Abstract
The purpose of this study is to compare the relative contribution of different mechanisms to the enhanced adsorption of Cu(II), Pb(II) and Cd(II) by variable charge soils due to incorporation of biochars derived from crop straws. The biochars were prepared from the straws of canola and peanut using an oxygen-limited pyrolysis method at 350 °C. The effect of biochars on adsorption and desorption of Cu(II), Pb(II) and Cd(II) by and from three variable charge soils from southern China was investigated with batch experiments. Based on the desorption of pre-adsorbed heavy metals, the electrostatic and non-electrostatic adsorptions were separated. EDTA was used to replace the heavy metals complexed with biochars and to evaluate the complexing ability of the biochars with the metals. The incorporation of biochars increased the adsorption of Cu(II), Pb(II) and Cd(II) by the soil; peanut straw char induced a greater increase in the adsorption of the three metals. The increased percentage of Cd(II) adsorption induced by biochars was much greater than that for the adsorption of Cu(II) and Pb(II). Cu(II) adsorption on three variable charge soils was enhanced by the two biochars mainly through a non-electrostatic mechanism, while both electrostatic and non-electrostatic mechanisms contributed to the enhanced adsorption of Pb(II) and Cd(II) due to the biochars. Peanut straw char had a greater specific adsorption capacity than canola straw char and thus induced more non-electrostatic adsorption of Cu(II), Pb(II) and Cd(II) by the soils than did the canola straw char. The complexing ability of the biochars with Cu(II) and Pb(II) was much stronger than that with Cd(II) and thus induced more specific adsorption of Cu(II) and Pb(II) by the soils than that of Cd(II). Biochars increased heavy metal adsorption by the variable charge soils through electrostatic and non-electrostatic mechanisms, and the relative contribution of the two mechanisms varied with metals and biochars.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Boehm HP (2002) Surface oxides on carbon and their analysis: a critical assessment. Carbon 40:145–149
Buss W, Kammann C, Koyro HW (2012) Biochar reduces copper toxicity in Chenopodium quinoa Willd. in a sandy soil. J Environ Qual 41:1157–1165
Cao X, Ma L, Gao B, Harris W (2009) Dairy-manure derived biochar effectively sorbs lead and atrazine. Environ Sci Technol 43:3285–3291
Chen JP, Lin M (2001) Equilibrium and kinetics of metal ion adsorption onto a commercial H-type granular activated carbon: experimental and modeling studies. Water Res 35:2385–2394
Gaskin JW, Steiner C, Harris K, Das KC, Bibens B (2008) Effect of low-temperature pyrolysis conditions on biochar for agricultural use. Trans ASABE 51:2061–2069
Gray CW, Dunham SJ, Dennis PG, Zhao FJ, McGrath SP (2006) Field evaluation of in situ remediation of a heavy metal contaminated soil using lime and red-mud. Environ Pollut 142:530–539
Guo XY, Zhang SZ, Shan XQ, Luo L, Pei ZG, Zhu YG, Liu T, Xie YN, Gault A (2006) Characterization of Pb, Cu, and Cd adsorption on particulate organic matter in soil. Environ Toxicol Chem 25:2366–2373
Jiang TY, Jiang J, Xu RK, Li Z (2012a) Adsorption of Pb(II) on variable charge soils amended with rice-straw derived biochar. Chemosphere 89:249–256
Jiang J, Xu RK, Jiang TY, Li Z (2012b) Immobilization of Cu(II), Pb(II) and Cd(II) by the addition of rice straw derived biochar in a simulating polluted Ultisol. J Hazard Mater 229–230:145–150
Li JY, Xu RK, Zhang H (2012) Iron oxides serve as natural anti-acidification agents in highly weathered soils. J Soil Sediment 12:876–887
Liu LN, Chen HS, Cai P, Liang W, Huang QY (2009) Immobilization and phytotoxicity of Cd in contaminated soil amended with chicken manure compost. J Hazard Mater 163:563–567
