Biochar Enhances Rice Growth and Mitigates Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon Contamination in Soil: A Sustainable Approach for Crop Production

ABSTRACT

Biochar is a soil amendment made from organic waste pyrolysis that has the potential to enhance crop growth and reduce soil contamination. A recent study examined the effects of biochar application on rice plant growth, yield, biomass, and total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) contamination in soil. The study included four treatments: control, biochar (2.0% and 4.0% addition), TPH (4.0%, 6.0%, and 8.0%), and biochar+TPH. Results showed that biochar application was effective in mitigating the negative effects of TPH contamination on soil-physiochemical properties, increasing soil pH, organic matter, and available nutrients. Additionally, biochar application significantly increased rice plant height compared to the control and mitigated the negative impact of TPH on rice plant height in TPH-contaminated soil. Biochar application at 4.0% and 6.0% resulted in higher grain yield and biomass than the control group under all TPH contamination levels, with 6.0% being the most effective. Overall, the study highlights the potential of biochar as a sustainable approach for crop production in contaminated areas. However, further research is required to understand the underlying mechanisms, sustainability, and long-term effects of biochar application in agricultural systems.

HIGHLIGHTS

• SBB has the potential to mitigate the negative effects of TPH contamination on soil properties.

• SBB can increase soil pH, organic matter, and available nutrients, making it a valuable tool for soil remediation.

• SBB reduces TPH removal from contaminated soil, possibly due to adsorption or soil property modifications.

• SBB has a positive effect on rice height, mitigating the negative impact of TPH contamination.

• Higher levels of SBB result in taller rice plants, and lower levels of TPH result in taller rice plants.

• SBB application at 4.0% and 6.0% improves grain yield and biomass across all TPH contamination levels.

• SBB has promising potential as a sustainable strategy for managing contaminated soils for crop production.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• Biochar
• crop growth
• environmental health
• rice height
• total petroleum hydrocarbon
• agricultural sustainability

Acknowledgments

I want to thank my family, who gave me the opportunity to finish this paper (Dr. Farhang Rassaei, Mahdokht Massoud, Dr. Liza Rassaei, Dr. Farshad Rassaei, Dr. Janet Rassaei, and Farhad Rassaei).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Authors’ contributions

Farzad Rassaei: design of the work, the acquisition, analysis, interpretation of data, writing the manuscript.

Availability of data materials

The datasets during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

There is no funding regarding this manuscript.