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Soil pollution by trace elements is a huge problem around the globe. In addition, heavy metal immobilization and primary productivity are two soil ecosystem services of contemporary importance to society. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of using olive pit and rice husk biochars as soil amendments for the immobilization of trace elements and on plant development growing in heavy metals-polluted soils under greenhouse conditions. The application of high doses (5% and 10%) of biochar significantly increased pH, water holding capacity and total C content of the soils. Dehydrogenase activity in the moderately acidic soil was greater than in the acidic soil due to the high concentration of metals and high acidity of the latter. The application of biochar reduced the β–glucosidase activity. Furthermore, the concentrations of CaCl2-extractable heavy metals significantly decreased in biochar amended pots, indicating metal immobilization, which was consistent with the increase in soil pH. Distribution of trace elements in the different fractions was modified after 65 days of incubation, independently of the treatment. The Cu and Zn contents in the oxidizable fraction were reduced with incubation, whereas Cd and Zn in the residual fraction increased. The reduction of bioavailable concentrations and increments in the residual or more stable fractions indicated less risk for the organisms in the environment. All biochars addition significantly increased the root-to-shoot ratio compared to the control soil. Particularly, 10% of amendment increased this ratio in the greatest extent. The application of 10% w/w of rice husk biochar produced at 500 °C was the most effective in restoring soil functionality and reducing the availability of heavy metals in the polluted soils.
Paloma Campos; Heike Knicker; Rafael López; José De la Rosa. Application of Biochar Produced from Crop Residues on Trace Elements Contaminated Soils: Effects on Soil Properties, Enzymatic Activities and Brassica rapa Growth. Agronomy 2021, 11, 1394 .
AMA StylePaloma Campos, Heike Knicker, Rafael López, José De la Rosa. Application of Biochar Produced from Crop Residues on Trace Elements Contaminated Soils: Effects on Soil Properties, Enzymatic Activities and Brassica rapa Growth. Agronomy. 2021; 11 (7):1394.
Chicago/Turabian StylePaloma Campos; Heike Knicker; Rafael López; José De la Rosa. 2021. "Application of Biochar Produced from Crop Residues on Trace Elements Contaminated Soils: Effects on Soil Properties, Enzymatic Activities and Brassica rapa Growth." Agronomy 11, no. 7: 1394.
This study assesses the biochemical degradability of biochars produced from five contrasting crop residues (rice husk, olive pit, almond shell, maize straw and wood chips) in acidic soils contaminated with trace elements. For this purpose, highly and moderately acid soils were amended with each of the proposed biochars and subjected to a microbial degradation experiment under controlled conditions for 155 days. CO2 production of pure biochars fitted with a single exponential model, indicating that they only had one C pool. Among the biochars studied, those derived from olive pit and almond shell showed the greatest stability, with mean residence times (MRT) of 293 and 214 years, respectively, whereas, maize straw biochar revealed MRT of 82 years. Despite that the average MRT of all tested biochars under controlled conditions were shorter than usually reported, biochar addition increased the MRT of the recalcitrant C pool of the studied soils by a factor from 2x to 13 × . Solid-state 13C NMR spectra confirmed a partial cracking of the biochar aromatic network during the experiment due to microbial degradation or physical alteration processes. It was further noted that biochar degradability depended on its aromaticity but we have also observed that in highly acidic and metal-contaminated soils biochar is less degraded, probably due to the difficulties for microbial development at these soils.
Paloma Campos; Heike Knicker; Marta Velasco-Molina; José María De la Rosa. Assessment of the biochemical degradability of crop derived biochars in trace elements polluted soils. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis 2021, 157, 105186 .
AMA StylePaloma Campos, Heike Knicker, Marta Velasco-Molina, José María De la Rosa. Assessment of the biochemical degradability of crop derived biochars in trace elements polluted soils. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis. 2021; 157 ():105186.
Chicago/Turabian StylePaloma Campos; Heike Knicker; Marta Velasco-Molina; José María De la Rosa. 2021. "Assessment of the biochemical degradability of crop derived biochars in trace elements polluted soils." Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis 157, no. : 105186.
