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Advances in research on the use of biochar in soil for remediation: a review

  • Soils, Sec 1 • Soil Organic Matter Dynamics and Nutrient Cycling • Review Article
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

Soil contamination mainly from human activities remains a major environmental problem in the contemporary world. Significant work has been undertaken to position biochar as a readily-available material useful for the management of contaminants in various environmental media notably soil. Here, we review the increasing research on the use of biochar in soil for the remediation of some organic and inorganic contaminants.

Materials and methods

Bibliometric analysis was carried out within the past 10 years to determine the increasing trend in research related to biochar in soil for contaminant remediation. Five exemplar contaminants were reviewed in both laboratory and field-based studies. These included two inorganic (i.e., As and Pb) and three organic classes (i.e., sulfamethoxazole, atrazine, and PAHs). The contaminants were selected based on bibliometric data and as representatives of their various contaminant classes. For example, As and Pb are potentially toxic elements (anionic and cationic, respectively), while sulfamethoxazole, atrazine, and PAHs represent antibiotics, herbicides, and hydrocarbons, respectively.

Results and discussion

The interaction between biochar and contaminants in soil is largely driven by biochar precursor material and pyrolysis temperature as well as some characteristics of the contaminants such as octanol-water partition coefficient (KOW) and polarity. The structural and chemical characteristics of biochar in turn determine the major sorption mechanisms and define biochar’s suitability for contaminant sorption. Based on the reviewed literature, a soil treatment plan is suggested to guide the application of biochar in various soil types (paddy soils, brownfield, and mine soils) at different pH levels (4–5.5) and contaminant concentrations (< 50 and > 50 mg kg−1).

Conclusions

Research on biochar has grown over the years with significant focus on its properties, and how these affect biochar’s ability to immobilize organic and inorganic contaminants in soil. Few of these studies have been field-based. More studies with greater focus on field-based soil remediation are therefore required to fully understand the behavior of biochar under natural circumstances. Other recommendations are made aimed at stimulating future research in areas where significant knowledge gaps exist.

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Acknowledgements

This study was financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFD0800400, 2017YFD0800303), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41571130062, 41371459), and CAS-TWAS president’s fellowship for postgraduate studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, People’s Republic of China

    Eric F. Zama & Yong-Guan Zhu

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People’s Republic of China

    Eric F. Zama

  3. School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK

    Brian J. Reid

  4. Department of Environmental Engineering, Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), P.O. Box 3930, Ullevål Stadion, 0806, Oslo, Norway

    Hans Peter H. Arp

  5. State Key Lab of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, People’s Republic of China

    Guo-Xin Sun, Hai-Yan Yuan & Yong-Guan Zhu

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  1. Eric F. Zama
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  2. Brian J. Reid
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  3. Hans Peter H. Arp
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Correspondence to Guo-Xin Sun or Yong-Guan Zhu.

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Zama, E.F., Reid, B.J., Arp, H.P.H. et al. Advances in research on the use of biochar in soil for remediation: a review. J Soils Sediments 18, 2433–2450 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-018-2000-9

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