Abstract
Biochar can be widely used to reduce the bioavailability of heavy metals in contaminated soil because of its adsorption capacity. But there are few studies about the effects of biochar on cadmium uptake by plants in soil contaminated with cadmium (Cd). Therefore, an incubation experiment was used to investigate the effects of rice straw biochar (RSBC) and coconut shell biochar (CSBC) on Cd immobilization in contaminated soil and, subsequently, Cd uptake by Lolium perenne. The results showed that the microbial counts and soil enzyme activities were significantly increased by biochar in Cd-contaminated soil, which were consistent with the decrease of the bioavailability of Cd by biochar. HOAc-extractable Cd in soil decreased by 11.3–22.6% in treatments with 5% RSBC and by 7.2–17.1% in treatments with 5% CSBC, respectively, compared to controls. The content of available Cd in biochar treatments was significantly lower than in controls, and these differences were more obvious in treatment groups with 5% biochar. The Cd concentration in L. perenne reduced by 4.47–26.13% with biochar. However, the biomass of L. perenne increased by 1.35–2.38 times after adding biochar amendments. So, Cd uptake by whole L. perenne was augmented by RSBC and CSBC. Accordingly, this work suggests that RSBC and CSBC have the potential to be used as a useful aided phytoremediation technology in Cd-contaminated soil.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Al-Wabel, M. I., Al-Omran, A., El-Naggar, A. H., Nadeem, M., & Usman, A. R. A. (2013). Pyrolysis temperature induced changes in characteristics and chemical composition of biochar produced from conocarpus wastes. Bioresource Technology, 131(3), 374–379.
Bai, J., Ouyang, H., Deng, W., Zhu, Y., Zhang, X., & Wang, Q. (2005). Spatial distribution characteristics of organic matter and total nitrogen of marsh soils in river marginal wetlands. Geoderma, 124(1), 181–192.
Baikousi, M., Daikopoulos, C., Georgiou, Y., Bourlinos, A., Zbořil, R., Deligiannakis, Y., et al. (2013). Novel ordered mesoporous carbon with innate functionalities and superior heavy metal uptake. Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 117(33), 16961–16971.
Baronti, S., Alberti, G., Vedove, G. D., Gennaro, F. D., Fellet, G., Genesio, L., et al. (2010). The biochar option to improve plant yields: First results from some field and pot experiments in Italy. Italian Journal of Agronomy, 5(1), 3–12.
Bhattacharya, P., Mukherjee, A. B., Jacks, G., & Nordqvist, S. (2002). Metal contamination at a wood preservation site: Characterisation and experimental studies on remediation. Science of the Total Environment, 290(1), 165–180.
Bian, R., Joseph, S., Cui, L., Pan, G., Li, L., Liu, X., et al. (2014). A three-year experiment confirms continuous immobilization of cadmium and lead in contaminated paddy field with biochar amendment. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 272(4), 121–128.
Bolan, N., Kunhikrishnan, A., Thangarajan, R., Kumpiene, J., Park, J., Makino, T., et al. (2014). Remediation of heavy metal(loid)s contaminated soils—To mobilize or to immobilize? Journal of Hazardous Materials, 266(4), 141–166.
Burgos, P., Pérez-De-Mora, A., Madejón, P., Cabrera, F., & Madejón, E. (2008). Trace elements in wild grasses: A phytoavailability study on a remediated field. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 30(2), 109–114.
Cheema, S. A., Khan, M. I., Tang, X., Zhang, C., Shen, C., Malik, Z., et al. (2009). Enhancement of phenanthrene and pyrene degradation in rhizosphere of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea). Journal of Hazardous Materials, 166(2), 1226–1231.
Chen, X., Chen, G., Chen, L., Chen, Y., Lehmann, J., Mcbride, M. B., et al. (2011). Adsorption of copper and zinc by biochars produced from pyrolysis of hardwood and corn straw in aqueous solution. Bioresource Technology, 102(19), 8877.
Corwin, D. L., & Lesch, S. M. (2003). Application of soil electrical conductivity to precision agriculture. Agronomy Journal, 95(3), 455–471.
Cui, H., Zhou, J., Zhao, Q., Si, Y., Mao, J., Fang, G., et al. (2013). Fractions of Cu, Cd, and enzyme activities in a contaminated soil as affected by applications of micro- and nanohydroxyapatite. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 13(4), 742–752.