Biochar is the solid residue produced by pyrolysis (thermal treatment under absence of oxygen) of biomass [1]. This material has been widely proposed for remediation of degraded soils [2]. Soil degradation comprises loss of chemical, physical and biological properties of soil, declining soil health. Soils that are polluted with high concentrations of trace elements present serious functional problems. It is estimated that 37 % of the degraded soils in Europe are polluted with trace elements [2]. This study aimed to determine the effects of biochar application into degraded acidic Fluvisols [3], that were polluted in April 1998 by the massive dumping of mine sludge contaminated with heavy metals, called the Aznalcóllar disaster. The studied soils were amended with 8 t ha-1 of olive pit and rice husk biochars. After 6, 12 and 20 months under field conditions, both amended and un-amended soils were sampled for determining microbial diversity using the Illumina Miseq technology of the 16S rRNA gene. Soil properties, soil composition, enzymatic activities and plant development were also analysed. Physical properties of the degraded soils were improved by the application of biochars. Soil pH strongly influenced dehydrogenase and β–glucosidase activities. Biochars enhanced plant diversity and, more specifically, olive pit biochar increased plant yield in the more acidic soil. Differences in microbial communities were found between both soils and sampling campaigns. Moderately acidic soil showed greater alpha diversity comparing to the most acidic soil. In fact, after 6 months of biochar application, Bacteroidetes, Gemmatimonadetes and Verrucomicrobia were solely found in the moderately acidic soil. However, Shanon and Simpson index values showed that the application of biochars enhanced bacterial diversity in the most acidic soil after 6 months, which control sample was almost exclusively composed of Ktedonobacteria, belonging to the phylum Chloroflexi. Correlation coefficients explained that biochar amendment increased bacterial diversity by increasing soil pH. The effect of biochar on microbial communities was dissipated over time [4].
References:
[1] IBI, 2015. IBI-STD-2.1. International Biochar Initiative.
[2] European Environment Agency, 2020. https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/soil/soil-threats.
[3] Campos, P., De la Rosa, J.M., 2020. Sustainability 12, 6025.
[4] Campos, P., Miller, A.Z., Prats, S.A., Knicker, H., Hagemann, N., 2020. Soil Biol. Biochem. 150, 108014.
Acknowledgements:
The former Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (MINEICO) and AEI/FEDER are acknowledge for funding the project CGL2016-76498-R. J.M. De la Rosa thanks MINEICO for funding his “Ramón y Cajal” contract. “Fundación Tatiana Pérez de Guzmán el Bueno” for funding the PhD contract of P. Campos. A.Z. Miller thanks “Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia” for its support.
Paloma Campos; Ana Z. Miller; Heike Knicker; José María De la Rosa. Biochar potential in reclaiming degraded soils. 2021, 1 .
AMA StylePaloma Campos, Ana Z. Miller, Heike Knicker, José María De la Rosa. Biochar potential in reclaiming degraded soils. . 2021; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StylePaloma Campos; Ana Z. Miller; Heike Knicker; José María De la Rosa. 2021. "Biochar potential in reclaiming degraded soils." , no. : 1.
Trace elements are toxic at high concentrations and present long-term persistency in the environment. Biochar, the solid carbonaceous residue produced by pyrolysis of biomass, has been proven to have great potential to adsorb trace elements [1]. Biochar efficiency for trace element adsorption depends on biochar properties, which are affected by feedstock and pyrolysis conditions [2, 3]. Nevertheless, the effect of biochar ageing on trace element immobilization is still not well understood. To fill this gap, a 2-years field experiment was performed next to the Guadiamar River (SW Spain), which was polluted in 1998 due to the breakage of a mining waste pond, causing the dumping of millions of tonnes of toxic sludge. Consequently, the soils studied have acid pH and high concentrations of trace elements (As, Ba, Cu, Pb and Zn). For this experiment, the soils were amended with 8 t ha-1 of rice husk and olive pit biochars. Additionally, biochars produced from rice husk, olive pit and wood chips were buried in these polluted soils using permeable bags. After 2 years, soil and biochar properties as well as trace element contents (total and extractable) were determined. The ageing process reduced the aryl C signal in biochar samples as revealed by cross polarization magic angle spinning 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (CPMAS NMR) analysis. O-containing groups in aged biochar were detected by Fourier Transform mid-Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). Although biochars effectively adsorbed trace elements from the polluted soils, the contents of CaCl2-extracted trace elements in the soils were not modified. This is probably due to the extremely high total abundance of trace elements in these soils, which permit a quick remobilization of bound metals refilling of the extractable pool, and replacing the heavy metals adsorbed by biochar. Consequently, the content of extractable trace elements in these polluted soils may only be reduced by a periodic application of high amounts of biochars.
