title: Effect of biochar activation by different methods on toxicity of soil contaminated by industrial activity.
abstract: The objective of the study was to determine the effect of various methods of biochar activation on the ecotoxicity of soils with various properties and with various content and origin of contaminants. The biochar produced from willow (at 700°C) was activated by 1) microwaves (in a microwave reactor under an atmosphere of water vapour), 2) carbon dioxide (in the quartz fluidized bed reactor) and 3) superheated steam (in the quartz fluidized bed reactor). Three different soils were collected from industrial areas. The soils were mixed with biochar and activated biochars at the dose of 5% and ecotoxicological parameters of mixture was evaluated using two solid phase test - Phytotoxkit F (Lepidium sativum) and Collembolan test (Folsomia candida) and one liquid phase test - Microtox® (Vibrio fischeri). Biochar activation had both positive and negative impacts, depending on the activation method, kind of bioassay and kind of soil. Generally, biochar activated by microwaves increased the effectiveness of ecotoxicity reduction relative to non-activated biochars. Whereas, biochar activated with CO2most often cause a negative effect manifested by deterioration or as a lack of improvement in relation to non-activated biochar or to non-amended soil. It was also demonstrated that the increase of biochar specific surface area caused a significant reduction of toxicity of water leachates from the studied soils. Effectiveness of the reduction of leachate toxicity was weakened in the presence of dissolved organic carbon in the soil.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Pl. M. Curie-Skłodowskiej 3, 20-031 Lublin, Poland.
authors.forename: Michał
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kołtowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Chromatographic Methods, Faculty of Chemistry, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Pl. M. Curie-Skłodowskiej 3, 20-031 Lublin, Poland.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Charmas
authors.affiliation: Department of Chromatographic Methods, Faculty of Chemistry, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Pl. M. Curie-Skłodowskiej 3, 20-031 Lublin, Poland.
authors.forename: Jadwiga
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Skubiszewska-Zięba
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Pl. M. Curie-Skłodowskiej 3, 20-031 Lublin, Poland. Electronic address: patryk.oleszczuk@poczta.umcs.lublin.pl.
authors.forename: Patryk
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Oleszczuk
mesh_terms: D048908:Aliivibrio fischeri / Q000187:drug effects*; D000818:Animals; D001181:Arthropods / Q000187:drug effects*; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry; D002606:Charcoal / Q000737:chemistry*; D054750:Ecotoxicology / Q000379:methods*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D031220:Lepidium sativum / Q000187:drug effects*; D008872:Microwaves; D011044:Poland; D032108:Salix / Q000737:chemistry; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D013227:Steam
chemical_list: D012989:Soil Pollutants; D013227:Steam; C540010:biochar; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D002606:Charcoal
keywords: Biochar activation; Ecotoxicity; Folsomia candida; Lepidium sativum; Soil contamination; Vibrio fischeri