Aided phytostabilisation over two years using iron sulphate and organic amendments: Effects on soil quality and rye production.

An outdoor macrocosm experiment using Fe-based and organic amendments over 2 years was set up to evaluate the effectiveness of aided-phytostabilisation. For that, a soil contaminated with As- and Cu-rich waste material (∼13000 mg As kg and ∼500 mg Cu kg) was treated with combinations of iron sulphate (Fe) with lime, paper mill sludge (PS), holm-oak biochar (BC), olive mill waste compost (OMWC) or green waste compost (GWC). Rye (Secale cereale L.

Aided phytostabilisation of As- and Cu-contaminated soils using white lupin and combined iron and organic amendments.

An aided phytostabilisation strategy consisting of several composite amendments of iron sulphate and organic materials combined with Lupinus albus L. (white lupin) was evaluated for remediation of an As- and Cu-contaminated soil. Iron sulphate was combined with lime, paper mill sludge (PS), olive mill waste compost (OMWC) or holm oak biochar (BC) and applied to a slightly acidic soil with high concentration of As (∼2200 mg kg) and Cu (∼150 mg kg).

Biochar modification to enhance sorption of inorganics from water.

Biochar can be used as a sorbent to remove inorganic pollutants from water but the efficiency of sorption can be improved by activation or modification. This review evaluates various methods to increase the sorption efficiency of biochar including activation with steam, acids and bases and the production of biochar-based composites with metal oxides, carbonaceous materials, clays, organic compounds, and biofilms. We describe the approaches, and explain how each modification alters the sorption capacity.

Effect of Lupinus albus L. root activities on As and Cu mobility after addition of iron-based soil amendments.

Arsenic and Cu mobility was investigated in the rhizosphere of Lupinus albus L. grown in an iron-amended contaminated soil. White lupin was grown in rhizobags in contaminated soil either left untreated or amended with iron sulphate plus lime (Fe + lime) or biochar (Fe + BC).

Assessing the combination of iron sulfate and organic materials as amendment for an arsenic and copper contaminated soil. A chemical and ecotoxicological approach.

The efficiency of combining iron sulfate and organic amendments (paper mill sludge, olive mill waste compost and olive tree pruning biochar) for the remediation of an As- and Cu-contaminated soil was evaluated. Changes in As and Cu fractionation and solubility due to the application of the amendments was explored by leachate analysis, single and sequential extractions. Also, the effects on Arrhenatherum elatius growth, germination of Lactuca sativa and toxicity to the bacteria Vibrio fischeri were assessed.

Iron plaque formed under aerobic conditions efficiently immobilizes arsenic in Lupinus albus L roots.

Arsenic is a non-threshold carcinogenic metalloid. Thus, human exposure should be minimised, e.g.

Biochar addition to an arsenic contaminated soil increases arsenic concentrations in the pore water but reduces uptake to tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.).

Arsenic (As) concentrations in soil, soil pore water and plant tissues were evaluated in a pot experiment following the transplantation of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plantlets to a heavily As contaminated mine soil (~6000 mg kg(-1) pseudo-total As) receiving an orchard prune residue biochar amendment, with and without NPK fertiliser. An in-vitro test was also performed to establish if tomato seeds were able to germinate in various proportions of biochar added to nutrient solution (MS).