Gosewinkel, U., & Broadbent, F. E. (1984). Conductimetric determination of soil urease activity. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 15(11), 13.
Gu, Y., Wang, P., & Kong, C. H. (2009). Urease, invertase, dehydrogenase and polyphenoloxidase activities in paddy soil influenced by allelopathic rice variety. European Journal of Soil Biology, 45(5), 436–441.
Hechmi, N., Aissa, N. B., Abdenaceur, H., & Jedidi, N. (2014a). Evaluating the phytoremediation potential of Phragmites australis grown in pentachlorophenol and cadmium co-contaminated soils. Environmental Science and Pollution Research International, 21(2), 1304.
Hechmi, N., Aissa, N. B., Abdenaceur, H., & Jedidi, N. (2014b). Evaluating the phytoremediation potential of Phragmites australis grown in pentachlorophenol and cadmium co-contaminated soils. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 21(2), 1304–1313.
Hossain, M. K., Strezov, V., Chan, K. Y., & Nelson, P. F. (2010). Agronomic properties of wastewater sludge biochar and bioavailability of metals in production of cherry tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). Chemosphere, 78(9), 1167–1171.
Huang, L., Gao, X., Liu, M., Du, G., Guo, J., & Ntakirutimana, T. (2012). Correlation among soil microorganisms, soil enzyme activities, and removal rates of pollutants in three constructed wetlands purifying micro-polluted river water. Ecological Engineering, 46(3), 98–106.
Huang, H., Yu, N., Wang, L., Gupta, D. K., He, Z., Wang, K., et al. (2011). The phytoremediation potential of bioenergy crop Ricinus communis for DDTs and cadmium co-contaminated soil. Bioresource Technology, 102(23), 11034–11038.
Jiang, T. Y., Jiang, J., Xu, R. K., & Li, Z. (2012). Adsorption of Pb(II) on variable charge soils amended with rice-straw derived biochar. Chemosphere, 89(3), 249–256.
Jiang, S., Nguyen, T. A. H., Rudolph, V., Yang, H., Zhang, D., Yong, S. O., et al. (2017). Characterization of hard- and softwood biochars pyrolyzed at high temperature. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 39(2), 403–415.
Jin, H. P., Choppala, G. K., Bolan, N. S., Chung, J. W., & Chuasavathi, T. (2011). Biochar reduces the bioavailability and phytotoxicity of heavy metals. Plant and Soil, 348(1–2), 439.
Kauffman, J. S., Ellerbrock, B. M., Stevens, K. A., Brown, P. J., Pennington, W. T., & Hanks, T. W. (2009). Preparation, characterization, and sensing behavior of polydiacetylene liposomes embedded in alginate fibers. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 1(6), 1287–1291.
Khan, F. I., Husain, T., & Hejazi, R. (2004). An overview and analysis of site remediation technologies. Journal of Environmental Management, 71(2), 95–122.
Kolb, S. E., Fermanich, K. J., & Dornbush, M. E. (2009). Effect of charcoal quantity on microbial biomass and activity in temperate soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 73(73), 1173–1181.
Lehmann, J., & Joseph, S. (2009). Biochar for environmental management: Science and technology. Science and Technology Earthscan, 25(1), 15801–15811.
Lehmann, J., Rillig, M. C., Thies, J., Masiello, C. A., Hockaday, W. C., & Crowley, D. (2011). Biochar effects on soil biota—A review. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 43(9), 1812–1836.
Liang, X., Han, J., Xu, Y., Sun, Y., Wang, L., & Tan, X. (2014). In situ field-scale remediation of Cd polluted paddy soil using sepiolite and palygorskite. Geoderma, 235–236(4), 9–18.
Liu, H., Guo, S., Jiao, K., Hou, J., Xie, H., & Xu, H. (2015). Bioremediation of soils co-contaminated with heavy metals and 2,4,5-trichlorophenol by fruiting body of Clitocybe maxima. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 294, 121–127.
Lu, K., Yang, X., Gielen, G., Bolan, N., Yong, S. O., Niazi, N. K., et al. (2017). Effect of bamboo and rice straw biochars on the mobility and redistribution of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn) in contaminated soil. Journal of Environmental Management, 186(Pt 2), 285–292.
Lucchini, P., Quilliam, R. S., Deluca, T. H., Vamerali, T., & Jones, D. L. (2014). Does biochar application alter heavy metal dynamics in agricultural soil? Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 184(1), 149–157.
