Char(coal) and other black carbon materials can comprise up to 35% of total organic carbon in US agricultural soils, and are known to strongly and often irreversibly bind contaminants including heavy metals.  Black carbon has received renewed interests in recent years as a solid co-product formed during thermochemical waste-to-energy conversion (slow/fast pyrolysis and gasification) of agricultural wastes such as plant residue, nutshell, and manure.  Amendment of char product (biochar) in soil is a promising, cost-effective remediation strategy for contaminated soils and sediments, along with added benefits including carbon sequestration.  This presentation will focus on biochar-induced changes in the fate of heavy metals and agrochemicals in both agricultural and contaminated soils, with a particular emphasis on the reversibility of contaminant sorption.  The results suggest the importance of soil property (pH, CEC, TOC) and contamination scenarios in designing specific biochar for purported functions.

Roles of black carbon on the fate of heavy metals and agrochemicals in soil

244th National Meeting (2012)

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