References:
[1] Amin, M.T., Alazba, A.A., Shafiq, M., 2018. Chem. Eng. J. Arab. J. Sci. Eng. 43, 5711-5722.
[2] Campos, P., De la Rosa, J.M., 2020. Sustainability 12, 6025.
[3] Campos, P., Miller, A.Z., Knicker, H., Costa-Pereira, M.F., Merino, A., De la Rosa, J.M., 2020. Waste Manag. 105, 256-267.
Acknowledgements: The former Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (MINEICO), AEI/FEDER and CSIC are thanked for funding the project CGL2016-76498-R. J.M. De la Rosa acknowledges MINEICO for funding his “Ramón y Cajal” contract. P. Campos thanks “Fundación Tatiana Pérez de Guzmán el Bueno” for funding her PhD.
José María De la Rosa; Paloma Campos; Ana Z. Miller; Marta Velasco-Molina; Águeda Sánchez-Martín; Araceli De la Rosa; Heike Knicker. Effects of biochar ageing on the remediation potential of trace-element polluted soils. 2021, 1 .
AMA StyleJosé María De la Rosa, Paloma Campos, Ana Z. Miller, Marta Velasco-Molina, Águeda Sánchez-Martín, Araceli De la Rosa, Heike Knicker. Effects of biochar ageing on the remediation potential of trace-element polluted soils. . 2021; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJosé María De la Rosa; Paloma Campos; Ana Z. Miller; Marta Velasco-Molina; Águeda Sánchez-Martín; Araceli De la Rosa; Heike Knicker. 2021. "Effects of biochar ageing on the remediation potential of trace-element polluted soils." , no. : 1.
Soil contamination with trace elements is an important and global environmental concern. This study examined the potential of biochars derived from rice husk (RHB), olive pit (OPB), and a certified biochar produced from wood chips (CWB) to immobilize copper (Cu2+) and lead (Pb2+) in aqueous solution to avoid its leaching and in a pot experiment with acidic Xerofluvent soils multicontaminated with trace elements. After assessing the adsorption potential of Cu2+ and Pb2+ from an aqueous solution of the three studied biochars, the development of Brassica rapa pekinensis plants was monitored on polluted soils amended with the same biochars, to determine their capability to boost plant growth in a soil contaminated with several trace elements. RHB and CWB removed the maximum amounts of Cu2+ and Pb2+ from aqueous solution in the adsorption experiment. The adsorption capacity increased with initial metal concentrations for all biochars. The efficiency in the adsorption of cationic metals by biochars was clearly affected by biochar chemical properties, whereas total specific surface area seemed to not correlate with the adsorption capacity. Among the isotherm models, the Langmuir model was in the best agreement with the experimental data for both cations for CWB and RHB. The maximum adsorption capacity of Cu2+ was 30.77 and 58.82 mg g−1 for RHB and CWB, respectively, and of Pb2+ was 19.34 and 77.52 mg g−1 for RHB and CWB, respectively. The application of 5% of RHB and CWB to the acidic polluted soils improved soil physico-chemical properties, which permitted the development of Brassica rapa pekinensis plants. RHB and CWB have been shown to be effective for the removal of Cu2+ and Pb2+, and the results obtained regarding plant development in the soils contaminated with trace elements indicated that the soil amendments have promising potential for the recovery of land polluted with heavy metals.
Paloma Campos; José De La Rosa. Assessing the Effects of Biochar on the Immobilization of Trace Elements and Plant Development in a Naturally Contaminated Soil. Sustainability 2020, 12, 6025 .
