title: Trace element concentrations in leachates and mustard plant tissue (Sinapis alba L.) after biochar application to temperate soils.
abstract: Biochar application to agricultural soils has been increasingly promoted worldwide. However, this may be accompanied by unexpected side effects in terms of trace element (TE) behavior. We used a greenhouse pot experiment to study the influence of woodchip-derived biochar (wcBC) on leaching and plant concentration of various TEs (Al, Cd, Cu, Pb, Mn, As, B, Mo, Se). Three different agricultural soils from Austria (Planosol, Cambisol, Chernozem) were treated with wcBC at application rates of 1 and 3% (w/w) and subsequently planted with mustard (Sinapis alba L.). Soil samples were taken 0 and 7 months after the start of the pot experiment, and leachate water was collected twice (days 0 and 54). The extractability (with NH4NO3) of cationic TEs was decreased in the (acidic) Planosol and Cambisol after wcBC application, whereas in the (neutral) Chernozem it hardly changed. In contrast, anionic TEs were mobilized in all three soils, which resulted in higher anion concentrations in the leachates. The application of wcBC had no effect on Al and Pb in the mustard plants, but increased their B and Mo concentrations and decreased their Cd, Cu and Mn concentrations. A two-way analysis of variance showed significant interactions between wcBC application rate and soil type for most TEs, which indicates that different soil types may react differently upon wcBC application. Correlation and partial correlation analyses revealed that TE behavior was primarily related to soil pH, whereas the involvement of other factors such as electrical conductivity (EC), organic carbon (OC) content and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was found to be more soil and TE-specific. The application of wcBC may be a useful strategy for the remediation of soils with elevated levels of cationic TEs, but could lead to deficiencies of cationic micronutrients and enhance short-term translocation of anionic TEs towards the groundwater at high leaching rates.
authors.affiliation: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, Institute of Soil Research, Peter-Jordan-Str. 82, 1190 Vienna, Austria; Department of Health and Environment, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, A-3430 Tulln, Austria. Electronic address: stefanie.kloss@boku.ac.at.
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kloss
authors.affiliation: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, Institute of Soil Research, Peter-Jordan-Str. 82, 1190 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: franz.zehetner@boku.ac.at.
authors.forename: Franz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zehetner
authors.affiliation: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, Institute of Soil Research, Konrad-Lorenz-Str. 24, 3430 Tulln, Austria. Electronic address: eva.oburger@boku.ac.at.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Oburger
authors.affiliation: Water Management in Mining Landscapes, Dresden Groundwater Research Center, Meraner Str. 10, 01217 Dresden, Germany. Electronic address: jbuecker@gfi-dresden.de.
authors.forename: Jannis
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Buecker
authors.affiliation: Federal Research and Training Centre for Forests, Natural Hazards and Landscape, Seckendorff-Gudent-Weg 8, 1131 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: barbara.kitzler@bfw.gv.at.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kitzler
authors.affiliation: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, Institute of Soil Research, Konrad-Lorenz-Str. 24, 3430 Tulln, Austria. Electronic address: walter.wenzel@boku.ac.at.
authors.forename: Walter W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Wenzel
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Environment, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, A-3430 Tulln, Austria. Electronic address: bernhard.wimmer@ait.ac.at.
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wimmer
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Environment, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, A-3430 Tulln, Austria. Electronic address: gerhard.soja@ait.ac.at.
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Soja
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D001317:Austria; D002606:Charcoal / Q000737:chemistry*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation / Q000379:methods*; D060587:Groundwater / Q000737:chemistry; D009149:Mustard Plant / Q000737:chemistry*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D014131:Trace Elements; C540010:biochar; D002606:Charcoal
keywords: Biochar; Heavy metals; Leaching; Plant uptake; Soil remediation; Trace elements