Assessing biochar ecotoxicology for soil amendment by root phytotoxicity bioassays.

Soil amendment with biochar has been proposed as effective in improving agricultural land fertility and carbon sequestration, although the characterisation and certification of biochar quality are still crucial for widespread acceptance for agronomic purposes. We describe here the effects of four biochars (conifer and poplar wood, grape marc, wheat straw) at increasing application rates (0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50% w/w) on both germination and root elongation of Cucumis sativus L., Lepidium sativum L. and Sorghum saccharatum Moench. The tested biochars varied in chemical properties, depending on the type and quality of the initial feedstock batch, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) being high in conifer and wheat straw, Cd in poplar and Cu in grape marc. We demonstrate that electrical conductivity and Cu negatively affected both germination and root elongation at ≥5% rate biochar, together with Zn at ≥10% and elevated pH at ≥20%. In all species, germination was less sensitive than root elongation, strongly decreasing at very high rates of chars from grape marc (>10%) and wheat straw (>50%), whereas root length was already affected at 0.5% of conifer and poplar in cucumber and sorghum, with marked impairment in all chars at >5%. As a general interpretation, we propose here logarithmic model for robust root phytotoxicity in sorghum, based on biochar Zn content, which explains 66% of variability over the whole dosage range tested. We conclude that metal contamination is a crucial quality parameter for biochar safety, and that root elongation represents a stable test for assessing phytotoxicity at recommended in-field amendment rates (<1-2%).

Biochar addition to an arsenic contaminated soil increases arsenic concentrations in the pore water but reduces uptake to tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.).

Arsenic (As) concentrations in soil, soil pore water and plant tissues were evaluated in a pot experiment following the transplantation of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plantlets to a heavily As contaminated mine soil (~6000 mg kg(-1) pseudo-total As) receiving an orchard prune residue biochar amendment, with and without NPK fertiliser. An in-vitro test was also performed to establish if tomato seeds were able to germinate in various proportions of biochar added to nutrient solution (MS). Biochar significantly increased arsenic concentrations in pore water (500 µg L(-1)-2000 µg L(-1)) whilst root and shoot concentrations were significantly reduced compared to the control without biochar. Fruit As concentrations were very low (<3 µg kg(-1)), indicating minimal toxicity and transfer risk. Fertilisation was required to significantly increase plant biomass above the control after biochar addition whilst plants transplanted to biochar only were heavily stunted and chlorotic. Given that increasing the amount of biochar added to nutrient solution in-vitro reduced seed germination by up to 40%, a lack of balanced nutrient provision from biochar could be concluded. In summary, solubility and mobility of As were increased by biochar addition to this soil, but uptake to plant was reduced, and toxicity-transfer risk was negligible. Therefore leaching rather than food chain transfer appears the most probable immediate consequence of biochar addition to As contaminated soils.

In situ phytoremediation of arsenic- and metal-polluted pyrite waste with field crops: effects of soil management.

Sunflower, alfalfa, fodder radish and Italian ryegrass were cultivated in severely As-Cd-Co-Cu-Pb-Zn-contaminated pyrite waste discharged in the past and capped with 0.15m of unpolluted soil at Torviscosa (Italy). Plant growth and trace element uptake were compared under ploughing and subsoiling tillages (0.3m depth), the former yielding higher contamination (∼30%) in top soil. Tillage choice was not critical for phytoextraction, but subsoiling enhanced above-ground productivity, whereas ploughing increased trace element concentrations in plants. Fodder radish and sunflower had the greatest aerial biomass, and fodder radish the best trace element uptake, perhaps due to its lower root sensitivity to pollution. Above-ground removals were generally poor (maximum of 33mgm(-2) of various trace elements), with Zn (62%) and Cu (18%) as main harvested contaminants. The most significant finding was of fine roots proliferation in shallow layers that represented a huge sink for trace element phytostabilisation. It is concluded that phytoextraction is generally far from being an efficient management option in pyrite waste. Sustainable remediation requires significant improvements of the vegetation cover to stabilise the site mechanically and chemically, and provide precise quantification of root turnover.

Assisted phytoremediation of mixed metal(loid)-polluted pyrite waste: effects of foliar and substrate IBA application on fodder radish.

Exogenous application of plant-growth promoting substances may potentially improve phytoremediation of metal-polluted substrates by increasing shoot and root growth. In a pot-based study, fodder radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. oleiformis Pers.) was grown in As-Zn-Cu-Co-Pb-contaminated pyrite waste, and treated with indolebutyric acid (IBA) either by foliar spraying (10 mgL(-1)), or by direct application of IBA to the substrate (0.1 and 1 mgkg(-1)) in association, or not, with foliar spraying. With the exception of foliar spraying, IBA reduced above-ground biomass, whilst direct application of IBA to the substrate surface reduced root biomass (-59%). Trace element concentrations were generally increased, but removals (mg per plant) greatly reduced with IBA application, together with greater metal leaching from the substrate. It is concluded that, in our case, IBA had a negative effect on plant growth and phytoextraction of trace elements, possibly due to unsuitable root indoleacetic acid concentration following soil IBA application, the direct chelating effect of IBA and the low microbial activity in the pyrite waste affecting its breakdown.

Phytoremediation trials on metal- and arsenic-contaminated pyrite wastes (Torviscosa, Italy).

At a site in Udine, Italy, a 0.7m layer of As, Co, Cu, Pb and Zn contaminated wastes derived from mineral roasting for sulphur extraction had been covered with an unpolluted 0.15m layer of gravelly soil. This study investigates whether woody biomass phytoremediation is a realistic management option. Comparing ploughing and subsoiling (0.35m depth), the growth of Populus and Salix and trace element uptake were investigated in both pot and field trials. Species differences were marginal and species selection was not critical. Impaired above-ground productivity and low translocation of trace elements showed that bioavailable contaminant stripping was not feasible. The most significant finding was of coarse and fine roots proliferation in surface layers that provided a significant sink for trace elements. We conclude that phytostabilisation and effective immobilisation of metals and As could be achieved at the site by soil amelioration combined with woody species establishment. Confidence to achieve a long-term and sustainable remediation requires a more complete quantification of root dynamics and a better understanding of rhizosphere processes.