Lundberg, B., & Sundqvist, B. (2011). A review of biochars’ potential role in the remediation, revegetation and restoration of contaminated soils. Environ Pollut. Environmental Pollution, 159(12), 3269–3282.
Ma, J. W., Sun, W. C., Hu, Q. F., Yu, Q. G., Wang, Q., & Fu, J. R. (2013). Effects of cyanamide fertilizer on microbial community structure of continuous cropping soil. Journal of Zhejiang University, 39, 281–290.
Mao, J. D., Johnson, R. L., Lehmann, J., Olk, D. C., Neves, E. G., Thompson, M. L., et al. (2012). Abundant and stable char residues in soils: Implications for soil fertility and carbon sequestration. Environmental Science and Technology, 46(17), 9571.
Mohamed, I., Zhang, G. S., Li, Z. G., Liu, Y., Chen, F., & Dai, K. (2015). Ecological restoration of an acidic Cd contaminated soil using bamboo biochar application. Ecological Engineering, 84, 67–76.
Moreno, J., Garcia, L., Falchini, L., & Pietramellara, G. (2001). The ecological dose value (ED50) for assessing Cd toxicity on ATP content and dehydrogenase and urease activities of soil. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 33(4), 483–489.
Nejad, Z. D., Jung, M. C., & Kim, K. H. (2017). Remediation of soils contaminated with heavy metals with an emphasis on immobilization technology. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 40(1–2), 1–27.
Paranavithana, G. N., Kawamoto, K., Inoue, Y., Saito, T., Vithanage, M., Kalpage, C. S., et al. (2016). Adsorption of Cd 2+ and Pb 2+ onto coconut shell biochar and biochar-mixed soil. Environmental Earth Sciences, 75(6), 484.
Paz-Ferreiro, J., Fu, S., Méndez, A., & Gascó, G. (2014). Interactive effects of biochar and the earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus on plant productivity and soil enzyme activities. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 14(3), 483–494.
Pedersen, J. C. (1992). Natamycin as a fungicide in agar media. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 58(3), 1064.
Pelfrêne, A., Waterlot, C., Mazzuca, M., Nisse, C., Bidar, G., & Douay, F. (2011). Assessing Cd, Pb, Zn human bioaccessibility in smelter-contaminated agricultural topsoils (northern France). Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 33(5), 477–493.
Philippe, V., Cécile, G. M., & Adnane, H. (2007). Interaction of bioaccumulation of heavy metal chromium with water relation, mineral nutrition and photosynthesis in developed leaves of Lolium perenne L. Chemosphere, 68(8), 1563–1575.
Puga, A., Abreu, C. A., Melo, L. C. A., & Beesley, L. (2015). Biochar application to a contaminated soil reduces the availability and plant uptake of zinc, lead and cadmium. Journal of Environmental Management, 159, 86–93.
Rees, F., Simonnot, M. O., & Morel, J. L. (2014). Short-term effects of biochar on soil heavy metal mobility are controlled by intra-particle diffusion and soil pH increase. European Journal of Soil Science, 65(1), 149–161.
Skjemstad, J. O., Gillman, G. P., Massis, A., & Spouncer, L. R. (2008). Measurement of cation exchange capacity of organic-matter fractions from soils using a modified compulsive exchange method. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 39(5–6), 926–937.
Song, W., Chen, B. M., & Liu, L. (2013). Soil heavy metal pollution of cultivated land in China. Research of Soil & Water Conservation, 20, 293–298.
Sorrell, B. K., Brix, H., Schierup, H. H., & Lorenzen, B. (1997). Die-back of Phragmites australis: Influence on the distribution and rate of sediment methanogenesis. Biogeochemistry, 36(2), 173–188.
Steiner, C., Das, K. C., Melear, N., & Lakly, D. (2010). Reducing nitrogen loss during poultry litter composting using biochar. Journal of Environmental Quality, 39(4), 1236.
Sun, Y., Gao, B., Yao, Y., Fang, J., Zhang, M., Zhou, Y., et al. (2014). Effects of feedstock type, production method, and pyrolysis temperature on biochar and hydrochar properties. Chemical Engineering Journal, 240(6), 574–578.
Sun, Y., Zhou, Q., Xu, Y., Wang, L., & Liang, X. (2011). Phytoremediation for co-contaminated soils of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and heavy metals using ornamental plant Tagetes patula. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 186(2–3), 2075–2082.
