https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5820-6413
![Sample our Geography journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5937/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Geography.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
Arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) are two prominent metal contaminants in mining soil, threatening food and environmental safety. The effects of Fe-loaded biochar on the accumulation and translocation of As and Cd in a soil-lettuce system were investigated to evaluate the efficiency of Fe-loaded biochar in reducing As and Cd bioavailability. Application of Fe-loaded biochar at a rate of 0.5–1.5% decreased the concentrations of porewater As and Cd by 4.2–53.0% and −0.6–21.7%, respectively. The results of sequential extraction showed that Fe-loaded biochar can promote the transfer of As and Cd in soils from the available fraction to a relatively stable fraction, thus reducing the mobility and availability of As and Cd. The concentrations of As and Cd in lettuce shoots in the Fe-loaded biochar treatment were significantly decreased by 11.4–26.0% and 4.4–12.9% compared with those in the untreated soil, respectively. Fe-loaded biochar applied at a rate of 0.5–1.0% had no obvious effect on plant biomass, and the lowest weight of lettuce shoots and roots was observed in the treatment with Fe-loaded biochar applied at a rate of 1.5%, in which they were reduced by 12.9% and 18.0%, respectively. Overall, Fe-loaded biochar as a soil amendment was effective in simultaneously reducing As and Cd bioavailability in As and Cd co-contaminated soils, and an application rate lower than 1.5% is recommended to avoid significant decreases in plant growth.
Acknowledgments
This work was financially supported by the Science and Technology Program of Anhui Province (17030701052).
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
ORCID
Pingping Wu http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5820-6413