AMA StylePaloma Campos, José De La Rosa. Assessing the Effects of Biochar on the Immobilization of Trace Elements and Plant Development in a Naturally Contaminated Soil. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (15):6025.
Chicago/Turabian StylePaloma Campos; José De La Rosa. 2020. "Assessing the Effects of Biochar on the Immobilization of Trace Elements and Plant Development in a Naturally Contaminated Soil." Sustainability 12, no. 15: 6025.
Due to the chemical composition and surface properties of biochar, a C-rich porous material produced by pyrolysis of biomass, it can act as an effective tool for the remediation of soils polluted with trace elements [1, 2]. However, its capacity to sorb these contaminants in a solution varies considerably depend on pyrolysis conditions, but also on the feedstock. Thus, the major aim of this study is to evaluate the capacity of biochars from two crop residues to sorb Pb2+ and Cu2+.
For this purpose, rice husk and olive pit biochars (RHB and OPB, respectively) were produced in a continuously feed reactor (Pyreka reactor, max. temperature 500 ºC, residence time 12 min; N2 atmosphere).
The efficiency of lead and copper ions (Pb²⁺, Cu2+) removal by the biochars was investigated through batch adsorption experiments. 20 mL of single-metal solutions with 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 2 and 5 mM of initial concentration of Pb2+ and Cu2+ were mixed with 20 mg of milled biochar during 48 h. After filtering at 0.45 µm, their concentrations were measured by ICP-OES (Varian ICP 720-ES, Varian Inc., CA, USA).
Removal efficiency of both heavy metals was over 80 % for RHB and OPB when the initial cation concentration was ≤ 0.5 mM. RHB removal capacity was 26 % for Cu2+ and 35 % for Pb2+ when the initial concentration of metal was 5 mM, whereas OPB removal capacity for both cations was lower than 20 %. The adsorption data fitted well to a Langmuir model for both cations for RHB as other authors found [3]. Although, the Langmuir maximum sorption capacity obtained in this work for Cu2+ was similar to that obtain by Samsuri et al. (2014) [3], it was lower for Pb2+. However, sorption data for OPB better fitted to a Temkin isotherm model for Cu2+ and Freundlich model for Pb2+.
The selection of the adequate biomass to produce biochars for the immobilization of trace elements, as Pb and Cu, in soils is very important, due to the huge differences in their adsorption efficiency. RHB showed a greater removal efficiency for Cu2+ and Pb2 than OPB.
References:
[1] Uchimiya, M., Klasson, K.T., Wartelle, L.H., Lima, I.M., 2011. Chemosphere 82, 1438-1447.
[2] Zhao, J., Shen, X.-J., Domene, X., Alcañiz, J.-M., Liao, X., Palet, C., 2019. Sci. Rep. 9, 9869.
[3] Samsuri, A.W., Sadegh-Zadeh, F., She-Bardan, B.J., 2014. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 11, 967.
Acknowledgements:
The former Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (MINEICO) and AEI/FEDER are thanked for funding the project CGL2016-76498-R (BIOREMEC). P. Campos thanks the “Fundación Tatiana Pérez de Guzmán el Bueno” for funding her PhD.
José M. De La Rosa; Águeda Sánchez-Martín; María L. Sánchez-Martín; Nikolas Hagemann; Heike Knicker; Paloma Campos. Application of biochar from crop residues for the removal of lead and copper. 2020, 1 .
AMA StyleJosé M. De La Rosa, Águeda Sánchez-Martín, María L. Sánchez-Martín, Nikolas Hagemann, Heike Knicker, Paloma Campos. Application of biochar from crop residues for the removal of lead and copper. . 2020; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJosé M. De La Rosa; Águeda Sánchez-Martín; María L. Sánchez-Martín; Nikolas Hagemann; Heike Knicker; Paloma Campos. 2020. "Application of biochar from crop residues for the removal of lead and copper." , no. : 1.
