and 3% doses to a paddy soil (pH 5.88) contaminated by multiple heavy metal(loid)s. The treatments were denoted as L-HA1, L-HA3, BWB1, and BWB3, respectively, with cadmium (soil Cd, 4.47 mg/kg) and arsenic (soil As, 97.05 mg/kg) as the target contaminants.

Results

The soil pH reduced to 5.69 at L-HA1 and 5.33 at L-HA3 but increased to 6.27 at BWB1 and 6.75 at BWB3. L-HA1 and L-HA3 lowered bioavailable Cd by 10.79% and 11.27% and bioavailable As by 21.16% and 23.58%, respectively. While, BWB1 and BWB3 increased bioavailable Cd and increased by 18.13% and 18.94% bioavailable Cd and no apparent effect on bioavailable As in comparison with control. In terms of the fractions of heavy metal(loid)s during the 180-day incubation, L-HA and BWB dynamically altered Cd and As redistributions. L-HA1 and L-HA3 reduced exchangeable Cd by 17.60% and 48.75%, respectively, but increased residual Cd by 40.17% and 46.93% and residual As by 18.97% and 20.14%, respectively. BWB1 and BWB3 decreased exchangeable Cd by 11.65% and 37.16% but increased residual Cd by 33.84% and 37.02%, respectively. In contrast, BWB1 and BWB3 increased exchangeable As by 4.07% and 46.89% but lowered residual As by 5.31% and 27.06%, respectively.

Conclusion

The L-HA and BWB can alter soil properties and heavy metal(loid)s fractions, and L-HA is better in reducing the potential risk of Cd and As in contaminated soil. A higher dose of HA (L-HA3) is better in immobilizing Cd and As than L-HA1, and the BWB showed a similar effect on Cd but an opposite effect on As. Therefore, HA and BC are applicable amendments for the remediation of metal(loid)-contaminated soil. Still, their side effects should be assessed based on specific soil and amendment properties.

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Availability of data and materials

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

This study was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province, China (1908085QD166, 2108085QB56), National Natural Science Foundation of China (41907137), Key Science and Technology Projects of Anhui Province, China (201903a06020001), Scientific Research Fund of Anhui Science and Technology University (811487), Talent Projects of Anhui Science and Technology University (ZHYJ201904), Key Laboratory of Bio-organic Fertilizer Creation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, China (BOFA202011), and Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program for College Students, Anhui, China (S202110879245 and S202210879120).

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Author notes

  1. Fande Meng and Qiuxiang Huang contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Resource and Environment, Anhui Science and Technology University, Chuzhou, 233100, Anhui, China

    Fande Meng, Yongbing Cai, Teng Wang, Xiaoliang Li & Wenge Wu

  2. College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Anhui Science and Technology University, Chuzhou, 233100, Anhui, China

    Qiuxiang Huang

  3. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Health and Land Resource, Guangdong Technology and Equipment Research Center for Soil and Water Pollution Control, Zhaoqing University, Zhaoqing, 526061, Guangdong, China

    Fande Meng, Liang Xiao & Guodong Yuan

  4. Rice Research Institute, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei, 230031, Anhui, China

    Wenge Wu

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  1. Fande Meng
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Contributions

Conceptualization: Fande Meng, Guodong Yuan; Methodology: Fande Meng, Qiuxiang Huang, Teng Wang; Formal analysis and investigation: Fande Meng, Qiuxiang Huang, Teng Wang; Writing—original draft preparation: Fande Meng; Writing—review and editing: Guodong Yuan, Fande Meng; Funding acquisition: Yongbing Cai, Fande Meng, Xiaoliang Li; Resources: Fande Meng, Liang Xiao, Wenge Wu; Supervision: Fande Meng.

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Correspondence to Fande Meng or Guodong Yuan.

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Meng, F., Huang, Q., Cai, Y. et al. A comparative assessment of humic acid and biochar altering cadmium and arsenic fractions in a paddy soil. J Soils Sediments 23, 845–855 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-022-03385-8

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