Biochar: A review of its impact on pesticide behavior in soil environments and its potential applications

Biochar is produced from the pyrolysis of carbon-rich plant- and animal-residues under low oxygen and high temperature conditions and has been increasingly used for its positive role in soil compartmentalization through activities such as carbon sequestration and improving soil quality. Biochar is also considered a unique adsorbent due to its high specific surface area and highly carbonaceous nature. Therefore, soil amendments with small amounts of biochar could result in higher adsorption and, consequently, decrease the bioavailability of contaminants to microbial communities, plants, earthworms, and other organisms in the soil. However, the mechanisms affecting the environmental fate and behavior of organic contaminants, especially pesticides in biochar-amended soil, are not well understood. The purpose of this work is to review the role of biochar in primary processes, such as adsorption–desorption and leaching of pesticides. Biochar has demonstrable effects on the fate and effects of pesticides and has been shown to affect the degradation and bioavailability of pesticides for living organisms. Moreover, some key aspects of agricultural and environmental applications of biochar are highlighted.     

An Experimental and Metamodeling Approach to Tensile Properties of Natural Fibers Composites

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - The present work presents an analysis of the tensile properties of Palm as well as Luffa natural fiber composites (NFC) in high density polyethylene...     

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the impacts of glyphosate on the reproductive hormones

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Worldwide use of glyphosate is constantly increasing and its residues are detected in drinking water, agriculture, and food products. There are...     

Effects of aging process on adsorption–desorption and bioavailability of fomesafen in an agricultural soil amended with rice hull biochar

Biochar has been introduced as an acceptable soil amendment due to its environmental benefits such as sequestering soil contaminants. However, the aging process in biochar amended soil probably decreases the adsorption capacity of biochar through changing its physico-chemical properties. Adsorption, leaching and bioavailability of fomesafen to corn in a Chinese soil amended by rice hull biochar after 0, 30, 90 and 180 days were investigated.Results showed that the addition of 0.5%–2% fresh biochar significantly increases the adsorption of fomesafen 4–26 times compare to unamended soil due to higher SSA of biochar. Biochar amendment also decreases fomesafen concentration in soil pore water by5%–23% resulting lower risk of the herbicide for cultivated plants. However, the aging process decreased the adsorption capacity of biochar since the adsorption coefficient values which was 1.9–12.4 in 0.5%–2% fresh biochar amended soil, declined to 1.36–4.16, 1.13–2.78 and 0.95–2.31 in 1, 3 and 6-month aged treatments, respectively. Consequently, higher desorption, leaching and bioavailable fraction of fomesafen belonged to 6-month aged treatment. Nevertheless, rice hull biochar was effective for sequestering fomesafen as the adsorption capacity of biochar amended soil after 6 months of aging was still 2.5–5 times higher compared to that of unamended soil.