The interest of using biochar, the solid byproduct from organic waste pyrolysis, as soil conditioner is significantly increasing. Nevertheless, persistent organic pollutants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), are formed during pyrolysis due to the incomplete combustion of organic matter. Consequently, these pollutants may enter the environment when biochar is incorporated into soil and cause adverse ecological effects. In this study, we examined the content of the 16 United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) PAHs in biochars produced from rice husk, wood, wheat and sewage sludge residues using three different pyrolytic reactors and temperatures (400, 500 and 600 °C). The total concentration of PAHs (∑PAH) ranged from 799 to 6364 μg kg−1, being naphthalene, phenanthrene and anthracene the most abundant PAHs in all the biochars. The maximum amount of PAHs was observed for the rice husk biochar produced in the batch reactor at 400 °C, which decreased with increasing temperature. The ∑PAH value of the wood biochar produced via traditional kilns doubled compared with the wood biochar produced using the other pyrolytic reactors (5330 μg kg−1 in Kiln; 2737 μg kg−1 in batch and 1942 μg kg−1 in the rotary reactor). Looking for a more reliable risk assessment of the potential exposure of PAHs in biochar, the total toxic equivalent concentrations (TTEC) of the 14 produced biochars were calculated. When comparing the same feedstock and temperature, TTEC values indicated that the rotary reactor produced the safest biochars. In contrast, the biochars produced using the batch reactor at 400 and 500 °C have the greatest hazard potential. Our results provide valuable information on the potential risk of biochar application for human and animal health, as well as for the environment due to PAHs contamination.
José M. De la Rosa; Águeda M. Sánchez-Martín; Paloma Campos; Ana Z. Miller. Effect of pyrolysis conditions on the total contents of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in biochars produced from organic residues: Assessment of their hazard potential. Science of The Total Environment 2019, 667, 578 -585.
AMA StyleJosé M. De la Rosa, Águeda M. Sánchez-Martín, Paloma Campos, Ana Z. Miller. Effect of pyrolysis conditions on the total contents of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in biochars produced from organic residues: Assessment of their hazard potential. Science of The Total Environment. 2019; 667 ():578-585.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJosé M. De la Rosa; Águeda M. Sánchez-Martín; Paloma Campos; Ana Z. Miller. 2019. "Effect of pyrolysis conditions on the total contents of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in biochars produced from organic residues: Assessment of their hazard potential." Science of The Total Environment 667, no. : 578-585.
The characterization of ceramic materials from archaeological sites is of great importance to learn about the human traditions and regional History. In this work, 12 pieces of ceramics of the Cuatrovitas Archaelogical Site (Bollullos de la Mitación, Seville, Spain) were studied to approach the provenance of the raw material and the firing temperature. In addition, raw materials, from possible sources areas used for the manufacture of those ceramics, were also studied. Mineralogical characterization by XRD and chemical analyses of major, trace and rare earth elements were performed on both raw and ceramic materials. Thin sections, SEM-EDS analyses and micro-XRF mapping were carried out to complete the mineralogical and chemical characterization. The results show that there are two types of ceramic materials, probably prepared by mixtures of different clays and sandy materials. A feasible source area for those raw materials could be the alluvial of the Guadiamar River. According to the mineralogy of the high-temperature phases found in the ceramic pieces, two firing temperatures can be approached: one at 800–850 °C owing to the presence of calcite, and another at 900–950 °C because of the presence of diopside and gehlenite.
Isabel González; Antonio Romero-Baena; Emilio Galán; Adolfo Miras; José Carlos Castilla-Alcántara; Paloma Campos. Ceramic materials from Cuatrovitas archaelogical site (Spain). A mineralogical and chemical study for determining the provenance and the firing temperature. Applied Clay Science 2018, 166, 38 -48.
AMA StyleIsabel González, Antonio Romero-Baena, Emilio Galán, Adolfo Miras, José Carlos Castilla-Alcántara, Paloma Campos. Ceramic materials from Cuatrovitas archaelogical site (Spain). A mineralogical and chemical study for determining the provenance and the firing temperature. Applied Clay Science. 2018; 166 ():38-48.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIsabel González; Antonio Romero-Baena; Emilio Galán; Adolfo Miras; José Carlos Castilla-Alcántara; Paloma Campos. 2018. "Ceramic materials from Cuatrovitas archaelogical site (Spain). A mineralogical and chemical study for determining the provenance and the firing temperature." Applied Clay Science 166, no. : 38-48.
