Using biochar for environmental recovery and boosting the yield of valuable non-food crops: The case of hemp in a soil contaminated by potentially toxic elements (PTEs).

Hemp ( L.) is known to tolerate high concentrations of soil contaminants which however can limit its biomass yield. On the other hand, organic-based amendments such as biochar can immobilize soil contaminants and assist hemp growth in soils contaminated by potentially toxic elements (PTEs), allowing for environmental recovery and income generation, e.

Combining biochar and grass-legume mixture to improve the phytoremediation of soils contaminated with potentially toxic elements (PTEs).

The combination of soil amendments with plants can be a viable option for restoring the functionality of PTEs-contaminated soils. Soil recovery could be further optimized through the mixed cropping of plant species (e.g.

Mixing Compost and Biochar Can Enhance the Chemical and Biological Recovery of Soils Contaminated by Potentially Toxic Elements.

Biochar and compost are able to influence the mobility of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in soil. As such, they can be useful in restoring the functionality of contaminated soils, albeit their effectiveness can vary substantially depending on the chemical and/or the (micro)biological endpoint that is targeted. To better explore the potential of the two amendments in the restoration of PTE-contaminated soils, biochar, compost (separately added at 3% /), and their mixtures (1:1, 3:1, and 1:3 biochar-to-compost ratios) were added to contaminated soil (i.

Long-term effect of municipal solid waste compost on the recovery of a potentially toxic element (PTE)-contaminated soil: PTE mobility, distribution and bioaccessibility.

Compost from municipal solid waste (MSWC) can represent a resource for the environmental management of soils contaminated with potentially toxic elements (PTEs), since it can reduce their mobility and improve soil fertility. However, the long-term impact of compost on soil recovery has been poorly investigated. To this end, the influence of a MSWC added at different rates (i.

Stabilising fluoride in contaminated soils with monocalcium phosphate and municipal solid waste compost: microbial, biochemical and plant growth impact.

This study evaluated the influence of a municipal solid waste compost (MSWC) and monocalcium phosphate (MCP), alone or combined, on the mobility, toxicity, bioavailability and health risk of fluoride (1000 mg F·kg) in an artificially polluted soil (pH 7.85). The addition of MCP (0.

Addition of softwood biochar to contaminated soils decreases the mobility, leachability and bioaccesibility of potentially toxic elements.

Softwood-derived biochar (5% w/w) was added to two mining soils (S1 and S2) contaminated with Cd (4.8-74 mg kg), Pb (318-1899 mg kg) and Zn (622-3803 mg kg), to evaluate its immobilization capabilities towards such potentially toxic elements (PTEs). Biochar addition (S + B) increased soil pH, organic carbon content, extractable phosphorous and calcium.

Biochar and compost as gentle remediation options for the recovery of trace elements-contaminated soils.

The use of organic-based amendments for gentle remediation options (GRO), i.e. the stabilization of trace elements (TE) in polluted soils and the reduction of their impact on soil microbial and biochemical features, has been constantly growing in last 10 years.

Soil microbial response to tetracycline in two different soils amended with cow manure.

High amounts of antibiotics are introduced in the soil environment by manure amendment, which is the most important spreading route in soil, with a potential ecotoxicological impact on the environment. The objectives of this study were (a) to assess the tetracycline (Tc) bioavailability in a clay and in a sandy soil, and (b) to evaluate the effects of the Tc and cow manure on the structure and function of soil microbial communities. Clay and sandy soils were spiked with Tc at the concentrations of 100 and 500 mg Tc kg(-1) soil, and were amended or not with cow manure.

Soil sorption and leaching of active ingredients of Lumax® under mineral or organic fertilization.

The study describes the soil sorption of the herbicide Lumax®, composed of S-metolachlor (MTC), terbuthylazine (TBZ), and mesotrione (MST), as influenced by mineral and organic fertilizers. The investigation was performed on a sandy soil of an agricultural area designated as a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone, where mineral and organic fertilizers were applied for many years. Two organic fertilizers, cattle manure and slurry, respectively, and a mineral fertilizer with a nitrification inhibitor, Entec®, were compared.

Influence of the isomerism on the sorption of imazamethabenz-methyl by soil.

The sorption of meta and para isomers of the herbicide imazamethabenz-methyl, methyl 6-[(RS)-4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl]-m- or p-toluate, by three soils and soil organic matter, was studied. Sorption isotherms conformed to the Freundlich equation. It was found that pH was the main factor influencing the adsorption in all of the systems.

Sorption behavior of sulfamethazine on unamended and manure-amended soils and short-term impact on soil microbial community.

In this study we investigated the sorption of sulfamethazine (SMZ) in two soils with different physico-chemical properties and the sulfonamide short-term influence on the microbial community structure and function. The presence of manure increased the SMZ sorption, the uppermost level being measured on soil with the lower pH and the higher manure content allowed by the Italian regulation. The sulfonamide desorption was hysteretic on both soils.

Direct and indirect photolysis of two quinolinecarboxylic herbicides in aqueous systems.

The photodegradation of two quinolinecarboxylic herbicides, 7-chloro-3-methylquinoline-8-carboxylic acid (QMe) and 3,7-dichloroquinoline-8-carboxylic acid (QCl), was studied in aqueous solution at different irradiation wavelengths. The effect of sunlight irradiation was investigated also in the presence of titanium dioxide (TiO(2)). UV irradiation degraded rapidly QMe affording 7-chloro-3-methylquinoline (MeQ) through a decarboxylation reaction.

Effects of a municipal sewage sludge amendment on triasulfuron soil sorption and wheat growth.

The influence of municipal sewage sludge (SL) as a soil amendment on the sorption and activity of the herbicide triasulfuron (TRS, [2-(2-chloroethoxy)-N-[[(4-methoxy-6-methyl-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)amino]carbonyl]benzenesulfonamide]) was studied. Weed control was checked in a greenhouse on a wheat (Triticum turgidum L. subsp.

Fenhexamid adsorption behavior on soil amended with wine lees.

The adsorption of fenhexamid (FEN) [N-(2,3-dichloro-4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-methylcyclohexanecarboxamide] on vineyard soil amended with wine lees (WL) produced by vinery was studied. The adsorption extent depends on WL fraction. The addition of the centrifuged solid lees (SWL) increases the FEN adsorption on soil.

Hydrolysis and adsorption of cyhalofop-butyl and cyhalofop-acid on soil colloids.

A study was undertaken to investigate the stability of cyhalofop-butyl (2 R)-2-[4-(4-cyano-2-fluorophenoxy)phenoxy]butylpropanoate (CyB), an aryloxyphenoxy-propionic herbicide, at different pH values. The hydrolysis of CyB was faster in nonsterile than in sterile water. In sterile medium, CyB degraded only to (2 R)-2-[4-(4-cyano-2-fluorophenoxy)phenoxy]propanoic acid (CyA), whereas in nonsterile water, also the metabolites (2 R)-2-[4-(4-carbamoyl-2-fluorophenoxy)phenoxy]propanoic acid (CyAA) and (2 R)-2-[4-(4-carboxyl-2-fluorophenoxy)phenoxy]propanoic acid (CyD) were detected.