McBride M, Sauvé S, Hendershot W (1997) Solubility control of Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb in contaminated soils. Eur J Soil Sci 48:337–346
Mohan D, Pittman DC Jr, Steele PH (2006) Pyrolysis of wood/biomass for bio-oil: a critical review. Energy Fuel 20:848–889
Mohan D, Pittman CU Jr, Bricka M, Smith F, Yancey B, Mohammad J, Steele PH, Alexandre-Franco MF, Gómez-Serrano V, Gong H (2007) Sorption of arsenic, cadmium, and lead by chars produced from fast pyrolysis of wood and bark during bio-oil production. J Colloid Interface Sci 310:57–73
Naidu R, Sumner ME, Harter RD (1998) Sorption of heavy metals in strongly weathered soil: an overview. Environ Geochem Health 20:5–9
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
Park JH, Choppala GK, Bolan NS, Chung JW, Chuasavathi T (2011) Biochar reduces the bioavailability and phytotoxicity of heavy metals. Plant Soil 348:439–451
Querol X, Alastuey A, Moreno N, Alvarez-Ayuso E, Garcia-Sanchez A, Cama J, Ayora C, Simon M (2006) Immobilization of heavy metals in polluted soils by the addition of zeolitic material synthesized from coal fly ash. Chemosphere 62:171–180
Santos S, Costa CAE, Duarte AC, Scherer HW, Schneider RJ, Esteves VI, Santos EBH (2010) Influence of different organic amendments on the potential availability of metals from soil: a study on metal fractionation and extraction kinetics by EDTA. Chemosphere 78:389–396
Sohi SP, Krull E, Lopez-Capel E, Bol R (2010) A review of biochar and its use and function in soil. Adv Agron 105:47–82
Tong XJ, Xu RK (2013) Removal of Cu(II) from acidic electroplating effluent by biochars generated from crop straws. J Environ Sci (China) 25:652–658
Tong XJ, Li JY, Yuan JH, Xu RK (2011) Adsorption of Cu(II) by biochars generated from crop straws. Chem Eng J 172:828–834
Trakal L, Komárek M, Száková J, Zemanová V, Tlustoš P (2011) Biochar application to metal-contaminated soil: evaluating of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn sorption behavior using single- and multi-element sorption experiment. Plant Soil Environ 57:372–380
Uchimiya M, Klasson KT, Wartelle LH, Lima IM (2011a) Influence of soil properties on heavy metal sequestration by biochar amendment: 1. Copper sorption isotherms and the release of cations. Chemosphere 82:1431–1437
Uchimiya M, Chang S, Klasson KT (2011b) Screening biochars for heavy metal retention in soil: role of oxygen functional group. J Hazard Mater 190:432–441
Xu RK (2013) Interaction between heavy metals and variable charge soils. In: Xu JM, Sparks DL (eds) Molecular environmental soil science. Spring, Dordrecht, pp 193–228
Xu RK, Xiao SC, Zhao AZ, Ji GL (2005) Effect of Cr(VI) on adsorption and desorption behavior of Cu(II) in the colloidal systems of two authentic variable charge soils. J Colloid Interface Sci 284:22–29
Yuan JH, Xu RK (2012) Effects of biochars generated from crop residues on chemical properties of acid soils from tropical and subtropical China. Soil Res 50:570–578
Zhong K, Xu RK, Zhao AZ, Jiang J, Li H (2010) Adsorption and desorption of Cu(II) and Cd(II) in the tropical soils during pedogenesis in the basalt from Hainan, China. Carbonates Evaporites 25:27–34
Acknowledgments
The study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41230855).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Responsible editor: Zhihong Xu
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Xu, Rk., Zhao, Az. Effect of biochars on adsorption of Cu(II), Pb(II) and Cd(II) by three variable charge soils from southern China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20, 8491–8501 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-1769-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-1769-8