The fabrication of ceramics can produce the emission of several gases, denominated exhaust gases, and also vapours resulting from firing processes, which usually contain metals and toxic substances affecting the environment and the health of workers. Especially harmful are the diffuse emissions of CO2, fluorine, chlorine and sulphur from the ceramics industry, which, in highly industrialized areas, can suppose an important emission focus of dangerous effects. Concerning CO2, factories that use carbonate-rich raw materials (>30% carbonates) can emit high concentrations of CO2 to the atmosphere. Thus, carbonate reduction or substitution with other raw materials would reduce the emissions. In this contribution, we propose the addition of Al-shales to the carbonated ceramic materials (marls) for CO2 emission reduction, also improving the quality of the products. The employed shales are inexpensive materials of large reserves in SW-Spain. The ceramic bodies prepared with the addition of selected Al-shale to marls in variable proportions resulted in a 40%–65% CO2 emission reduction. In addition, this research underlines at the same time that the use of a low-price raw material can also contribute to obtaining products with higher added value.
I. González; C. Barba-Brioso; P. Campos; A. Romero; E. Galán. Reduction of CO2 diffuse emissions from the traditional ceramic industry by the addition of Si-Al raw material. Journal of Environmental Management 2016, 180, 190 -196.
AMA StyleI. González, C. Barba-Brioso, P. Campos, A. Romero, E. Galán. Reduction of CO2 diffuse emissions from the traditional ceramic industry by the addition of Si-Al raw material. Journal of Environmental Management. 2016; 180 ():190-196.
Chicago/Turabian StyleI. González; C. Barba-Brioso; P. Campos; A. Romero; E. Galán. 2016. "Reduction of CO2 diffuse emissions from the traditional ceramic industry by the addition of Si-Al raw material." Journal of Environmental Management 180, no. : 190-196.
Spain is one of the main ceramics producers of Europe and, in spite of the world economic crisis, the exporting market and the production of advanced ceramics are strengthening again many Spanish ceramic areas. In this sense, the efforts now should be directed to the consecution of new ceramic formulations that optimize the technological properties of the products and contribute to significant changes in the fabrication technology. Some advances should be directed to improve the drying process, to reduce the firing temperature, to eliminate efflorescence, etc., and even to reduce contamination effects of ceramic production, if possible. Accordingly, this paper presents the study of traditional raw materials, marls from the Guadalquivir Basin (south Spain) and aluminium-rich raw materials from the Badajoz province (south-western Spain) for the fabrication of structural ceramics. The investigation led to the preparation of new formulations with higher quality finished products and greater added value. The new mixtures were mineralogical (X-ray diffraction) and chemically (X-ray fluorescence) characterized and their technological properties were also determined. The obtained mixtures could be used with the existing technologies to create majolica or weakly coloured porous materials in the temperature range of 850–900 °C, but they are also advisable to be used in the fabrication of monoporosa or white/red birapida products firing at 1050 °C. In addition, as the formulations proposed contain only moderate proportions of carbonates, the CO2 emissions during firing are reduced, and the new ceramic materials would meet the requirements of “green materials” for construction.
I. González; P. Campos; C. Barba-Brioso; A. Romero; E. Galán; E. Mayoral. A proposal for the formulation of high-quality ceramic “green” materials with traditional raw materials mixed with Al-clays. Applied Clay Science 2016, 131, 113 -123.
AMA StyleI. González, P. Campos, C. Barba-Brioso, A. Romero, E. Galán, E. Mayoral. A proposal for the formulation of high-quality ceramic “green” materials with traditional raw materials mixed with Al-clays. Applied Clay Science. 2016; 131 ():113-123.
Chicago/Turabian StyleI. González; P. Campos; C. Barba-Brioso; A. Romero; E. Galán; E. Mayoral. 2016. "A proposal for the formulation of high-quality ceramic “green” materials with traditional raw materials mixed with Al-clays." Applied Clay Science 131, no. : 113-123.