Search results for "Charcoal"
showing 10 items of 102 documents
Functionalization of ultrasound enhanced sewage sludge-derived biochar: Physicochemical improvement and its effects on soil enzyme activities and hea…
2020
Abstract Poor physicochemical characteristics and high heavy metals content are main limitations of applying sludge-based biochars in remediation studies. The present study attempts to combine two practical approaches of ultrasound pre-treatment with low-time and low-frequency and chemical functionalization using citric acid. The aims of this study are enhancement physicochemical characteristics and environmental applicability of sludge-derived biochar. The characteristics of obtained ultrasound-treated functionalized biochar (UFB), sludge-derived biochar (SDB) and sewage sludge (SS) were evaluated. Then, the effects of these additives on soil heavy metals availability, soil enzyme activiti…
Biochar based remediation of water and soil contaminated by phenanthrene and pentachlorophenol
2017
Abstract Phenanthrene (Phe) and pentachlorophenol (PCP) are classified as persistent organic pollutants and represent serious concern for the environment as they are toxic and ubiquitous. Biochar based remediation is an emerging technology used in water and soil contamination. In this study we used poplar (BP) and conifer (BC) biochars to remediate water and soil contaminated by Phe and PCP. BP and BC were able to remove completely either Phe or PCP from contaminated water within one to three days. When biochar was confined in a porous membrane, BC and BP maintained their sorption efficiency for several remediation cycles. However, in these conditions BC allowed faster Phe removal. In soil …
Previous fire occurrence, but not fire recurrence, modulates the effect of charcoal and ash on soil C and N dynamics in Pinus pinaster Aiton forests.
2021
Abstract Understanding the effects of fire history on soil processes is key to characterise their resistance and resilience under future fire events. Wildfires produce pyrogenic carbonaceous material (PCM) that is incorporated into the soil, playing a critical role in the global carbon (C) cycle, but its interactions with soil processes are poorly understood. We evaluated if the previous occurrence of wildfires modulates the dynamic of soil C and nitrogen (N) and microbial community by soil ester linked fatty acids, after a new simulated low-medium intensity fire. Soils with a different fire history (none, one, two or three fires) were heat-shocked and amended with charcoal and/or ash deriv…
Microstructural and associated chemical changes during the composting of a high temperature biochar: Mechanisms for nitrate, phosphate and other nutr…
2018
Recent studies have demonstrated the importance of the nutrient status of biochar and soils prior to its inclusion in particular agricultural systems. Pre-treatment of nutrient-reactive biochar, where nutrients are loaded into pores and onto surfaces, gives improved yield outcomes compared to untreated biochar. In this study we have used a wide selection of spectroscopic and microscopic techniques to investigate the mechanisms of nutrient retention in a high temperature wood biochar, which had negative effects on Chenopodium quinoa above ground biomass yield when applied to the system without prior nutrient loading, but positive effects when applied after composting. We have compared non-co…
Recent Developments in Understanding Biochar’s Physical–Chemistry
2021
Biochar is a porous material obtained by biomass thermal degradation in oxygen-starved conditions. It is nowadays applied in many fields. For instance, it is used to synthesize new materials for environmental remediation, catalysis, animal feeding, adsorbent for smells, etc. In the last decades, biochar has been applied also to soils due to its beneficial effects on soil structure, pH, soil organic carbon content, and stability, and, therefore, soil fertility. In addition, this carbonaceous material shows high chemical stability. Once applied to soil it maintains its nature for centuries. Consequently, it can be considered a sink to store atmospheric carbon dioxide in soils, thereby mitigat…
Macrobotanical evidence (wood charcoal and seeds) from the Middle Palaeolithic site of El Salt, Eastern Iberia: Palaeoenvironmental data and plant re…
2018
Despite the current growing number of studies that focus on macrobotanical remains from Middle Palaeolithiccontexts, plant use among hunter-gatherer societies remains unknown in many regions of Europe. Large-scaleflotation of archaeological sediments has made it possible to recover a large amount of plant remains (fruits,seeds and wood) from units VIII, IX, Xa and Xb at El Salt, Eastern Iberia (49.2–52.3 ka BP). The combination ofanthracological and carpological analyses has provided a more accurate picture of the Middle Palaeolithiclandscape in the Serpis valley, as well as significant information about other possible uses of plants, not only asfuel, but for woodworking or food, for instan…
Efficient Removal of Methyl Red Dye by Using Bark of Hopbush
2022
Methyl red (MR) dye, one of the azo dyes, is mutagenic and its persistence has negative effects on the environment and people’s health. The current work is the first to demonstrate that methyl red dye can be removed effectively and sustainably, utilizing biomass derived from the bark of the Dodonaea viscosa (Hopbush) plant. The Hopbush bark shows effective adsorption of MR, upto 73%, under optimized conditions in an aqueous medium. The experimental conditions were optimized by examining the effect of time, initial dye concentration, pH and ionic strength on the adsorption process in an aqueous medium. Maximum (i.e., 73%) adsorption of MR removal (500 ppm) was observed in highly acidic…
Effects of Activated Carbon on PCB Bioaccumulation and Biological Responses of Chironomus riparius in Full Life Cycle Test
2016
The nonbiting midge Chironomus riparius was used to study the remediation potential and secondary effects of activated carbon (AC, ø 63-200 μm) in PCB contaminated sediments. AC amendments efficiently reduced PCB bioavailability determined by Chironomus riparius bioaccumulation tests and passive samplers. PCBs were shown to transfer from larvae to adults. Lower PCB concentrations were observed in adult midges emerging from AC amended compared to unamended sediments. Increased reproduction, survival, larval growth and gut wall microvilli length were observed with low AC dose (0.5% sediment dw) compared to unamended sediment, indicating an improved success of larvae in the sediment with low o…
Long-term response of marine benthic fauna to thin-layer capping with powdered activated carbon in the Grenland fjords, Norway
2021
The Grenland fjords in Norway have a long history of contamination by large emissions of dioxins and mercury. As a possible sediment remediation method in situ, thin-layer capping with powdered activated carbon (AC) mixed with clay was applied at two test sites at 30 m and 95 m depth in the Grenland fjords. This study presents long-term effects of the AC treatment on the benthic community structure, i.e. nine years after capping. Capping with AC significantly reduced the number of species, their abundance and biomass at the two test sites, compared to uncapped reference sites. At the more shallow site, the dominant brittle star species Amphiura filiformis disappeared shortly after capping a…
The effects of woodchip- and straw-derived biochars on the persistence of the herbicide 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) in soils
2014
Sorption and degradation are the primary processes controlling the efficacy and runoff contamination risk of agrochemicals. This study assessed the influence of two biochars, made from woodchips and straw at a pyrolysis temperature of 725°C and applied to a loamy sand and a sandy soil in the concentration of 5.3 g 100 g(-1) sandy soil and 4.1 g 100 g(-1) loamy sand soil, or 53 t ha(-1) for both soil types, on degradation of the herbicide 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid (MCPA). Soils were spiked with 50 mg MCPA kg(-1) soil. In the sandy soil, significantly more MCPA remained after 100 days if amended with straw-derived biochar in comparison to wood-derived biochar. Both biochars types si…