Sutjaritvorakul, T., Whalley, A. J. S., Sihanonth, P., & Roengsumran, S. (2010). Antimicrobial activity from endophytic fungi isolated from plant leaves in Dipterocarpous forest at Viengsa district Nan province, Thailand. International Journal of Agricultural Technology, 7, 115–121.
Uchimiya, M., Lima, I. M., Klasson, K. T., Chang, S. C., Wartelle, L. H., & Rodgers, J. E. (2010). Immobilization of heavy metal ions (CuII, CdII, NiII, and PbII) by broiler litter-derived biochars in water and soil. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 58(9), 5538.
Uchimiya, M., Wartelle, L. H., Klasson, K. T., Fortier, C. A., & Lima, I. M. (2011). Influence of pyrolysis temperature on biochar property and function as a heavy metal sorbent in soil. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 59(6), 2501–2510.
Wang, M. (1999). Soil water holding capacity and soil available water in plantations in the loess region. Scientia Silvae Sinicae, 35, 7–14.
Wang, M. Y., Shi, X. Z., Dong-Sheng, Y. U., Sheng-Xiang, X. U., Tan, M. Z., Sun, W. X., et al. (2013). Regional differences in the effect of climate and soil texture on soil organic carbon. Pedosphere, 23(6), 799–807.
Waqas, M., Khan, A. L., Kang, S. M., Yoonha, K., & Injung, L. (2014). Phytohormone-producing fungal endophytes and hardwood-derived biochar interact to ameliorate heavy metal stress in soybeans. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 50(7), 1155–1167.
Warnock, D. D., Lehmann, J., Kuyper, T. W., & Rillig, M. C. (2007). Mycorrhizal responses to biochar in soil—concepts and mechanisms. Plant and Soil, 300(1–2), 9–20.
Wu, B., Chen, R., Yao, Y., Gao, N., Zuo, L., & Xu, H. (2015). Mycoremediation potential of Coprinus comatus in soil co-contaminated with copper and naphthalene. RSC Advances, 5(83), 67524–67531.
Wu, B., Cheng, G., Kai, J., Shi, W., Wang, C., & Xu, H. (2016). Mycoextraction by Clitocybe maxima combined with metal immobilization by biochar and activated carbon in an aged soil. Science of the Total Environment, 562, 732–739.
Xiao, K., Li, Y., Sun, Y., Liu, R., Li, J., Zhao, Y., et al. (2017). Remediation performance and mechanism of heavy metals by a bottom-up activation and extraction system using multiple biochemical materials. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 9(36), 30448.
Xiao, G. L., Yin, K. L., Feng, M. L., Ma, Q., Ping, L. Z., & Ping, Y. (2009). Changes in soil organic carbon, nutrients and aggregation after conversion of native desert soil into irrigated arable land. Soil & Tillage Research, 104(2), 263–269.
Yuan, J. H., Xu, R. K., Qian, W., & Wang, R. H. (2011). Comparison of the ameliorating effects on an acidic ultisol between four crop straws and their biochars. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 11(5), 741–750.
Zhao, X., Wang, J. W., Xu, H. J., Zhou, C. J., Wang, S. Q., & Xing, G. X. (2015). Effects of crop-straw biochar on crop growth and soil fertility over a wheat-millet rotation in soils of China. Soil Use and Management, 30(3), 311–319.
Zhu, X., Yang, F., Wei, C., & Tao, L. (2016). Bioaccessibility of heavy metals in soils cannot be predicted by a single model in two adjacent areas. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 38(1), 233–241.
Zukowska, J., & Biziuk, M. (2008). Methodological evaluation of method for dietary heavy metal intake. Journal of Food Science, 73(2), R21–R29.
Acknowledgements
The authors also wish to thank Professor Guanglei Cheng from Sichuan University for the technical assistance. This study was supported by the Science and Technology Support Program of Sichuan Province (2016NZ0050); the Agricultural Science and Technology Achievements Transformation Program of Sichuan Province (2017NZZJ008); the Key Research and Development Program of Sichuan Province (2017SZ0188, 2017SZ0181, 2018NZ0008); and the National Science and Technology Supporting Program (2015BAD05B01-5).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Li, L., Jia, Z., Ma, H. et al. The effect of two different biochars on remediation of Cd-contaminated soil and Cd uptake by Lolium perenne. Environ Geochem Health 41, 2067–2080 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-019-00257-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-019-00257-y