Comparative efficacy of Parthenium hysterophorus (L.) derived biochar and iron doped zinc oxide nanoparticle on heavy metals (HMs) mobility and its uptake by Triticum aestivum (L.) in chromite mining contaminated soils

Abstract

In this study we investigated the efficacy of a novel material parthenium weed (Parthenium hysterophorus L.) biochar (PBC), iron doped zinc oxide nanoparticles (nFe-ZnO), and biochar modified with nFe-ZnO (Fe-ZnO@BC) to adsorb heavy metals (HMs) and reduce their uptake by wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in a highly chromite mining contaminated soil. The co-application of the applied soil conditioners exhibited a positive effect on the immobilization and restricted the HMs uptake below their threshold levels in shoot content of wheat. The maximum adsorption capacity was because of large surface area, cation exchange capacity, surface precipitation, and complexation of the soil conditioners. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) showed porous smooth structure of parthenium weed derived biochar that helped in HMs adsorption, increase the efficiency of soil fertilizers and nutrients retention which help in the enhancement soil condition. Under different application rates the highest translocation factor (TFHMs) was obtained at 2 g nFe-ZnO rate followed the descending order: Mn > Cr > Cu > Ni > Pb. The overall TFHMs was found <1.0 indicating that low content of HMs accumulation in roots from soil slight transferred to shoot, thus satisfying the remediation requirements.

NOVELTY STATEMENT

Wheat is considered as an important staple food which is grown in a chromite mining contaminated soil containing toxic HMs releasing from weathering of mafic and ultramafic rocks in the study area. The present research work is significantly beneficial in identifying the efficiency of treatment technologies to immobilize toxic HMs in soil. Parthenium weed derived biochar and biochar modified with nFe-ZnO (Fe-ZnO@BC) reduce the HMs uptake by wheat plant.

Keywords:

• Immobilization
• scanning electron microscopy
• soil conditioners
• translocation factor

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the Director National Centre of Excellence in Geology, University of Peshawar, to provide the necessary research facilities for conducting this experiment. The first author (S. Jehan) deeply thankful to the Department of Environmental Sciences, AWKUM and Department of Biotechnology, CECOS University, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, for providing facilities for the synthesis of biochar and nanoparticles, respectively. The authors are sincerely thankful to the anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions which helped us in improving the quality of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study was financially supported by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan under International Research Support Initiative Program (No: 1–8/HEC/HRD/2021/11325, PIN: IRSIP 48PSc 32).