title: Release of soluble elements from biochars derived from various biomass feedstocks.
abstract: Biochar as soil amendment can increase soil carbon (C) sequestration and mineral nutrients; however, some of its soluble elements may also be unintentionally released during the application. In this work, eight types of biochars were derived from herbaceous, woody, and waste (tailing, manure, sludge) biomass feedstocks through slow pyrolysis at 600 °C in N2. The elemental composition, specific surface area, morphology, crystalline phases, thermal stability, surface functional groups, and pH of the point of zero charge of the biochars were determined using various methods. These properties varied significantly among the tested biochars, suggesting that feedstock type played an important role in controlling their properties. Laboratory release and toxicity characteristic leaching procedure extraction experiments were conducted to evaluate the potential release of nutritious and toxic element from biochars. Results showed that all the biochars released nutritious elements and thus, may be beneficial to plants when amended in soils. In general, biochars produced from herbaceous and woody biomass feedstocks showed low risks of releasing toxic elements. Biochar derived from sludge, however, might present ecotoxicological challenges for its environmental applications due to the release of toxic elements, such as heavy metals.
authors.affiliation: School of Environment, Nanjing Tech University, 30 Puzhu Southern Road, Nanjing, 211816, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hailu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: School of Environment, Nanjing Tech University, 30 Puzhu Southern Road, Nanjing, 211816, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Che
authors.affiliation: School of Environment, Nanjing Tech University, 30 Puzhu Southern Road, Nanjing, 211816, People's Republic of China. dzhuhong@njtech.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zhuhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and Center of Material Analysis, Nanjing University, 20 Hankou Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210093, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, 285 Frazier Rogers Hall, Gainesville, 32611, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Anne Elise
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Creamer
authors.affiliation: Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, 285 Frazier Rogers Hall, Gainesville, 32611, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, 285 Frazier Rogers Hall, Gainesville, 32611, FL, USA. gaobin@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D018533:Biomass; D002606:Charcoal / Q000737:chemistry*; D008372:Manure / Q000032:analysis*; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis; D012722:Sewage / Q000737:chemistry*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D014934:Wood / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D008372:Manure; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D012722:Sewage; D012987:Soil; C540010:biochar; D002606:Charcoal
keywords: Biochar contamination; Biochar land application; Heavy metal leaching; Nutrient release; Soil amendment